FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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NEEDLEGRASS PLANTING PROGRESS Congratulations to the Prairie Patrons. Almost all of the 1100 Purple Needlegrass (Nasella pulchra) plants they planted last February are thriving. On February 18, a work party planted this native California bunchgrass on the erosion track on the eastern end of the central ridge. These plants were grown from seeds gathered at Edgewood Natural Preserve with Park Department permission during the previous spring. The seeds had to be prepared for cultivation by the removal of the long awns on the seeds. Chris Romano prepared some 1,200 seeds and by fall they were ready to be planted. The Horticultural students at College of San Mateo under the direction of their teacher, Matt Leddy, sprouted the seeds in flats. Participants from the Fall ‘94 Nursery Management Class at CSM who helped with the planting were Dan Basilove and Chris Frietag. Later, the plants were moved to a lathe house to "harden up" by getting acclimatized to temperature variations. The following February the plants were quite grown; lush green leaves approximately 6 inches long. The "Friends" work party took a few plants (plugs) for planting together. The plugs were planted approximately 6-8 inches apart in plots. Fifty plots were made in a staggered formation along the erosion track. Warm weeks followed that day, and the thirsty young plants were watered by hand. Chris Romano and her sister did much to ensure the survival of the newly planted Needlegrass. Then came the rains of a solid three weeks. Concerns about inadequate water shifted to concerns about siltation and wash-outs. Happily, the new plantings not only held their own, they also held the hill and slowed the erosion. Today they are lush green with approximately 4-inch leaves. Apparently the animals, such as rabbits, are keeping the leaves to a length that will not exceed the support capacity of the root system. While the other grasses are flowering, these plants are busy growing the root system they’ll require to endure the hot dry California summer. In a few weeks the seeds will have ripened enough for another harvest and thus the Revegetation Project will enter another phase. |
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