FAQ's & How To's

Big bluestem is native, valuable, and beautiful, but it can still become too dominant in a prairie planting. The same can happen with switchgrass or Indian grass. When warm-season grasses take over, wildflowers may decline because the grass canopy captures most of the light and space. This often happens when a prairie has been burned at the same time of year repeatedly, especially if management continually favors grasses. The first step is to change the disturbance pattern. If you have been burning early every spring, stop doing the same thing over and over. A fall burn may help wildflowers express themselves by setting grasses back. Grazing can also be useful, especially when timed for the grasses you want to suppress. Cattle tend to focus more on grasses than forbs, making them a better fit for this goal than sheep in many cases. Sheep can eat a wide range of plants and may damage the flowers you are trying to encourage. Timing matters. Switchgrass often needs earlier pressure than big bluestem. Big bluestem may be more vulnerable when it is actively growing and before it has fully built its season’s energy. Grazing from late May into June can sometimes reduce grass dominance if it is managed carefully. A grass-selective herbicide such as clethodim can also be used to set back dominant warm-season grasses. The goal is often not to kill every grass plant, but to weaken the canopy enough that flowers can get light and respond. Even grass-selective products can injure non-target plants if applied too heavily or under the wrong conditions, so caution is needed. The long-term answer is diversity in management. Vary burn timing, consider grazing where practical, avoid fertilizing, and create openings where flowers can compete. Grass dominance usually developed over time, and correcting it also takes time.