“Many invaders are working to destroy native Flint Hills pastures.”
The list is long including red cedar, hedge, buckbrush, locust, Old World bluestem, thistles, multiflora rose, Johnsongrass, and more.
However, depending on opinion and experiences, the most serious native grassland intruder at the present time is sericea lespedeza based on personal experience.
Ability to thrive under a variety of conditions and its tendency to crowd out more palatable forages are among the reasons sericea has been declared a noxious weed in Kansas and other states.
Sericea was introduced into the United States in the 1930s but was not considered a problem until the 1980s.
Its initial perceived value for livestock feed, erosion control, hay, wildlife cover and food, and seed production was generally accepted.
From original plantings, sericea has spread by animals and movement of hay contaminated with seed to native prairies,
Normal management practices such as grazing, burning, mowing, and herbicides do not adequately control sericea.
The best approach to control sericea is early detection, isolation of infested areas, and control of individual plants with approved herbicides.
Once established, an integrated approach to control is necessary to minimize the damage with the primary goal to reduce seed production every year.
It is difficult to give grasses a competitive edge over sericea with grazing because cattle will select grasses and leave the sericea.
Spring burning removes the dead growth of sericea but has no negative effect on established plants. Fire increases seed germination, thus promoting the establishment of new plants. However, burning can improve the effectiveness of herbicides if applied to regrowth the same year.
Mowing will reduce the vigor of sericea if cut close to the ground multiple times each year. However, mowing will not kill sericea and may damage desirable grasses. In addition, a large sericea seed bank will remain in the soil.
Its highly competitive and invasive nature, together with low palatability, makes sericea undesirable on rangeland. A combination of management practices offers the most effective control of sericea.
Personally, following every recommended control method is very expensive requiring continued efforts which remain largely ineffective.
Reminded of Jeremiah 4:8: “Invaders have pounced to leave the land in wrack and ruin” Yet optimism prevails in Nahum 1:15: “Messengers come running to pastures with glad news: ‘The invaders have been wiped out and we are safe.’”
+++ALLELUIA+++
XVIII–35–
