Thanks for showing me your property on June 26th and for your interest in wildlife habitat!  A summary of what we discussed, and some recommendations follow.  Be sure to check out the attached factsheets for more information about establishing native plants and eradicating invasives.  Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns – I’m here to help!

• The best thing you can do for your property is work to eradicate the invasive plants that are established there. You have Asian bush honeysuckle, white mulberry, periwinkle, and Canada thistle present.

  • The bush honeysuckle and white mulberry are best managed by cut-stump treatments in the late growing season (August – October) but can be done February – June. This involves cutting the entire plant about 3 inches above ground level and painting on a 50% solution of glyphosate or triclopyr and water to the entire stump. I recommend adding a colored dye to the solution so you can see which plants have been treated.

  • Periwinkle is best treated with a foliar spray of 3% triclopyr (Garlon®) and 1/2% non-ionic surfactant. Because of this plant’s waxy leaf, it is recommended to use MSO (methylated seed oil) as the surfactant. This should be applied October – March.

  • Continue to treat Canada thistle in the same manner that you have (apply herbicide containing clopyralid, May-June).

• When purchasing herbicides, it is important to pay attention to how much of the active ingredient (A.I.) is present in the product. For glyphosate products to work best, you want to find a product containing at least 41% A.I. The same general rule applies to products containing triclopyr. The higher the A.I., the more effective the product and the less product you have to use in the long run.

  • Some brand names for glyphosate products: Roundup®, Rodeo®, Accord®

  • Some brand names for triclopyr products: Garlon 3A®, Element 3A®, Remedy Ultra®

• After treating the invasives in the first go, you will likely have to come back the next growing season and treat resprouts, as resprouts are inevitable. 

• I have included a few fact sheets to guide you through how to treat individual invasive species, as well as a guide to invasive plants in Indiana that will help you with identification.

I also mentioned potentially converting your backyard into a native prairie planting. An example establishment timeline for that would look like the following:

March – May 2024

• Mow all areas in your barn lot field that will be sprayed and allow at least 4”-6” of regrowth.

• Broadcast apply herbicide to kill tall fescue and other weeds after 4”-6” of regrowth.  A 2% - 3% solution of glyphosate will be necessary to kill the tall fescue.  You may add a broadleaf specific herbicide (e.g., triclopyr, 2,4-D) to increase the effectiveness on perennial weeds, brush, and small trees.  Follow all herbicide label instructions.

September – October 2024:

• Broadcast one final application of herbicide to kill any newly emerged weeds and grasses (recommended: 2% solution of glyphosate).  Mowing prior to the second application is generally not necessary. 

December 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025:

• Plan to frost seed your pollinator habitat within this window.  The preferred timeframe for frost seeding in Southern Indiana is December through January.  Seeding in February may not provide enough freeze-thaw time to properly stratify seeds.

• Seed should be broadcast by hand or using a mechanical broadcaster on a tractor or ATV, but no tillage will be necessary.  Disturbing the soil will only encourage weeds the following spring. 

• When broadcasting seed, it’s important to use a carrier that will help you ensure that the seed flows through the spreader and is spread evenly across the field. Some carriers you can use include pelletized lime, soybean meal, cracked corn, wheat or oats.

Growing Seasons 2025-2026:

• In the first one or two growing seasons, most wildflower and native grass development will be in the root systems, and little above-ground growth will occur.  Many plants will achieve only a fraction of their mature height.  To encourage development, you may mow a few times through the summer to suppress weed competition.  Weeds should be mowed to no lower than 8” in height.  Frequent high mowing will reduce the amount of residue that might cover and kill new seedlings.

• You only need to mow if weed pressure is high.  It’s truly a judgement call, and not mowing is unlikely to result in a failed planting.  However, extensive weed pressure will delay germination and limit blooming. 

• The first growing season will be weedy.  Most of the seed you plant will be putting down roots the first season.  Don’t worry!  Pollinator plantings sleep before they leap! 

• Do not broadcast pesticides of any kind after you seed.  You may spot spray invasive weeds like Johnsongrass and Canada thistle.  Other weeds like ragweed, marestail, and foxtail are best controlled by mowing (see previous) but are generally not a concern for pollinator plantings.  In fact, these “weeds” provide great forage and seed for wildlife!

Routine maintenance is a key component of habitat management.  Your pollinator habitat is considered early successional, and thus requires frequent maintenance.  Maintenance needs will change as your habitat matures, but they never disappear.

• Maintain your pollinator habitat by limiting tree and shrub encroachment; preventing grass dominance; promoting high wildflower diversity; and allowing for ~ 30% bare ground for wildlife like quail and rabbits to maneuver and pollinators to nest (most native bees nest in exposed soil).

• Mowing should not be considered a stand-alone maintenance activity, and aesthetic mowing is never advisable.  You may mow during the establishment phase (years 1-3) to limit weed competition, however perennial weeds and trees/shrubs should be sprayed, disked, or burned for long-lasting effect.

• Incorporating a “disturbance” management regime into your overall habitat management is not a frivolous requirement – it helps maintain pollinator habitat and it ensures quality resources are available to them throughout your contract term. 

• Generally, a disturbance activity is performed on a 2-3 year rotation to no more than 1/2 of the total habitat area annually.  Leaving part of the area undisturbed ensures some cover is maintained, and it also promotes structural diversity which is important to early successional wildlife species like pollinators, bobwhite quail, and cottontail rabbit. 

• Disturbance options include strip disking, strip spraying, prescribed burning, or some combination thereof.

If interested in a prairie planting, I can develop you a management plan to follow as well as a seed mix to purchase. I have attached a list of all suitable wildflowers for your soil types for you to reference.

If you decide to plant trees in your backyard instead, a good resource for native tree seedlings is the Indiana DNR Vallonia State Nursery. You can view more information about location, ordering instructions, and species offered on our website here: https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/tree-seedling-nurseries/. Your soil is SPD (somewhat poorly drained) – MWD (moderately well drained), so any tree or shrub species you plant should be adapted to those soil types. Attached is a list of Indiana native shrubs with their soil drainage types.

A few others points we discussed:

1. Little bluestem may not be suitable planted along the roadside, as your soil types are too wet for this species. I recommend you try prairie dropseed, or low growing sedges like fox sedge, crested sedge, gray’s sedge, etc.

Your shrubs and flowers you’ve planted in your yard are not flourishing like they could be because turf grasses are encroaching on them. I recommend you clear out at least a 2-foot diameter section around all planted species and keeping it clear to avoid competition from weeds and grasses.

This is a lot of information to digest, so no rush responding or making any decisions. Please reach out if you have any questions at all.

Thank you!