Steep hill native grass

[CooterBrown]

I am building a new home in south Alabama. We had to do a lot of dozer work to level a spot for the house. That left me with some very steep slopes behind my house that I do not wish to mow or wash out. IS there a native grass that I can plant that will grow on a steep slope to stop the soil erosion that doesn't have to be mowed or really cared for?

 

[BenAllgood]

I was looking for something similar recently for a steep slope upland part of a pond bank. I kept coming up with Buffalo Grass, Purple Love Grass, and Blue Grama. I turned to Roundstone Native Seed and talked to them about what I needed. They came up with a mix of mostly wild flowers with Virginia Wild Rye mixed in. They also had me put in Browntop Millet to help it all get established. I ordered it, and will plant this spring. I'd recommend talking to them as they also have some pre-mixed blends that might work.

This is what they sent me:

Virginia Wild Rye
Purple Coneflower
Blackeyed Susan
Lance-Leaved Coreopsis
Spiked Blazing Star
Butterfly Milkweed
Smooth Aster
Plains Coreopsis
Rattlesnake Master
White Prairie Clover
Purple Prairie Clover
Indian Blanket
Violet Lespedeza
Bergamot
Spotted Bee Balm
Smooth Beardtongue
Hairy Mountain Mint
Golden Alexander
Browntop Millet

 

[omicron1792]

I was looking for something similar recently for a steep slope upland part of a pond bank. I kept coming up with Buffalo Grass, Purple Love Grass, and Blue Grama. I turned to Roundstone Native Seed and talked to them about what I needed. They came up with a mix of mostly wild flowers with Virginia Wild Rye mixed in. They also had me put in Browntop Millet to help it all get established. I ordered it, and will plant this spring. I'd recommend talking to them as they also have some pre-mixed blends that might work.

This is what they sent me:

Virginia Wild Rye
Purple Coneflower
Blackeyed Susan
Lance-Leaved Coreopsis
Spiked Blazing Star
Butterfly Milkweed
Smooth Aster
Plains Coreopsis
Rattlesnake Master
White Prairie Clover
Purple Prairie Clover
Indian Blanket
Violet Lespedeza
Bergamot
Spotted Bee Balm
Smooth Beardtongue
Hairy Mountain Mint
Golden Alexander
Browntop Millet

This

 

[CooterBrown]

anybody got any pictures of this mix planted?

 

[omicron1792]

anybody got any pictures of this mix planted?

I’ll get you some pictures. I plant and spray 2 quarts per acre of gly and 4oz per acre of imazapic at planting.

 

[omicron1792]

On a hill might consider planting with imi tolerant plants like igrowth sorghum or Clearfield sunflowers. Another option is to plant with browntop millet and just spray gly, then come back 3-4 weeks later and spray the imazapic.

Roundstone sometimes recommends planting with browntop or oats as nursery crop for erosion amd most using gly. Thing is most recommend then mowing millet or oats above seedling natives to keep it from shading. It’s is often hard to do that on a hillside.

Whichever nursery crop you use, I would go with low rate. I’m using 3lbs/acre of sorghum amd 2lbs/ acre sunflowers.

 

[omicron1792]

I keep loading you with info. Ha.

I might consider just planting grasses at first because of the hill. Could add forbs next fall after established. Can use higher rate of imazapic (6oz/acre).

Are you using drill? If not you will want something growing there to hold the seed in place, or a straw mat roll. I bought some from Home Depot delivered. If not the seed will wash and you will be out a lot of money for native seed.

 

[CooterBrown]

no drill. broadcast and cultipack

 

[omicron1792]

Then I would consider planting spring oats and killing amd planting into that for some free thatch and roots to hold things. Then do the plan I mentioned above.

Native grass grows slooooow. Can be tough on a hillside.

 

[omicron1792]

Also, you don’t need to mow any of these native grasses. So unless you “want” the grass to be short you can use any of the native grasses. If important for you to be shorter Buffalo grass is a good call.

I’ve had luck with this company. Much cheaper than Roundstone for a similar mix. This is their shorter mix with some forbs. Most if not all in mix are imazapic tolerant at 4oz/acre.

Pretty Prairie - Shortgrass Mix

Pretty Prairie - Shortgrass Mix creates a beautiful combination of short stature warm season native grasses and native wildflowers.

www.gostarseed.com

 

[CooterBrown]

I called and talked to a lady at Roundstone Native Seed, and she recommended brown top millet with the mix in first of May. I have annual rye grass started on it now, but it has some deep washes that will have to be repaired.

 

[BenAllgood]

Roundstone sent me this on planting by hand:

Seeding small areas (up to 1 acre) by hand

Most customers wanting to sow small areas do not have tractors, drills, broadcasters, or other equipment typically used for larger plantings. In many cases they will be sowed by hand, either by spreading it by hand or in a handheld broadcast spreader. In order to distribute the seed evenly over the area, the following instructions will assist the gardener in the planting of their mix.

