Native Grasses Protecting Our Soil

In agriculture, one of the most important natural resources we must protect is our soil. Here in West Texas, we know this all too well when the winds pick up the loose topsoil resulting in dust storms. Some of the residents in Howard County are old enough to remember the dust storms of the 50’s drought and even more remember the recent haboob that blew in July 2019. When I taught public school, we would jokingly say in the spring semester, “of course there is a dust storm, it’s track season!”. The sad truth is that dust storms can occur anytime of the year if we don’t have plants growing in the soil to protect it from erosion.

Crop rotation and the use of cover crops are two of the best ways to protect our soil from erosion. In agriculture we often speak of cover crops. In general, growing cover crops is a practice done between commodity crops (like cotton) to build soil organic matter. This helps to protect the soil, add nutrients, and manage moisture. Cover crops can attract pollinators and provide habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife and provide food for some animals.

So, what can be used as cover crops? There are four plant types or growth forms used to describe rangeland plants. These are: Grasses, grass-like, forbs and shrubs. Grasses have hollow, jointed stems that are herbaceous (no woody stem), parallel veins in the stems and leaves, and fibrous roots. Grasses do not have colored flowers but they do produce grain-like seeds. Some plants we don’t think of as grasses are such as wheat and corn. Grasslike have solid stems such as sedges or rushes that live along water banks. Forbs are plants that have showy flowers and broadleaf with a taproot. These include wildflowers and weeds. Shrubs are woody plants that re-grow leaves and flowers but differ from trees by having several main stems. Native grasses used as cover crops can be a great addition to farmland and rangeland. They add significant quantities levels of organic carbon to the soil reducing the amount of harmful carbon in the atmosphere. While other plants like rye and oats can be used for cover crops, grass tends to be a lower cost option with little maintenance other than possibly mowing. The roots of cover crops hold the soil in place while the plant provide cover against the wind and water erosion. The decomposing organic matter provides nourishment to beneficial microorganisms like fungi and bacteria. As noted earlier in this article, some grass and forb species can be used as feedstock, shelter to bird species, food for wildlife, and attract pollinators.

To establish a healthy cover crop, the correct seed mix for your region, climate, soil, and goal needs to be considered to ensures the maximum benefit occurs from planting. This also helps in protecting the land from introducing weeds, diseases, pests, or other invasive plants. Some grass species are: Little bluestem, Indiangrass, Switchgrass, Sideoats grama, Green Sprangletop, Big Bluestem, Blue grama, and Plains Bristlegrass. Some forb species are: Maximillian sunflower, Engelmann daisy, Illinois bundleflower, Bush sunflower, and Partridge Peas. More recently in some areas of Texas, Milkweed is being planted to attract the Monarch butterfly. More and more urban gardeners are using native grasses and forbs in their home gardens so let’s take a brief look at some that I mentioned.

Little bluestem has slender blue-green stems in August and turn a stunning bronze in late fall lasting all winter. It tolerates sun or part shade but beware it readily seeds and can take over a small garden. It is a larval host for skipper butterflies and provides nesting material for birds. Indian grass is a critical grass of the tallgrass prairie once covering one third of North America. All types of livestock love this grass which can grow up to 8 feet with a long plume-like seedhead. It makes a stunning accent plant with the golden crown contrasting with the blue-green stem which later turns to a rich reddish fall color. Switchgrass is another tallgrass prairie native. It has large red violet seedheads blooming in August turning yellow, burgundy, or other colors in late fall. Sideoats grama is the Texas State grass with long willow stems that have seeds to one side. It provides palatable and nutritious forage readily eaten by all classes of livestock. Green Sprangletop is also good for livestock but poor value for deer. Big bluestem is an upright perennial that can grow 3 to 6 feet in height Stems are blue green with seedheads containing some red. The seed heads resemble a turkey’s foot (branching into three parts). Big bluestem is one of the highly desirable “big four”: tall grasses along with switchgrass, little bluestem and Indiangrass.

The” big four” of forbs include Maximilian sunflower along with Illinois bundleflower, bush sunflower, and Engelmann’s daisy. The first three produce yellow flowers that can be seen easily in amongst the native grasses but the Illinois bundleflower has a white to greenish powder-puff globe containing seeds. These seeds are readily eaten by quail, dove, turkey, and songbirds.

Whether native grasses and forbs are planted as cover crops for agriculture or by urban gardeners wanting to accent their yards and revitalize their soil, they play an important part in protecting our soil. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said; “A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself”. Let’s protect our soil.