I know It sounds completely opposite of what most of the websites mention, because usually all the websites I have seen mentions Big bluestem being invaded by smooth brome (but they never mention it being completely overtaken by smooth brome) Anyway have you personally seen this same situation? Got me to wondering when you said usually bluestem will win the war.. I didn't think another grass species could compete against smooth brome to THAT degree. Where I'm located Big bluestem Is out of Its native range. Even though I'm In the United states my location Is not a native growing area of Big bluestem, but never the less Its here and competing very well against smooth brome which If In time I was to do nothing It would wipe smooth brome out or almost out.

depending on the hill slope, there are a few techniques that i use. planting into the first snow of the year is a great choice. not putting so much seed at the bottom and more at the top and letting gravity work. i dont move soil on slopes. killing with roundup and then planting directly into the duff is definately the way to go. and dont be suprised that u will be seeding this a few times over the years, filling in where gravity has taken away. u have roughly 13000 sq ft. depending on how dense u want the LBS, i would seed it at 5-10lbs/acre for nuthing but LBS. that means about 2-3 lbs over the course of 2-3 years would be more than enough. im sure i will be looked down on when i say this but... a deep stand of LBS could be managed with fire in the fall and 2-4D for broadleaf management until the stand is strong enough on its own. froggy

Yuppers, I have to get after it. It may take me all summer to kill it out. I walked it a couple of days ago and that crapp is all over the hill, except one strip near the crest. Man! It bet it will cost a bundle to spray all that! Needs to be done on a nice hot sunny day. Because of the high amount of oils in Heath Aster, it creates a high fire danger, winter or summer, but especially in summer. You can throw a green branch of it on a burn pile and it explodes into flames that shoot up into the air! Right now, Oklahoma is in a serious drought with statewide fire bans. Lakes drying up. Stock ponds completely dry and winter wheat seeds just laying on top on dry, cracked ground. What few areas have gotten a bit of moisture from two small snowstorms, you can see winter wheat growing, but the plants are stunted and sparsely growing up out of the hard dry ground. Farmers are having to haul in water for their livestock. Wheat prices will surely go up and we will seE it in the supermarkets. May no be any prairie hay to mow this year nor wheat straw either, so prices on that will shoot up, too. Many just took their cattle to market and sold them. Conditions are bad right now here in Okie. The wildfires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres since November. There is one burning just southeast of me right now. I have my own water well that is not fed by groundwater. Ihave been able to water and keep my gardens going around the house, but not up on the meadow. Up there, with all the cedars (juniper trees) and heath asters, plus all the tall, dry prairie grasses, it is a tender box. A lot of dead wood from trees dying from the drought. I started mowing up there this fall in early November and my tractor got two flat tires so I couldn't finish it - No mun, no fun. The flats are actually punctures made by the Heath Asters. The H. aster's stem staubs are like sharp, armoured metal spikes, and when I was mowing they punctured the tractor tires! Just imagine what they could do to your feet? (Grrrrr! Eeee-vil plant!!) It just makes me want to kick it in its aster! BTW, What is GAK? (Good Arse Kicking)?? My goodeness! ~SweetAnnie4u

I joined about 2 years ago while planning a kitchen renovation. I had just finished a bath (or was working on a bath? Time is a little fuzzy during the reno years) and noticed GW was consistently both near the top of my search results and often provided the most relevant information. So I started seeking out GW threads first. The culture was much more helpful and friendlier than many other places. So with much work ahead of me, I joined and started posting! And now that I'm down to the last finishing touches, I'm still here, helping others where I can. I hang out mostly in Kitchens, Bath, and Appliances, and it seems like there is a solid core of knowledgeable people that hang out there, and they welcome anyone that wants to stick around and share their experience with those earlier on in the process.