Stalking the Wild Sweetgrass: Domestication and Horticulture of the Grass Used in African-American Coiled Basketry

By Robert J Dufault

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

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1461459028
• ISBN13: 9781461459026
• Release Date: December 2012
• Publisher: Springer
• Length: 119 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.0"