Subject: Re: Any native plants/ecosystems ngs?
From: BrownThumb <nospam@GrrAttitude.com>
Organization: GrrAttitude
Date: Sat, 09 Aug 1997 02:06:15 -0700
Message-ID: <MOD$970809.2652@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$970808.17931@rec.gardens.ecosystems>


Ann wrote:
>
> Anyone know of any newsgroup (or listserv) that covers maintaining and/or
> establishing native plant communities - typically of a size larger than a
> home garden?
Most state Native Plant Societies have abundant resources on this
topic.

(While I personally don't use them, herbicides are often
> suggested - which would clearly conflict with the charter of this ng ...
> even if the area could be stretched to include 'very large home gardens'.)
For people in arid regions, there is a mychorrizia in the soil that
is the basis for the ecosystem, and is much more harmed by soil
disturbance from weed-pulling, or by exotic plant comptetition, than
by careful use of foliar sprays like Round-up. I have had a number
of native ecology experts say that they used to be totally against
herbicides, but that there are some limited situations where *one*
certain heribicide is actually less harmful to the ecosystem than
any available alternatives. The idea is that there are *usually*,
but not *always*, better alternatives. Most good alternatives begin
with establishing the pioneer plants, which are actually specific to
a given region, and *not* the same world-over as we were taught in
high school.

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We are honor-bound to follow our best, most honest, humble, guess about
what is right and true. --me-- (Jan Parcel)