LGBRVIC : Message: Re: [LGBRVIC] FW: Grass seed species for Five Mile Creek

Hi Lachlan,

Have you thought of sowing with the native grass Microlaena?

Usually I would be concerned with local provenance, so if the group has the time and resources to collect their own local seed with a view to direct seed those areas, then that would be best.

But as an alternative, seen as the mentioned options are introduced grasses anyway, buying from a supplier may prove to be ok. You don't mention the size of the areas to be sown, if large it may be expensive - its about $180 per kilo of seed and you would need about a kilo for 100 square metres, that would mean a 3 hectare area would cost about $54K - did I do the math right?? (3 Ha = 30 000 m2 / 100m2 x 1Kg x $180 = $54 000) - Collecting your own seed is sounding better all the time! If that price hasn't already scared you away and you are interested in looking into it further;

I found these websites:

http://www.oztion.com.au/vshops/item.aspx?itemid=2048606&shopid=1603

http://www.nativeseeds.com.au/categories.asp?cID=5

Cheers,

Ricardo

p.s On the subject of provenance, I found this in one of the websites listed above (true or untrue??):

While local provenance is relevant for trees and shrubs, it is not relevant for revegetation using native grasses because of the way grasses reproduce. It is often assumed that cross pollination is the normal fertilisation for all plants, but this is not so for native grasses. While there is considerable variety in the way Australian native grasses flower and produce seed, all the grasses studied to date produce the majority of their seed by some form of self-pollination and not by cross pollination. Many grasses including Wallaby grass and Weeping grass are self fertilising and spikelets are fertilised before they emerge from the leaf sheath. Some grasses are able to produce fertile seed asexually. The grasses don’t display inbreeding characteristics because they have more than two basic sets of chromosomes. Kangaroo grass, for example, has from two to six sets of chromosomes and Weeping grass has four sets of chromosomes. Other grasses such as Redgrass and Bluegrass species have some flower spikelets with two sets of chromosomes, while others on the same plant may have many sets of chromosomes.

Thus there is genetic diversity within each plant rather than within different individuals within a population. So there can be distinct genetic variations within one species in the same paddock. It then becomes impossible to determine what is local.

Furthermore, distance is not a factor in determining genetic diversity for native grasses. Studies have shown that different types of Wallaby grass, Austrodanthonia caespitosa, can be found with different characteristics within one to two kilometres. We know that in other areas variation is far less and the same type can extend to several hundred kilometres. Both wild species and bred cultivars of native grasses will grow well outside their normal range thus displaying broad scale adaptation.

----- Original Message -----

From: Lachlan Milne

To: Brendan Beale ; LGBRVIC@...

Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 6:15 PM

Subject: [LGBRVIC] FW: Grass seed species for Five Mile Creek

Hello

A Landcare group at Woodend has a project on a highly disturbed site over a large area (2-3 ha). Some of the area will be revegetated, and other areas will be sown to grass, with a view to revegetation later or else ongoing mowing. The group is trying to work out what is an appropriate grass seed mix that could be used without making an already bad weed problem worse. Does anyone have any preference for the suggestions below, or where else to go to get appropriate seed mixes?

Lachlan Milne

Environment Resource Officer

Macedon Ranges Shire Council

PO Box 151, Kyneton, Victoria 3444

Ph 03 5429 9659

Mobile 0407 227 317

Fax 03 5429 5828

Email lachlanm@macedon-ranges.vic.gov.au

-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Dalgleish [mailto:dougdalgleish@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, 21 June 2007 9:54 AM
To: Lachlan Milne
Subject: Grass seed species for Five Mile Creek

Lachlan

As suggested, I contacted Tree Max re grass seed mistures for the Creek. Their suggestions were:-

Botanica Sow & Save     Botanica Shade Master    Botanica Survivor         Botanica Sunlover

Perennial Ryegrass         Fine Leaf Ryegrass          Turf Type Tall Fescue Turf Type Tall Fescue

Annual Ryegrass            Cropping Red Fescue      Couch Grass                Fine Leaf Ryegrass

Kentucky Blue Grass      Chewing Fescue                                             Kentucky Blue Grass

The alternative from Landmark, Kyneton was:-

Hardy Lawn Seed Blend

Ryegrass                   49%

Highland Bent            19%

Kentucky Blue Grass    14%

Chewing Fescue          3%

Creeping Fescue        15%

I'm inclined to use the Hardy Lawn Seed Blend. I don't see the inclusion of Highland Bent as a problem as it's everywhere anyway, already the dominant species along the Creek and it forms a good turf for mowing/slashing. Furthermore, it thrives well in low fertility, water logged, high acidity soils more so than other (introduced) grass species. That's characteristic of the Creek area and that's why its everywhere in the district. (I can't see the shire spreading lime or fertilizing the Creek area in the future).

Let me know your thoughts and I'll act accordingly. (The Tree Max seeds were more expensive).

Regards

Doug Dalgleish

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