Frost Seeding Upland Habitat

Frost Seeding Upland Habitat

By Trent Larson

Have you ever wanted to improve your upland hunting and wildlife viewing success on private land? Maybe you have an area you can improve. Iowa has lots of monocultures of pastures that have overtaken idle areas. These monocultures lack structure and variety that wildlife crave, and in turn do not support a thriving pheasant population. We often see brome grass take over a pasture, and reed canary grass will thrive in waterways and wet spots. In order to have wildlife thriving on your property, you need shelter and food. Neither of those species provide enough food nor habitat to support and attract wildlife, especially through the hard Iowa winters. Diversity is the key. Adding in a second and third species of grass will improve structure and habitat. You might also consider planting some native warm season grasses like big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, or Indian grass.

Planning is essential to Success
Once you have identified an area you wish to improve with warm season grasses, a plan can be put into action. If you do not know where to start you likely have some local resources you can leverage. Do not be afraid of going to your local NRCS office and speaking to a specialist about wildlife habitat. Let them know that you are specifically planning on improving your land to hold and support upland game. Additionally, all Iowa offices have a Pheasants Forever wildlife biologist willing to provide knowledge for your project. You should leverage these two sources to help you get started.

Planting for Food
Are you trying to improve your land with a food plot, shelter-bedding area or a combination of both? Food can be easy to frost seed this late fall. An attractive spring and summer food source is a blend of clovers and alfalfa. I really like medium red clover as it is very high in protein. Insects love it which will help young pheasants and quail. Rabbits love it too. Additionally, both clover and alfalfa produce nitrogen in the soil, which will improve the fertility of your land. For food that pheasants and quail will love from spring to mid fall, use clover and alfalfa. In the late winter, once the ground is going through the freeze-thaw cycles, broadcast some seed across the ground’s surface. The freezing and thawing will help incorporate the seed into the soil and once the soil heats up in the spring, the clover will begin to grow. Clover and alfalfa fields also provide prime nesting cover for mothers with broods of spring chicks.

Planting Cover
A lot of grasses, like switchgrass, can be frost seeded with success in the late winter. In fact, exposing switchgrass to cold and wet temperatures helps break the dormancy of the seed. Potentially, you can get a higher germination rate by frost seeding switchgrass rather than drilling it once soil temps warm. You need to evaluate your goals for your potential upland habitat. A native mix is best for establishing a diverse habitat for upland game. Big bluestem, switchgrass, and indiangrass work well for tall grass. Use local ecotypes for best results. The nice part of natives is that they like very shallow plantings.

Do not get frustrated if your grass is slow growing. It may look like a failure the first year. If you have a few seedlings in a square foot, it is a good stand. The plant will also spend most of the first year developing its root system, so it is common to not see immediate results with native cold season grasses. It is important to not allow the weeds to take it over. Mow it a few times the first year you are trying to establish the stand. Do not mow it too short, as you can hinder the plant. Leave at least 6 to 8 inches of stubble. The second and third year you will notice a better stand and a taller sea of grasses. After the third year, controlled burns may be used to keep it growing well. The best time to frost seed is late February-early March when the daytime highs are getting above freezing and the lows are below. The ground has open cracks from the freeze thaw cycle. By broadcasting the seed, it falls into the cracks and the first spring rains will incorporate them into the soil. This system has worked well for decades with farmers. It really is a simple fool-proof way to get something growing without tillage. With some work you can increase the upland wildlife on any property. Just like planting trees, the best time for habitat work was ten years ago. The next best time is today.