Planting Native Grass Seed Mixes for Prairie and Meadow Restoration

The Western Trails Mix is a blend of warm-season grasses, which means that you need to wait until mid- to late spring for the day and night temperatures to warm up. In spring, wait until the night temperatures are consistently 50° F or warmer and the day temperatures are reaching even higher. The season for sowing the Western Trails mix extends through summer into late summer/early fall (August/September) depending on your elevation. At higher, cooler elevations, the sowing date moves back earlier into August. As a general rule of thumb, the species of grasses in the 'Western Trails' mix need to be established 6 to 8 weeks before the start of freezing night temperatures.

The season for sowing the High Mountain Mix, a blend of cool season grasses, begins after snow melts in spring and extends into late July/early August. The higher the elevation, the sooner in summer the mix should be sown, as cool season grasses grow best at cool/moderate temperatures.

1. Clear the area of weeds and any remnants of former lawns.
2. Most native grasses adapt well to poor soils, making soil enrichment unnecessary.
3. Loosen soil to a depth of 3-4 inches using a rototiller. Rake the area with a bow rack to break up dirt clods and create a good seedbed.

For areas that have been overgrown with weeds for a long period of time, it's highly beneficial to make the extra effort to kill the weeds before you sow the grass seed:

1. Rototill to a depth of 3-4 inches. Then water the site to encourage weeds to germinate.
2. Rototill again to kill the young weeds. Re-water the site to get a second germination flush.
3. Rototill one last time and rake the area with a bow rake to break up dirt clods and create a good seedbed. Then you're ready to sow.

1. Use at recommended rates on the seed package, and adjust the amount needed to cover larger or smaller areas.
2. Mix weighed seed with slightly moist sand in a ratio of 2 parts sand to 1part seed, to help distribute seeds more evenly.
3. Add Plant Success Granular mycorrhizal root inoculant to mix into the sand/seed mixture. This will improve seed germination and get young seedlings off to a faster, more vigorous start.
4. Gently rake the soil surface with the back of the bow rake to create a smooth, even seedbed.
5. Broadcast the seed/sand mixture by hand.
6. Use a lawn roller or small piece of plywood to press the seed firmly into the soil.
7. Mulch with a thin 1/4" layer of clean wheat or barley straw to retain moisture. NEVER use field hay as this will contaminate the area with many noxious weed seeds.

1. Set up a sprinkler(s) that provides coverage of the area, so that you can turn on the water without having to drag a hose and walk across the soggy soil of the newly seeded patch. After sowing, water the area thoroughly such that the soil is wet to a depth of 4-6 inches.
2. For the first week to 10 days, be prepared to water twice daily for 10 to 15 minutes, morning and evening to keep the top 1 inch of the soil damp.
3. Continue twice-daily watering until the grass germinates. Warm night temperatures and moist soil help germination, usually within 7 to 10 days. If the seeds have not germinated within 15 days, re-sow.
4. Once the grass germinates, over a period of a couple of weeks, cut back to once daily then every other day. Watch the young seedlings carefully and don't let them wither, but don't overwater and drown them. Watch patches of seedlings in low spots and reduce watering frequency if they seem to die off.
5. Depending on how hot it is, watering can be tapered off to once every 3 to 7 days. Less frequent, deeper watering will help develop a deep root system and contribute to the drought tolerance of your grasses. Check the soil moisture after you water with a hand trowel, to see how wet it is and how deep the moisture goes. 

1. Weed control is essential to establishing your newly sown native grass mixtures. Hopefully, by pre-germinating weed seeds (see "Preparing the Soil"), the amount of weeding needed will be greatly reduced. But some weeding is always needed.
2. Don't weed when the soil is moist from daily or every other day irrigation. This will compact the soil and kill tender young seedlings.
3. Unless the area is quickly overrun with broadleaf weed seedlings, it's best to wait about 4 to 6 weeks after sowing to begin weeding. When watering has been reduced to weekly intervals and the soil is firm between waterings, it's safe to walk over your new lawn/meadow. At this point, mowing the grass to a height of about 2 to 3 inches will help it to thicken up and weaken weed competition so that the grass can crowd out the weeds. Repeat every couple of weeks or as needed.
4. For small patches, hand weeding can be done in place of mowing. Use a board or small piece of plywood to kneel on to avoid crushing the young grass seedlings with your knees.

1. Once established (4 to 5 months after sowing and beyond), native grasses are very resilient to dry conditions. To keep it green and actively growing, some extra water may be needed during the hottest part of the summer when there has been little or no rain.
2. When watering established native grasses during spells, irrigate long enough to put down 1/3 to 1/2" of water. Any less and the water won't penetrate deeply enough into the root zone to be of use.
3. Use several coffee tins or other flat-bottomed containers scattered across the area to capture sprinkler water. Time your irrigation, then measure the water in the containers with a ruler. Then you'll know how long to run the sprinklers to put down adequate amounts of water.
4. Un-irrigated native grasses may brown out in extended periods of hot, dry weather, but they will quickly green up again after a few good rains.