Do nutrient-rich soils impede the restoration of species-rich mesophilous grassland?
Long-year experiences on hay transfer in lowland and mountainous meadows Rainer Buchwald, Tim Rosskamp, Luisa Steiner, Melanie Willen From 2004 to 2008 we carried out 24 hay transfer measures from species-rich mesophilous donor meadows (belonging mostly to Arrhenatherion and Trisetion) to species-poor meadows and former or actually used fields in SW- and NW-Germany. The recipient sites showed a great variability in chemical parameters of the upper soil layers, like pH, content of K and P as well as C/N-relation. The pH values extend from rather low (3,9 4,7) to moderately alkaline (6,8-7,3), while the contents of soluble potassium vary from low (4-11mg) to very high (45-50mg) K2O per 100g soil. Furthermore, we found low (4-11mg) to very high (37-45mg) concentrations of soluble phosphate (P2O5 per 100g soil) in the recipient sites. However, the amplitude in the N contents are clearly smaller, extending from soils rich in nitrogene (C/N 9,7-11,4) to rather poor (C/N 23,7-28,4, one site 4
