Laserfiche WebLink
coarseness of the mulch and the level site, it was not necessary to crimp tiie <br />mulch into the soil, and no movement of the mulch was ever noticed. <br />Next, the land imprinter was used on half of each of the seed mixtures. <br />Imprinting is a mechanical soil treatment where a large heavy cylinder with a <br />geometric pattern of projections is pulled behind a tractor. As the cylinder <br />rolls on the soil surface, the projections "imprint" small depressions. The <br />imprinter creates surface roughness whicn concentrates precipitation for <br />seedling establishment. <br />The single species evaluation rows were seeded on the southern end of the <br />plots (Figure 2) using a hand operated, sinyle row drill. Each species used <br />in the three seed mixtures was planted, in addition to five sterile annuals <br />and several other species that the UCEPC wanted to evaluate. The single <br />species rows were 70 feet long, planted 1 foot apart, and replicated twice. <br />On November 1 through Novembers, 1983, the test plots were fenced using woven <br />wire to exclude livestock. In the spring of 1984 chicken wire was installed <br />around the entire enclosure for rabbit and prairie dog control. The chicken <br />wire was buried 6 inches deep and extended 2.5 feet above the ground surface <br />on the outside of the woven wire. <br />On April 19, 1984, Glean was applied to half of each plot scheduled to receive <br />Glean herbicide. The application of Glean was split on the designated plots <br />since the grass had already started to germinate by the day of the early <br />application. The 1984 label did not recommend applying Glean directly on <br />germinating grass. As a result, an additional late application on the other <br />half of the plots was applied after a significant amount of the grass had <br />emerged. Partially as a result of this project, the Glean label ryas changed <br />to permit its use for grass establishment. It was applied at a rate of 1/3 <br />ounce per acre using a truck mounted sprayer. It was intended to be applied <br />at a rate of 1/6 ounce per acre, but the higher rate resulted from starting <br />and stopping the truck on the plot margins. Glean has soil residual <br />pproperties for about a year and can be used as a pre or post-emergent on <br />broadleaves. On flay 18, 1984, Glean was applied to the second half of each <br />plot scheduled to receive Glean. It was applied at a rate of 1/6 ounce per <br />acre using a constant pressurized backpack sprayer with a 10-foot boom. <br />Brominal was also applied that day at a rate of 1 pint per acre using tire same <br />backpack sprayer. Brominal is a nonpersistent contact broadleaf herbicide. <br />The cost of each treatment and seed mixture was calculated by SCS in lurch of <br />1985 using representative values for northwest Colorado (Table 3). <br />EVALUATION PROCEDURE <br />The sinyle species plots have been evaluated twice a year, in the spring and <br />fall, since the spring of 1984. Height measurements have been recorded along <br />with an abundance rating using 0 for none and 4 for abundant. <br />Seed 14ixture Plots <br />The plots have been monitored each year since their establishment in the <br />fall of 1983, thouyh significant reductions in the BLt•i technical <br />investigation budget has hindered extensive monitoring of the 288 plots. <br />3 <br />