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Thursday - February 19, 2009

From: New Braunfels, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Wildflowers after controlled burn in New Braunfels, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I live in the Hill Country a few miles north of New Braunfels. As soon as we get enough rain to lift our burn ban, I will be thinning out some of my Ashe juniper and will do some burning in the open meadows. I would like to plant wildflowers in these meadows in the winter of 2009 - 2010. Can I plant the wildflowers or do I need to wait longer after burning?

ANSWER:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in an active participant in Fire Ecology. One of the things we have learned is that fire is a natural element in Nature, and that it is ordinarily beneficial. We have test areas at the Center, and have learned that within a month of a controlled burn, the native plants will be coming back. Assuming we ever have enough rain to permit a controlled burn, you should have no problems seeding the wildflowers in late Fall, usually the best time to do so in Central Texas.