Let’s look at choosing native grasses for your landscape – they will help reduce maintenance, irrigation needs and mowing which can save you some green in the long run. Native grass also helps conserve water and give you more time to work on your hobbies…It’s golf, right?
Table of Contents
What Is Native Turf Grass?
Native grass is an organic grass that grows in your region/state over the course of time and adapts to the growing conditions naturally without human involvement. Hardy stuff. And what we’re talking about is only going to cover native turf grasses, not native ornamental grasses.
Wait - Kentucky Bluegrass Is Native... Right?
Nope! Many may believe that Kentucky bluegrass is a native grass in Colorado. Its not considered a native prairie grass and is native to Europe and northern Asia.
Popular by demand due to its lush, thick blades and bold green color, it needs a fair amount of water to keep it looking superbly fresh. This doesn’t mean that you can’t plant Kentucky bluegrass, but everything in moderation right? We’ll get into why later on.
What Are The Types Of Native Turf Grasses?
Warm Season Native Grasses
These varieties of grasses grow best in the late spring (end of May) and as the evenings and days get warmer, these will start to ‘green up.’ They prefer full sun (don’t we all?) and thrive in the summer heat until around mid to late September when they will begin their dormancy period and turn brown.
These grasses are a little more tolerant of foot traffic and do best in temperatures ranging from 80 – 95 degrees Fahrenheit. A couple examples are buffalo grass, and blue grama.
Cool Season Native Grasses
The cool season grass varieties grow best in the cooler months of spring (late March) and fall (early November). They will green up much earlier than warm season grasses because they germinate better when the evenings are cooler.
Keep in mind that cooler season grasses can begin dormancy in the summer heat if they aren’t regularly watered. These light to dark green grasses only tolerate low to moderate foot traffic and grow best in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some cool season native turf grasses include: tall fescue, fine fescue, western wheatgrass, prairie junegrass and perennial ryegrass.
Where Does Native Turf Grass Grow Best?
Portions Of Businesses, School Campuses, Or Parks
Switch to native turf in these larger areas if you’re looking to save time and money. After it’s established you should see a reduction in irrigation demand along with reduced maintenance and mowing needs.
Passive Use Trails
Over time trails will experience wear and tear from trail use or expansion. The deep roots help hold soil from washing away when it rains or snows which in turn aids in erosion control. It also can assist in the restoration of wildlife by providing food and shelter.
South Facing Sloping Areas
Planting warm season native turf grasses on south-facing areas of a business or home will help the grass thrive due to reflected heat from the sun. These grasses will grow better the more sun exposure they receive.
Outlying Areas Or Adjacent To Open Space
As we know, Colorado has quite a bit of wide-open range areas all over the state. Using native mixes for outlying areas such as pastures and wildlife spaces will give the best potential to grow strong and thrive the majority of the year. After the native grasses have been cut back they provide food and hay that farmers and ranchers can use to help raise their livestock.
Homeowner's Yard Space
With the increase in drought over the years, consider how you’re using your turf. Will there be foot traffic? Some native grasses can handle foot traffic while reducing water consumption and maintenance. BUT, why use more water on a grass that’s meant to be walked on if it’s not being walked on? Gotcha there.
If you’re not utilizing your lawn for fancy dinner parties, 2 hour games of cornhole or dancing in the moonlight, consider low-foot traffic native turf grasses, xeriscaping or other water wise plants to fill those areas in.
Lakes Or Ponds
Native grasses can help prevent bank erosion and protect the quality of the water by acting as a shield for runoff.
How Do I Care For Native Grasses?
Woohoo! We planted the native turf grass. Are we done yet? Not quite. Even though native grass is LOW maintenance, it is not NO maintenance. Native grass will still require minimal care and maintenance even after it’s established.
Details like overseeding, weed prevention, and mowing (just to name a few) may be reduced in the long run, but in order to keep the grass green and alive, these are still important tasks to keep up with throughout the seasons. You can still get in at your tee time though.
Seeding/ Overseeding
With Colorado’s arid climate, seeding or overseeding is best when the temperatures are cooler – April or September. The grasses will have the best chance for growth in their respective seasons. When seeding, spread half the seed in a crisscross path (north to south, east to west) to encourage uniform growth.
Overseeding helps renovate an established lawn. The type of native grass you have will determine if you should overseed amidst lovely spring blossoms or crunchy fall leaves.
Remember that warm season grasses are long-lived and usually won’t need to be reseeded after they are established, whereas cool season grasses thin out over time and will eventually need to be reseeded every three to four years.
Weed Prevention
Your planting area should be free of weeds so your native grass seed can take to the ground and start building the root system it needs to become established.
Applying a pre-herbicide is essential to control the growth of weeds before seeding otherwise, noxious weeds can take over (not good) and prevent the native grass from growing well together. This will leave the landscape looking as patchy as a mowed-over Muppet and invite potential for inconsistent growth in the future.
Apply a post herbicide at the end of the growing season to prevent any weeds from popping back up.
Watering
Mowing
Water every few days for the first few months until the grass is established (Yes, this sounds counterintuitive for reducing water use, be patient). After the grass has grown in, reduce the number of times you water as native grass can survive without consistent water.
Keep in mind that overwatering can be harmful to some grasses and cause them to turn yellow/brown. This means that its flooding the soil and root system. If the water fills the air pockets, there isn’t room for oxygen flow and the roots won’t grow deeper, causing them to remain near the surface.
When this happens, your grass is more susceptible to drought stress. This is not the way to start your newfound native grass friendship. So remember, not too much, but not too little either. You’ll recognize when your native grass needs water after some time. Using an irrigation system can make this a no-effort chore.
The type of native grass you choose and the amount of foot traffic your landscape encounters will determine the length of the grass and how often you want to cut it. Luckily, it’s pretty hard to mess this up, so go with whatever feels good to you.
Native grasses can be multiple heights; it just depends on the look you want for your landscape. For example, buffalo grass requires less frequent mowing after it’s established because it is a low growing and a finely textured grass.
Fertilizing
An appealing part of planting native grass is that it requires less maintenance, time and saves you money. Fertilizing, a part of the maintenance routine, should be applied based on the specific needs of the grass.
Native turf grass is meant to grow and survive from the natural surrounding elements and can thrive in Colorado’s environment and climate. Neat, right? If the native grass that’s planted needs fertilizing, use a slow release, balanced fertilizer to help the grass flourish until it is established. For assistance, reach out.
That Was A Lot About Grass!
Well, there you have it! An in-depth look at native grasses in Colorado. Now you know the different types of native grass (warm and cold), along with how to care for them!
We hope you’ll love not only the look of native turf grasses in your landscape, but their money-saving benefits too. Ready to get some native grass put in your yard? Let’s get started creating your dream landscape! Send us a message or give us a call to transform your space and one of our friendly team members will reach out soon.
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