Stalking the Wild Sweetgrass (eBook)

Robert J. DufaultClemson University, Department of Horticulture, Charleston, SC, USA

1. Introduction             2. The beginnings of change           Sweetgrass Conference, 1988 The findings of the Conference       3. My time to get involved          What were the sweetgrass basket community needs?     4. Getting to the grass roots of cultivation        First site of large scale sweetgrass plantings – Palm Key Resort, Ridgeland, SC 5. Getting more involved           Low Country Sweetgrass Preservation Society      6. Sweetgrass Utopia in the Southeast – Little St. Simon’s Island      Little St. Simon’s Island history        An amazing sweetgrass habitat        7. Getting to know the basketmakers         Mt. Pleasant Basketmakers’ Association interaction      Perceived horticultural challenges       8. Sweetgrass Culture Workshop Oct. 24, 1992       9. The concept of large scale sweetgrass plantations        Grand scale experiments and perceived problems     10. 2nd Site of large scale sweetgrass plantings – McLeod Plantation, James Island    McLeod Plantation history         Objectives of the grand experiment - people and science based    Results of people based experiment         Results of science based experiment       11. 3rd Site of large scale sweetgrass plantings – Dill Sanctuary, James Island    Dill Sanctuary history          Results of field experiment         Re-evaluation of large scale sweetgrass plantations     12. Alternative ways to access sweetgrass         Dependence on private beachfront communities to allow access to sweetgrass  Municipal/ commercial plantings        Restoring natural habitats along SC beaches       Army Corps Engineers Dune Vegetation Shore Protection Project   Sweetgrass planting logistics at Folly Beach, SC     Folly Beach sweetgrass planting locations        Folly Beach sweetgrass development over the years     Grand Strand sweetgrass project       Grand Strand sweetgrass planting locations      The happy ending to a long struggle      13. Sweetgrass biology           Sweetgrass botany…what’s in a name?       14. Sweetgrass horticulture -environmental considerations        Distribution in the US and habitats         Plant longevity            Soils            Heat/drought tolerance         Pest pressures           Fertility responses         15. Seedling cultural practices          Clump separation to produce sweetgrass plugs       Seed germination and seedling culture         When to seed           Containers           Seeding the media          Seedling fertilization          Seedling watering          Seedling hardening          What is a “quality” sweetgrass transplant?       What are the problems in growing sweetgrass transplants?     Fertility           Low light           Seeding only a few seeds per container        Over seeding           Too short a greenhouse growth period                   Excessively long leaf production     16. Field production practices          Timing of spring planting in the field        Soil conditions           Fertilizer additions in the field         Watering                        “Benign Neglect”          Weed control           Light, shade and competition         Plant spacing in field planted for basketmakers’ use      Timing of fall planting in the field        Growth practices in the first year after planting      Growth practices in the second year after planting and beyond    Changing sweetgrass into “Frankengrass”       Harvesting           Yearly renovation          Longevity and decline of sweetgrass in cultivation     17.  Concluding thoughts            What mysteries are left to unravel?      18. Afterthoughts