Managing Wetlands: Seasonally Flooded Croplands

Cultivated crops, especially corn and milo, can provide an important component in wetland management They provide an excellent source of carbohydrates, often replacing the energy needs for wildlife historically provided by acorns in flooded bottomland forests. They also serve as an important tool in moist-soil management. The soil disturbance associated with planting rowcrops, when rotated through a marsh, helps keep the unit in an early successional stage, thus encouraging moist-soil plants. Naturally occurring weeds in cultivated crops, such as ragweed, foxtail, millets and smartweeds, add additional food sources for many wetland wildlife species.

Water management for cultivated crops should be similar to moist-soil units, although slightly earlier drawdowns and later reflooding may be necessary. Japanese millet that is obtained commercially is often used in mud flats or disced areas to supplement natural foods. It should be planted at two week intervals from late June through July at rates from 10-15 pounds an acre. Japanese millet often takes a rain or irrigation to stimulate germination. Mowing Japanese millet back to a height of 12 inches when the first seed head is seen often increases seed production, while making the plants less attractive to blackbirds and more available to other wetland wildlife.

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