Native and Low-Growing

Our lawn grass seeds are native to the Great Plains and adapted to low-growing forms to conserve water and withstand harsh conditions. Buffalo Grass and Blue Grama remain short to survive drought, Sheep’s Fescue stabilizes soils, and Sideoats Grama although taller, is suited for grazing and drought. Their native origin and growth habits make them ideal for water conservation.

Good Grazing for Livestock

Our perennial short native grass seed mix is ideal for livestock grazing due to their high nutritional value and resilience. Buffalo Grass and Blue Grama provide palatable, nutritious forage and recover well from grazing, while Sheep’s Fescue and Sideoats Grama also offer good forage and adaptability, making them reliable feed sources.

Excellent erosion control

The dense growth and extensive root systems of this native grass mix makes them excellent for erosion control. Buffalo Grass and Blue Grama stabilize soil with their mat-forming and deep-rooted structures, while Sheep’s Fescue and Sideoats Grama offer effective ground cover, preventing soil erosion and stabilizing disturbed areas.

Mix Warm Season Grass

This native grass seeds excels as a warm-season grass blend due to its ability to thrive in high temperatures and sunny conditions. Buffalo Grass, Blue Grama, and Sideoats Grama grow well in warm weather, ensuring strong performance throughout the summer. Their drought tolerance and low maintenance needs further enhance their suitability for hot climates.

This drought tolerant native grass seed mixture of warm season grasses as well as sheep's fescue which will grow to a height of 8 - 12 inches. It may be planted alone or with a mixture of wildflowers.  Plant anywhere where water conservation is a priority.

This mixture contains:

• Buffalo Grass
• Blue Grama
• Sheeps Fescue
• Sideoats Grama

Buffalo grass is a fine-leaved, native, sod-forming, warm-season, perennial and is the dominant species on the short-grass region of the central Great Plains. Generally, it grows 4 to 8 inches high and produces leaves less than 1/8 inch wide and 3 to 6 inches long. It spreads rapidly by surface runners and forms a dense, matted turf (great for lawns).

Buffalo grass provides good grazing for livestock. Its palatability, prevalence, and adaptation to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions make it an important forage species of the Great Plains where it is considered a drought tolerant native grass. Growth begins in mid spring and continues through the summer.

Buffalo grass withstands long, heavy grazing better than any other native grass on ranges consistently subjected to severe use. It often survives as a nearly pure stand. Because of its excellent ground cover, ability to spread under use, wide climatic adaptation, and relative ease of establishment, Buffalo grass is ideally suited for erosion control on range and pasturelands.  Probably the most popular of the low growing native grasses.

Blue Grama is a short growing, drough tolerant, long-lived, warm-season, native perennial grass that grows throughout the Great Plains. The leaves are 3 to 6 inches long and less than 1/4 inch wide.

Blue grama is found on most soil types, including alkaline soils, but is most abundant on the heavier, upland soils. Its capacity to resist drought permits it to occupy the drier areas throughout its range of adaptation.

Growth begins fairly late in the season and depends on how much moisture is available. The forage is relished by all classes of livestock. Growth ceases during long droughts, but begins again upon the return of favorable moisture and temperature. Because of its wide distribution, high quality, hardiness, and growth habits, it is one of our most important range species. Under heavy grazing, blue grama often persists in nearly pure stands after the associated grasses disappear. Blue grama is readily established from native grass seed and is now used in low maintenance, xeriscape lawns.

Sheep fescue is a competitive grass that’s primary use is ground cover. It is an important species for stabilizing disturbed soils because of its low growth form and its low maintenance. It has excellent cold tolerance and good drought tolerance.

• 1 - 2 lbs/1,000 square feet
• 5 lbs./acre when planting with wildflowers
• 8 lbs./acre grass mix only

Planting times: late spring to early summer, with wildflowers. Late spring to mid summer, grass mix only.
Planting range: can be planted in the central and Midwestern U.S., Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, western New York, western Pennsylvania, western Virginia, western N. Carolina and Tennessee. Best for upland sites, moderate to drier soils. For elevations below 6,000 feet.

Blue Wildrye (Elymus glaucus) - It is a native, perennial, cool season bunchgrass native to North America which can can grow up to 5 feet tall. It can be used as a cover crop, particularly for conservation purposes, site rehabilitation, and erosion control. It establishes rapidly, making it effective for stabilizing soil on logging roads, burned areas, and steep hillsides. Blue wildrye can also provide excellent wildlife habitat for mammals, birds, and waterfowl. 

Blue wildrye grows well in both disturbed and undisturbed areas. It tolerates wide variations in soil and weather conditions, though grows best in good soils. Blue wildrye is a slow spreading grass that grows in dry, sunny areas or shaded areas. Unlike its name suggest, blue wildrye is not a ryegrass. It was given the common name "wildrye"for the bluish-gray hue of its leaves which is common among true ryegrasses. 

