carlfense Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 ^^^pssst. I was joking. Link to comment
NUance Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 NUance - do you have some Grey Poupon and some sewage water you can spare? You are probably right and most bottled water is no better than the water out of the tap. But of course. I actually meant that the treated water from the Hyperion plant in LA is actually cleaner than the tapwater in LA. I knew a guy who worked there, and that's what he said anyway. He would give tours to the public--yes, apparently people go on tours of the place--and at the end of the tour he'd dip a glass in the treated water and drink it. Link to comment
tschu Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Native prairie grass like short buffalo grass or something would be a solution. Not the most attractive stuff for a lawn, but much less demanding than bluegrass. Something really interesting - I can almost guarantee that none of you have ever seen a native prairie. I've seen a restored native prairie (UNL has a native prairie research field south of town) but I don't even know where a truly native prairie would even exist. Our lawns are mostly bluegrass or bentgrass etc which is not native; and our "prairie" is now mostly brome grass which is not native. Native prairie is like 4-5 feet tall, with a ton of diversity and layers and like a 3-foot deep root system. That just doesn't exist hardly anywhere anymore, and you're hard-pressed to find a truly native prairie ecosystem with the various bluestems, hairgrass, buffalograss, etc growing naturally. Link to comment
NUance Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Something really interesting - I can almost guarantee that none of you have ever seen a native prairie. I've seen a restored native prairie (UNL has a native prairie research field south of town) but I don't even know where a truly native prairie would even exist. Our lawns are mostly bluegrass or bentgrass etc which is not native; and our "prairie" is now mostly brome grass which is not native. Native prairie is like 4-5 feet tall, with a ton of diversity and layers and like a 3-foot deep root system. That just doesn't exist hardly anywhere anymore, and you're hard-pressed to find a truly native prairie ecosystem with the various bluestems, hairgrass, buffalograss, etc growing naturally. Ha ha! I saw native prairie nearly every day when I was growing up in Nebraska. There is quite a bit of pastureland in central and western Nebraska that's never been seeded. But I guess it's not "native" inasmuch as 100 years of grazing cattle on it, off and on, probably affected the plant population quite a bit. Link to comment
tschu Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Nope, it's not native. It's been taken over by "invasive" grasses, brome being one of the main ones. Link to comment
HSKR Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Something really interesting - I can almost guarantee that none of you have ever seen a native prairie. I've seen a restored native prairie (UNL has a native prairie research field south of town) but I don't even know where a truly native prairie would even exist. Our lawns are mostly bluegrass or bentgrass etc which is not native; and our "prairie" is now mostly brome grass which is not native. Native prairie is like 4-5 feet tall, with a ton of diversity and layers and like a 3-foot deep root system. That just doesn't exist hardly anywhere anymore, and you're hard-pressed to find a truly native prairie ecosystem with the various bluestems, hairgrass, buffalograss, etc growing naturally. Ha ha! I saw native prairie nearly every day when I was growing up in Nebraska. There is quite a bit of pastureland in central and western Nebraska that's never been seeded. But I guess it's not "native" inasmuch as 100 years of grazing cattle on it, off and on, probably affected the plant population quite a bit. Actually, I'd guess a loft of that pastureland has done better the past 100 years with cattle on it compared to the gigantic uncontrolled herds of tatanka that would sweep through and devour/trample everything in site. In particular, I'd imagine the Sandhills region probably looks as good as it ever has. Link to comment
tschu Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 There are different estimates of how much original tallgrass prairie survives, ranging from less than 1% mostly in "scattered remnants found in pioneer cemeteries, restoration projects, along highways and railroad rights-of-way, and on steep bluffs high above rivers"[1] to 4%. Link to comment
NUance Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 There are different estimates of how much original tallgrass prairie survives, ranging from less than 1% mostly in "scattered remnants found in pioneer cemeteries, restoration projects, along highways and railroad rights-of-way, and on steep bluffs high above rivers"[1] to 4%. My grandparents house overlooked a 25 acre native grass pasture. They kept it because it was much more scenic than looking out over a cornfield. That, and they always had a few cattle around. Link to comment
EbylHusker Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 You'd need a botanist to determine the grass species. I seriously doubt it's very pristine if it hasn't been actively maintained with that specific goal in mind. Link to comment
BIGREDIOWAN Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I get another disease in my yard again and I'm field turfing the entire f-ing thing! Never mow, weed, or water again..................sounds good to me, although I'm sure the upfront cost is hefty as hell! Link to comment
The Dude Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Then again, bottled water makes little sense to begin with, IMO. I wonder how much energy is wasted from hauling water across the country. I'm sure the amount is staggering. Not to mention the petroleum wasted to produce the bottles. 2 Link to comment
knapplc Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Something really interesting - I can almost guarantee that none of you have ever seen a native prairie. I've seen a restored native prairie (UNL has a native prairie research field south of town) but I don't even know where a truly native prairie would even exist. Our lawns are mostly bluegrass or bentgrass etc which is not native; and our "prairie" is now mostly brome grass which is not native. Native prairie is like 4-5 feet tall, with a ton of diversity and layers and like a 3-foot deep root system. That just doesn't exist hardly anywhere anymore, and you're hard-pressed to find a truly native prairie ecosystem with the various bluestems, hairgrass, buffalograss, etc growing naturally. There's Nine Mile Prairie north and west of Lincoln. UNL bills it as "intact" prairie land. You could probably see it from your front porch if you were Sarah Palin. Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Other than being grazed, the Nebraska Sandhills are basically in tact from when the last ice age ended. There are some areas around lakes and streams that aren't grazed. Link to comment
carlfense Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 The carlfense family farm has a few areas that have never been tilled but they have been mostly taken over by smooth bromegrass. I suppose our CRP acres are probably closer in appearance to native prairie. Link to comment
tschu Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Other than being grazed, the Nebraska Sandhills are basically in tact from when the last ice age ended. There are some areas around lakes and streams that aren't grazed. Sounds about right. I think there's been some loss and invasion but it's less than other areas because the native stuff is so well adapted to the sandy soil. Link to comment
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