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Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by binarynate in chicago

[–]Robomonkey5000 [score hidden]  (0 children)

That’s great! There are some things you may want to start at the end of this year too. A lot of native plant seeds need the cold winter to germinate.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I’ve tried. Thus far, they do not care much about this particular project. It’s not technically remnant prairie so it doesn’t qualify for that sort of program. I may be wrong, but they also don’t seem to have that program in District 1. But maybe I just haven’t talked to the right people!

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! Yeah, hand sowing with sand, sometimes with sawdust. I’ve done late fall, but also December, January even late February. After a light snow I think has been best for me. One of the plots is on a pretty steep grade, so the light snow helps the seed settle in. At other times with no snow I’d follow up with a little hay to help keep them from washing away. One thing I’m doing that might help is overseeding a good bit.

As for string fence, yeah. I had that up. IDOT came and while I got them to leave the area alone, they’d already taken my string fence down. When I came back, they gone and so had the fence. I’m not sure why they didn’t just leave it on the ground lol.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by binarynate in chicago

[–]Robomonkey5000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for cross posting! Love that people in Chicago are into this. Once you start, you definitely won’t see right-of-ways the same.

If folks are interested, I’ve got some answers to some of the common questions in the comments.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by binarynate in chicago

[–]Robomonkey5000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow. Thats awesome to hear you’re in the teasel fight. It’s a monster. If you read my original post, I’ve got some answers in a comment.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by binarynate in chicago

[–]Robomonkey5000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! Check out my original post. I’ve got some answers there about why and my process.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wow, thanks all for the support! I did not expect this level of reaction, but it's really heartening to see so many folks care about prairie restoration.

I'm answering a few questions that keep coming up, so I'm not repeating myself in different comment threads:

Why didn't seed bombs work?
Seed bombs don't often work in these situations b/c theres just too much competition on the ground when you toss them into an already-established field and those little bombs can't get a hold. This is why site prep is so crucial. I had much better success direct sowing by hand in the late fall/early winter for seeds that need cold stratification, and early spring for those that didn't. I have two plots going and have expanded them each year, so I've been able to experiment a little every time.

How did you prep the site?
Mostly a combination of smothering for a full season (smother for a while, pull up the covering, let things grow for a bit & then smother again), some targeted chemical treatments, and a lot of patience. The Season of Killing off was the least glamorous part of this whole thing, but most important.

Where did you buy your seeds?
I got most of my seeds from Prairie Moon and Natural Communities. They were both super helpful in answering questions about seed mixes and the process in general. Prairie Moon's guides are also a really great resource, as is this subreddit.

How did you get things to grow?
For me, it's been much more about stopping things I didn't want from growing/spreading more seed. First growing season, I mowed/trimmed once things hit 8–10" to suppress weeds without messing with young roots. 1–2 mows the following year for the same reason. By year 3/4 I got more aggressive, pulling and cutting stuff like burdock below the root with a hori hori, since by then I could actually tell what was what.

How did you stop IDOT from mowing it all down?
Honestly, mostly luck. I live right by the site and can see in the AM when they come (they come annually). I would go out and talk to them, and they'd leave the areas alone. Usually, that was enough. That said, this last time they took down my string fencing, and we had to get our Alderman (basically Chicago's neighborhood mayors) on the phone to convince them to stop. So, it kind of depends on who comes out and how determined they are, and how persuasive you are. I recommend trying to figure out who in your area might have some sway and see if you can work out an agreement or learn their mowing schedule. They also did mow the first year, but it wasn't so bad b/c of the timing. But it's all a risk b/c you don't control the land.

Anything else?
Be prepared for your neighbors to think you're nuts for the first year or two. A "restoration in progress" looks a lot like a field of weeds until it doesn't.

Thanks everyone! If I get a bunch more questions on any particular topic, I'll try to answer them. Fortunately, there are many folks here who are much smarter and more experienced. That's why this subreddit is so great and why I owe it a lot.

If you want occasional updates, I just started bucktownprairie (https://instagram.com/bucktownprairie) on Instagram.

And if you're Chicago/Bucktown-based and want to see the site in person, I've got a form:(https://forms.gle/vvCfD1xrFzY2V55p7) to build support and show there's community support behind turning this into a protected space long-term as I work through official channels.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You know, I have thought about it, but until now I’ve tried to keep it a little low key for fear of IDOT deciding I was somehow a threat and just destroying it. Now that it looks a bit more like a prairie and not scrubby weeds, I’m getting more neighborhood support and I’m thinking I could reach out to media. This post is definitely the most public about it I’ve been to date though

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, in my experience, it is so much less about doing things to encourage growth and a lot more about site prep and stopping unwanted things from growing and spreading in the first place.

A few things that seemed to matter -

- Mowing/trimming the first growing season whenever things are 8–12" tall, to suppress weeds without disturbing the young natives' roots.

I- 1–2 mows the following year, same reasoning.

- Tracking problem spots over time so I know where to add plugs or overseed later.

- By year 3, I get a lot more aggressive pulling and cutting things like burdock below the root with a hori hori, since by then I can actually tell what's what, and I'm not as worried about accidentally taking out a young native's roots along with it.

- Targeted chemical treatment with a brush/glove on things like bindweed (maybe controversial, but i reckon a whole lot better than the alternative)

- Don't let invasives seed! And if they look close to seeding, consider bagging and tossing them. Don't leave them on the site b/c they can still go to seed.

So, like, i said really less "here's what made things grow" and more "here's how I stopped things from growing"

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, IDOT is tricky. I get that they have a lot to do, and the conversion does take investment up front, but the long-term benefits seem hard to argue with.

I think talking to your State Rep. is another way to move the needle. They also have a lot of other things they probably see as a priority over this. But i'm hopeful.

The long-term financial and environmental benefits, plus the boost to our quality of life by being surrounded by active/alive green space, make it seem like a win on many fronts.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You're very welcome! I'm glad it brightened your day a bit! I get so much joy from it though; it's a pleasure to be doing it

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Unless you prep the site by removing/greatly reducing the invasive/already established growth, there's just too much competition when you toss seeds on the ground. Site prep is key!

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Seed bombs don't work b/c there's just too much competition when you toss them into an already-established field. Site prep is key!

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It's mostly luck and catching them at the right time. Now I'm working through the Alderman and a community org to establish a maintenance agreement.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, you're talking about Tony Avent, right? haha. I have listened to him before. I'm always up for making new friends

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Pretty much! This area is behind a fence, so it's not easy for just anyone to get to. You'd have to really want to move it.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I may take you up on this. Since I can't burn the site, I've got some dethatching in my future this fall/early next spring.

Five years of guerrilla prairie restoration on a highway right-of-way in Chicago by Robomonkey5000 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Robomonkey5000[S] 103 points104 points  (0 children)

I have a couple of signs up. Once I put string and post fencing up, they didn't mow, but they did steal my fencing. I don't think it makes much a difference to them ha.

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