Indeed, for many of the mixtures, a large proportion of these young swards was made up of foxtail, crabgrass, and other weeds. This reinforces the importance of time in pasture community dynamics. Over time, either our seeded species or volunteers will fill in these empty niches . In Jim s Missouri climate, there may be a warm season grass niche, currently being filled by summer annual weedy grasses. Eventually he may find that big bluestem, a warm season perennial grass, will fill that niche as the pasture community stabilizes over time.
Pasture diversity can be important from a spatial perspective as well.
Ann s study compares two complex mixtures across a 50-acre pasture. The other mixture includes all of the above grasses plus white clover, alfalfa, and birdsfoot trefoil. Among these weeds is quackgrass, a welcome contributor to pasture productivity. Ann found that the proportion of the different grass species varied within the pasture, probably in response to variations in those physical factors like slope and aspect. Neither Kentucky bluegrass with the lowest yield potential, nor orchardgrass with the highest yield potential, influenced overall yield of the pasture.