Blue wildrye’s native range extends across much of North America; however, it is most popular in the western United States of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Branching out from these more concentrated populations in the west, small corridors of blue wildrye stretch east, making their way as far as New York state. This wide range of native habitat suggests blue wildrye is versatile with its requirements.  Consider planting blue wildrye on slopes to prevent soil erosion, add them to a mix of full sun or full shade loving plants to add texture, line paved or rocky areas to create a border, or plant it near shrubs to give birds easy access to blue wildrye’s seeds.

Seeding Rate: 20 - 25 lbs per acre

Indian Rice Grass (Achnatherum hymenoides) - Also called Indian Millet and Sandgrass.  It is a widely adapted native grass of the intermountain west growing best on dry, sandy, or rocky soils that are in full sun and rain well. Sandgrass is very drought tolerant and useful in land reclamation projects. Grows at elevations between 3,000 and 10,000 feet and adapted to a wide variety of soils. Most frequently occurs in sandy, gravelly, and shallow soils, frequently found in dunes. Valuable grass for domestic livestock and big game animals. Excellent food source of high protein food for upland game birds. Highly valued for wildlife habitat improvement, disturbed sites, mine reclamation and range mixes. 

Indian rice grass is also used as an ornamental grass growing 1 to 2 feet in height. Makes a beautiful bunch grass in any landscape. Also used as a wildlife forage as it seeds are sought after by small mammals and birds. Palatable for most grazing animals, can sustain relatively high grazing pressure if it is allowed to produce enough seed for reproduction. Indian ricegrass decreases under grazing because grazing removes the seeds, and therefore plants are not reproduced. One of the few grasses that do better if planted deep, normally 1 - 1 1/2 inches is good, but it will also do well if it is necessary to plant along at the same depth with a grass mixture.

• A widely adapted native grass
• Drought tolerant, found on most range sites
• Excellent in sandy, gravelly, and shallow soils
• Valuable for domestic livestock and big game animals
• Excellent source protein for upland game birds
• Highly valued for wildlife habitat improvement
• Widely used on disturbed sites, range mixes

Seeding Rate: 20 - 25 lbs per acre

Weeping Lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) - A rapidly growing warm-season bunchgrass with narrow leaves emerging from a tight tuft with the tips almost touching the ground. The drooping leaf characteristic gives rise to the name "weeping" lovegrass. The plant itself rarely reaches above 12 inches; however, the seed heads reach a height of 30 to 40 inches and contain numerous small, fine seeds.

Weeping lovegrass is used as a temporary cover for erosion control purposes. It prefers a light-textured, welldrained soil, and will thrive on soils of low fertility. Climatic conditions determine its range of adaptation. Low winter temperatures will prevent regrowth and cause the grass to act as an annual or a short-lived perennial. Weeping lovegrass is distributed throughout the southern United States for erosion control and forage. Weeping lovegrass when fertilized properly will have good forage quality unless seedhead formation is allowed, upon which palatability declines rapidly.

Weeping lovegrass is easy to establish by seed. Seed alone at a rate of 3 to 5 pounds per acre. Seeds will germinate quickly and plant growth is rapid. The seed is extremely fine; therefore, if using a broadcast seeder, the lovegrass seed should be mixed with a carrier such as: cornmeal, sand, or fine sawdust for uniform distribution of seed. Do not cover seed more than 1/4 inch.  Normally, weeping lovegrass can be planted after danger of severe frost is over, and anytime throughout the summer with success as long as irrigation is possible.

There are 1,500,000 seeds per pound.

Native and Adaptable

Sideoats Grama germinates rapidly when conditions are favorable, which is usually a fairly long wet period. However, the seedlings will not develop sufficiently to withstand a significant drought, so early continued moisture is important. Sideoats Grama grows well on mountainous plateaus, rocky slopes and sandy plains. This native grass is also drought and cold tolerant and is hardy in Zones 4-9. It is considered a good foraging grass for livestock and is also good for erosion control.

Low Maintenance Turf

Sideoats Grama is not as palatable as some of the other short native prairie grass species, but it produces a greater volume of forage, which tends to make up for its lower palatability. It also stays greener longer that other gramas which allows for longer grazing. However, overgrazing is very harmful to the species. Look for best stands of Side-Oats on rocky open slopes, shallow woodlands and forest openings up to an elevation of 7,000 feet.

Excellent Erosion Control

Our deep-rooted grass provides strong soil stability, making it ideal for lawns and winter pasture seed. It helps reduce runoff and supports wheat seeds for planting and fodder systems. With dense growth, it protects against soil loss, ensuring long-lasting land resilience in diverse climates.

USDA Zones: 4 - 10

Sideoats Grama thrives in USDA Zones 3 - 9, adapting to cold winters and warm summers for year-round growth. It withstands temperature extremes and requires minimal upkeep, making it ideal for varied climates. With strong resilience, it ensures lush coverage in diverse conditions.

