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sunnier_gw

Wheatgrass lawn?

sunnier
13 years ago

We have a small lot with a couple of areas about 20' x 20' where we would like to put in lawn. We prefer to have something low-maintenance and with low water requirements, and having looked at various resources, I was considering using a combination of wheatgrass and clover. I had been considering using Fairway and/or Ephraim wheatgrass, but having read a bunch of posts by bpgreen, I am now also considering using Streambank and Western wheatgrass. I haven't been able to find any information on this board regarding Fairway wheatgrass, but maybe someone can help me compare these, and hopefully advise me about the suitability for my lawn areas.

I am in northern Idaho, zone 6, where we get 24"-27" of annual precipitation. Quite a bit of that is usually snow, and there is basically no precipitation in July and August. One of the hopeful lawn areas is a pretty significant slope (about 1' drop for every 3'), and has previously been covered with landscape fabric and bark. The other area was previously gravel, and we are putting topsoil in here on which to plant.

I had thought that we would need to really break up the soil on the slope in order to plant, but I have seen in some posts that tilling is not recommended. Do I just rake it a bit to loosen it, and that's good enough? I also see from bpgreen that these grasses do well with dormant seeding, which sounds like a great way to go.

The grass is intended to be play areas for our kids, so it would need to tolerate quite a bit of traffic, and would hopefully establish pretty quickly so that they could use it next summer. Would some types of wheatgrass, along with clover, be appropriate for our lawn here? If not, do you have other recommendations? What is the best preparation and planting method, particularly for the slope? Any advice and guidance offered would be greatly appreciated, as we have never planted a lawn before.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Comments (9)

  • sunnier
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you so much for your help. So you would recommend starting the grasses in maybe late August with irrigation? Our first frost is usually late September/early October, so I haven't quite been able to figure out when to plant to start after the heat but in enough time to establish before frost.

    Do I need to do anything to prep the slope for planting? Do I rake it up a bit, or just toss the seeds out on it as-is, with maybe a little compost? Also, do you have any tips about how to water the seeds there without washing them down the hill?

    Thank you!

  • bpgreen
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't know what to do about the slope. I'd probably rake it a bit to disturb the soil slightly, then spread the seed and cover lightly with compost or something along those lines. I'd water VERY lightly to avoid washing down the hill.

    The crested wheatgrass will sprout faster than the streambank wheatgrass. Both will probably have enough time to sprout and barely get started before a frost. I wouldn't try the western wheatgrass with that short a window because it takes longer to get started. I think if I were in your shoes, I'd use about half the seeds for the fall seeding and do the rest using a dormant seeding approach.

    One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that you will probably not need to fertilize these, especially if you include clover in the mix. If you do fertilize, don't use more than about 1/2 lb of actual N per 1000 sq ft per year (KBG uses 3-4 lbs per 100 sq ft per year in 3-4 applications).

  • sunnier
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience! I will certainly be using your advice.

  • bpgreen
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Keep us posted on how it turns out.

  • marty_murphy89
    7 years ago

    I am employed at a west coast grain terminal.

    My question is this.Can I use the #1 Red wheat we ship around the world,as a seed for wheat grass,for my lawn,and not health drink!

    I have observed it's growth,and lush colour..and looks like it would make a perfect lawn!


  • bpgreen
    7 years ago

    Wheat is an annual, not a perennial. It can be used as a lawn grass.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    7 years ago

    Hey, bp, I was just mentioning you and your yard on another post about a lawn in Iowa. Coincidence???

    So after 10 years or more with a prairie grass lawn, would you do it again? And would you care to update pictures?

  • bpgreen
    7 years ago

    If I did it again, I think I'd kill the existing lawn first. I've still got some KBG and tall fescue in the lawn.

    I think I only watered twice this year, so I'd do it again for the water savings.

    You could look at any picture of snow to see what my lawn looks like now.