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Will crop spray drift kill the plants in the prairie strips?
Spray drift definitely can harm the prairie strips in the first several years as the young plants are establishing, but mature prairie plants are more resilient. Mature perennial plants have deep root systems with substantial stored energy reserves, which tend to allow them to bounce back from incidental drift.
Planting a diverse mixture of native plants also helps, as different plants will have different life cycles. For example, while some early growing-season plants might experience some die-back with spray, later-season plants can grow up and take their place. Regardless, we always recommend minimizing herbicide spray drift.
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