How to Grow Grasses on the Prairie | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House landscape designer Jenn Nawada partners with an ecologist in Cheyenne, Wyoming to learn about different types of prairie grasses and how to care for them.
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Time: 4-5 hours
Cost: $100
Skill Level: Moderate
Tools List for Growing Prairie Grasses:
Herbicide sprayer
Seeder
Shopping List:
Selective herbicide
Native grass species
Snow fence
Livestock fence
Livestock fence posts
Zip ties
Steps:
1. Identify areas that have grasses that are invasive or non-native that are harmful to the area. Some non-natives, like alfalfa, are not harmful. Grasses like cheat grass, which is short and flat with red tips, are harmful for the environment and can cause massive wildfires.
2. To eliminate invasive or non-native grasses, spray a selective herbicide. Wait a few weeks for the invasives to die out, and then introduce native grasses.
3. To plant native grasses, rent a seeder and fill it with a seed mix of native grasses. Drive the seeder around a select area close to the property that will make it easier to maintain. The seeder will drill a groove in the ground, drop some seeds in the ground, and then drag the soil over the grooves to keep the seeds from blowing away.
4. To irrigate the grass, install a snow fence to slow the wind and keep the snow on top of the grass. Identify the direction of the prevailing winds to determine where to install the fence.
5. To install the fence, hammer the livestock fence posts into the ground and secure the livestock fencing to the post using ties that come with the fencing.
6. Using zip ties, secure the snow fencing to the livestock fencing.
7. Once the new grass is established, don’t mow it. Allow the grass to grow naturally.
Resources:
Jenn learned that the local conservation district can rent many of the tools required for treating a planting a yard with prairie grasses. Some of these tools can be rented from home centers, as well.
Expert assistance with this segment was provided by the Laramie County Conservation District (www.lccdnet.org/ ), the University of Wyoming Extension (wyoextension.o... ), Nawada Landscape Design (www.nawadalands... ), and Wanda Manley.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers-and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Grow Grasses on the Prairie | Ask This Old House
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[@BradThePitts]

Fantastic. I've never seen anything like this, and I just learned a bunch of new things. Thank you for doing a piece on something other than open floor plans and granite countertops!

[@willford8475]

That flat land with no hills or mountains would drive me nuts!

[@jesseschoenfelder6455]

Will Ford- actually wyoming has tons of mountains. It's far from flat.

[@builderspluscustomhomesand2146]

@@jesseschoenfelder6455 Missing the point ... where that guy is at, it's totally flat and not a mountain in plain sight despite being 6000ft alt

[@billb.2673]

Very informative. I’m sure the 4 people in Wyoming will appreciate it very much.

[@lyndabuchholz1216]

I know there are at least 5 people in Wyoming.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

the cattle will appreciate it more.

[@Jemalacane0]

@@lyndabuchholz1216 You're off by 100,000+.

[@Bigshows93]

Looks like this was filmed on a different planet

[@augustreil]

Green snow fence would be much nicer on the eyes.

[@WilliamDye-willdye]

Now that the kids have grown up, I'm tempted to plant no-mow buffalo grass on my suburban lawn here in Nebraska.

[@cupbowlspoonforkknif]

Make sure you check your local laws. Most places require grass to be less than a certain height. It's dumb but you don't want to get fined.

[@jdjd2059]

always wanted to learn how to grow grass.

[@Curiositycure]

Wow, this was great. Very cool to see an underrepresented part of the country

[@masterprocrastinator8521]

I feel like the cinematography of toh is getting better, it's weird

[@4speed3pedals]

How about something more at home such as fixing a lawn that has moss, weeds, bare spots, shaded areas and rocky soil. A lot of homes in PA have what I call Pennsylvania Peat Moss for soil. It is loaded with rocks from eroded mountains and it is hard to get grass to grow and usually is overtaken with weeds. Plus, the landscape isn't flat. This is common in South Central PA. where individual homes (not a development project) were built on land that was previously farm fields.

[@TravisInCanada1]

How are you getting clear vocals out in the wind like this???

[@Bigshows93]

With a large dead cat on a boom it looks like

[@59wsulli1]

that sucked cause it didn't show the result.... so wanted to see the result.

[@QKJM19]

Can trees be planted

[@probablynotdad6553]

Yes, just pick trees that can handle high wind and build a buffer zone, once those are mature and your buffer zone large enough then you can plant weaker trees and shrubs in the middle of those buffer zones. Just learn to properly prune your trees and shrubs to strengthen them and even increase your harvests.

[@QKJM19]

@@probablynotdad6553 thank you much

[@probablynotdad6553]

@@QKJM19 No problem, good luck trying. Just expect to have some trees that don't make it during strong winds(maybeeven your favorite one), it takes time and good genetics to calm and survive the wind in a garden out there.

[@chucklotro8749]

#bringbuffaloback

[@johnroberts9560]

Hello TOH, 12th thumbs up , I live in wyoming too , why didn't Jenn come by too see me ? 👍😁❤

[@kelliott7864]

Next episode: "How to grow trees in the forest."

[@TayLybb]

Funny comments folks. Why don't you take a drive around the country and see somewhere else.

[@jimmcintyre4390]

What a nightmare for for someone wanting a good looking yard. No mowing, so sad.

[@probablynotdad6553]

Mowed manicured yards don't look good imo, they're boring, expensive, and completely useless.

[@ForwardGuidance]

Roger's replacement .... I would have thought politically correct TOH would have replaced Roger with a woman.

[@stevendavis7456]

I lived in this wind for 12 years. So glad I’m gone from there.

[@johng9548]

Where can I find the music credits?

[@abshir9677]

Liquid herbicides is definitely not the way to go. With that much land get some chicken/ducks, goats. They will clean eat up most up of that and allow you to reseed your plants of choice. Furthermore herbicides and pesticide create immune species.

[@probablynotdad6553]

Even harmless organic herbicides on that much land would hammer the shit out of your wallet and give no return other than a barren wasteland of a yard. Animals and other methods at least have a return for their price.

[@TallTexasGMan]

Glycophosate works wonders to round up them wraskly varmints.

[@probablynotdad6553]

@@TallTexasGMan So does a .22 for small harmful animal pests.

[@ikkas]

Wow seeing no trees is wild

[@jack317]

The best thing to do to reverse desertification. The true reason for climate change.

[@portaadonai]

get me the heck out of california

[@Techmatt167Official]

Thank you. I was never able to grow grass on my prairie for years!

[@Ordoabchao-x9k]

Put your grasses on, nothing will go wong.

[@damonm7541]

Allow me to suggest a better title: “How to install a snow fence on the prairie”

[@pikminlord343]

Beautiful to see

[@ewjiblits]

Where can I find that seeder for rental? I'm in the Colorado springs, CO area

[@zmhouse35]

Ok but how do I plant a prairie in temperate climate?

[@EdwinAguilera-kg1pm]

That’s a lot of snow Ware I love

[@probablynotdad6553]

"You can use an herbicide" N o.

[@TallTexasGMan]

Yes

[@probablynotdad6553]

@@TallTexasGMan Enjoy having lifeless, nutritionless soil then I guess.