Both water birds—such as coots, ducks, geese and swans—and fish have a negative influence on water and marsh plants. This does not mean that a single Carp (Cyprinus carpio) does any harm, but larger numbers may stir up the bottom to such an extent that vegetation cannot develop or existing valuable ones are destroyed. Owing […]
Category: The Dynamic Landscape
Maintenance
Maintenance of the more subtle, highly detailed marsh vegetations is none too easy. Unwanted species are weeded out. Depending on the soil, more or fewer weeds will come up. Peat soils always have an abundant weed seed bank, ranging from Typha to Salix. In order to reduce disturbance, the unwanted species are weeded when they […]
A subtle balance
Yearly maintenance activities, such as the removal of thread algae, Lemna and detritus, in addition to periodical dredging, keep ponds and waterways and their vegetations in reasonable shape. One must, however, be very careful. Reducing vigorous, abundant populations of Stratiotes aloides, Menyanthes trifoliata, Calla palustris or Potentilla palustris may cause a sudden decrease in vitality […]
Vegetation of water and water margins
Aquatic vegetation types vary with the water type and quality. Generally speaking, they will do well in young parks where there are many opportunities, with new water conditions and usually a good water quality. During the first few years its development may be spectacular but, as the park ages, restrictions on water plants will often […]
Flower meadows without grasses
A flower meadow without grasses might be regarded as a semi-natural wildflower border. With this type of meadow, the restrictions posed by highly fertile soils are greatly reduced, since species with a great competitive power, such as grasses (and also potentially dominat forbs such as Rumex species, and Taraxacum officinale), are removed by weeding. It […]
Spring meadow and hay lawn
The main flowering period of this type of meadow is April to May after which little flowering is seen. Such meadows are mown shortly after flowering (end of May/early June), then again once or several times during summer. This way, one obtains a meadow that is free flowering in spring and a short-trimmed meadow or […]
Improving the flowering of existing meadows
If the soil condition lends itself to the purpose, existing meadows that are poor in species of flowering plants may be converted into more diverse ones without having to revert to intensive groundwork. The presence of a habitat suitable for desired species may be obscured but may be available nevertheless. The conditions may be changed […]
Development and change in the vegetation
The longer one monitors flower meadows, the more one will notice that species composition as well as vegetation patterns and composition are not static, but are in constant change. These changes do not occur abruptly but very gradually. It is one of the fascinating aspects of flower meadows. One determining factor is climate. A very […]
Making the turf less fertile
By spreading sand one can make a soil less fertile. In the winter period a small quantity of sand, i. e. 1-3 m3 per 1,000 m2, is sprinkled over the meadow, very finely distributed, creating a thin film of sand on its surface. After a few years of doing so, the sod will become less […]
Raking and carrying off
On larger plots one may use a ‘raking machine’ to rake the grass into stacks. Smaller raking machines may be coupled onto two-wheeled tractors, for the larger ones one needs to use a four-wheel tractor. The raking machine should be adjusted in such a way that it does not rake the soil open and damage […]