Due to the small fluffy seeds of many native grasses/wildflowers and the low volume of seeds used in small areas, a carrier material will need to be used to spread the seeds. Some types of carriers are pelletized lime, vermiculite, and cat litter. Mix the seed with the carrier in a 1:1 ratio based on volume. This will provide a more substantial product to spread. Also, mix flour with seed/carrier until the mix is white. This will allow you to see where the seed has already been sowed. You want to spread the mix evenly and not run out before the entire site is seeded. If hand spreading, go over the area lightly the first pass to make sure that you have seed on the entire area. If you reach the end of the site and still have seed left, then go over the entire area again or concentrate on the areas that are not white. This should allow you to get an even stand. If using a hand broadcaster, prepare the mix in the same manner and spread. Again, it is advisable to go over the area lightly the first time to make sure there is enough seed. Slightly overlap the edges of the areas sowed on each pass. If at the end there is seed left, adjust the opening of the broadcaster to try to make a complete pass over the area again. If possible, walk the areas where the edges overlapped. This should provide a very evenly sowed site.

Cold stratification
A number of native wildflowers and grasses can benefit from the cold stratification. Examples of these are the milkweeds and eastern gamma grass. This process imitates the natural process of the seeds going through the winter, where they experience damp and cold conditions which breaks down hard seed coating. There are several different methods of cold stratification, but for the average gardener the simplest method is the paper towel method. The seeds are soaked in water for 1-2 hours. The water is then drained and the seeds are spread out on a paper towel. A second, dry paper towel can be wrapped around the 1 st paper towel to keep the seeds from becoming too wet. The paper towels are then placed in a ziplac bag, sealed, and marked with the date and seed type. The bag is then placed in a refrigerator for 4-6 weeks. Watch for mold and sprouting. If sprouting occurs remove those seeds and plant or place in a pot. With mold, remove the seeds, clean if possible, and replace the paper towels and continue the process.

 

[omicron1792]

I called and talked to a lady at Roundstone Native Seed, and she recommended brown top millet with the mix in first of May. I have annual rye grass started on it now, but it has some deep washes that will have to be repaired.

Again. The browntop is a little problematic in that it can reseed and become invasive. The plan they recommend is to mow it several times and never let it go to seed. If you use just keep it to a very low amount, which could defeat the purpose of needing for erosion.

I love ryegrass. Just make sure you get a good kill. Even more reason to use imazapic.
Those companies often won’t recommend herbicides due to liability. And they want to sell you more seed. Ja

 

[omicron1792]

Roundstone sent me this on planting by hand.

More an issue with the forbs. Another reason to consider planting grasses in spring then oversees forbs in fall. I like to plant at higher rate than they recommend because of this also. You can alway thin stand if needed.

I use cat litter as carrier for fluffy seed. Works better than lime imo which tends to form a powder with any agitation.

 

[CooterBrown]

Also, you don’t need to mow any of these native grasses. So unless you “want” the grass to be short you can use any of the native grasses. If important for you to be shorter Buffalo grass is a good call.

I’ve had luck with this company. Much cheaper than Roundstone for a similar mix. This is their shorter mix with some forbs. Most if not all in mix are imazapic tolerant at 4oz/acre.

Pretty Prairie - Shortgrass Mix

Pretty Prairie - Shortgrass Mix creates a beautiful combination of short stature warm season native grasses and native wildflowers.

www.gostarseed.com

I'm liking the looks of this mixture

 

[CooterBrown]

I should be able to just mow this annual rye this spring and plant this mix in early may without having to spray herbicide right?

 

[omicron1792]

Man. I will tell you from experience. Native grasses and forbs require herbicide. Just no way to do it without it. On flat ground and perfect t conditions they are hard to establish. It is a humbling experience and will take several years to establish.

They like no competition. Weeds and other grasses kick their butt during the establishment phase. Once established they can take on anything. But getting them going is hard work.

 

[CooterBrown]

Man. I will tell you from experience. Native grasses and forbs require herbicide. Just no way to do it without it. On flat ground and perfect t conditions they are hard to establish. It is a humbling experience and will take several years to establish.

They like no competition. Weeds and other grasses kick their butt during the establishment phase. Once established they can take on anything. But getting them going is hard work.

this is a hill that we have cut down so there shouldnt be much of a seed bank in the soil.

 

[omicron1792]

this is a hill that we have cut down so there shouldnt be much of a seed bank in the soil.

I’ll let others chime in here. There is also a lot of literature out there if you Google “native grass establishment.”

I will say the chance of you throwing seed with no drill and no herbicide being a success is low. Very low.

I’ve tried worse though! All part of the journey.

Good luck.

 

[Brian662]

This is what I would do -

Broadcast about a bushel of oats/acre rate, then till them into the soil.
Next broadcast your native plants with kitty litter mixture as already noted above. Then cultipack to set the native seed into the ground ever so slightly. Once oats are about a foot tall, I would mow them back to ~5-6". Repeat mowing for the first year as necessary, likely every 3-4 weeks. Second year you should be able to let the natives do their thing and you can pick any unwanted weeds by hand.

I dont have any experience planting in Alabama, but this process has worked for me in the upper Midwest with multiple perennial plantings. Oats will hold the soil until your desired plants get established.