Despite the early need for water, developed plants do not handle abundant moisture well and can easily drown out. Their long root system will penetrate deeply into the underlying areas of drier, subsurface soil, which then reduces the plants dependency on the changeable moisture levels of the topsoil. Sideoats grama does not persist on many sites. The roots lessen in number after the first year of growth and the plant will often disappear completely after five years. It does, however, reseed fairly easily if the site is favorable. The best growing sites are those with shallow soil, a fairly low moisture level and good drainage. Because it is so drought tolerant it often becomes abundant following prolonged dry periods which makes it a popular native grass.

Seeding Rate

8 - 12 PLS lbs per acre or 1/2 - 1 PLS lb per 1000 square feet for lawns or ornamental plantings.

PLS pounds - Pure Live Seed, or PLS, is the percentage of viable seed in a given lot. It is calculated by multiplying the purity percentage by the total germination percentage. For example, 95% purity multiplied by 85% total germination equals a 80.75% PLS. This means that out of every bulk pound of that bag of native grass seed that you plant, 80.75% of it is actually seed of that tagged variety and has the potential to germinate. Weights listed are bulk pounds.

Drought Tolerant

Outsidepride Switchgrass native grass seed thrives in dry conditions, similar to Indian grass seed. Our deep-rooted grass taps into moisture deep below the surface, ensuring lush growth even in drought-prone areas. Ideal for fields, slopes, or open spaces, switch grass remains vigorous and green, reducing the need for supplemental watering.

Tolerant of Poor Soils

Switchgrass seed excels in poor soils, adapting to a range of conditions like buffalo grass seed and bahia grass seed. This hardy grass seed flourishes where others fail, establishing strong roots in sandy, clay, or low-nutrient soils. Whether you're working with challenging terrain or depleted lands, switchgrass provides reliable coverage and growth.

Low Maintenance

Using Switchgrass native grass seed is a low-maintenance solution, ideal for those seeking a self-sufficient landscape. It requires minimal care—no frequent mowing, fertilization, or watering. Plant it and watch it thrive, growing tall and dense with little intervention, providing a visually appealing and functional landscape.

Erosion Control

Switchgrass is highly effective for erosion control. Our deep-rooted grass stabilizes soil, reducing runoff on slopes and riverbanks. The robust root system holds the ground in place, preventing soil loss and promoting healthier landscapes, much like perennial grass seeds. Ideal for areas prone to erosion, switchgrass ensures long-term stability.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a summer perennial grass that is native to North America. It is a natural component of the native tall-grass prairie which covered most of the Great Plains, as well as the south and eastern United States. This native grass grows best in areas that receive 30 inches of rainfall a year or in irrigated areas with average to wet soils. It is resistant to many pests and plant diseases, and it is capable of producing high yields with very low applications of fertilizer. This means that the need for agricultural chemicals to grow switchgrass is low to non-existent. Switchgrass also is very tolerant of poor soils, flooding and drought.

Switchgrass usually grows 3 to 5 feet in height. Even as a seedling, it can be distinguished from other native grasses by the dense patch of hairs at the point where the leaf blade attaches to the sheath. The stem is round and usually has a reddish tint. The seed head (panicle) is spreading and open. Foliage turns a beautiful yellow in fall. Holds its form well throughout the winter and it is also excellent material for fresh and dried arrangements. Used often as an ornamental grass.

When switchgrass is used for pasture it must be grazed before seedstalks develop. Before seedstalks develop, forage quality is high and palatability good. After seedheads emerge, nutrient levels become low and switchgrass becomes unacceptable as pasture. Animals are reluctant to eat mature switchgrass and may refuse it entirely if other feed is available. Begin grazing switchgrass when it becomes ready to graze, regardless of how much grazing potential remains on cool-season pastures. Switchgrass matures earlier than most warm-season grasses, so grazing often needs to begin while cool-season grasses still provide good forage. It is better to graze this native grass when it is ready and then graze the remaining cool-season grass later in the summer, than to finish grazing the cool-season grass first and let the switchgrass become stemmy. If switchgrass becomes stemmy before grazing begins, cut it for hay and graze the regrowth about 45 days later. Deer, quail, turkey, and rabbit also like this native grass.

Switchgrass may be able to play a significant role in improving water quality. It could be planted on highly erodible sites and on field borders. As well, it may be used on sandy soils where excessive nitrate leaching is associated with conventional corn production methods.

8 - 12 PLS lbs per acre or 1/2 - 1 PLS lb per 1000 square feet for ornamental plantings. Switchgrass is most productive on moderately-well to well drained soils of medium fertility and at a soil pH range of 5.5 to 7.0. It can tolerate wet sites and survive short-term flooding.

PLS pounds - Pure Live Seed, or PLS, is the percentage of viable seed in a given lot. It is calculated by multiplying the purity percentage by the total germination percentage. For example, 95% purity multiplied by 85% total germination equals a 80.75% PLS. This means that out of every bulk pound of that bag of native grass seed that you plant, 80.75% of it is actually seed of that tagged variety and has the potential to germinate.

Drought Tolerant

This blend of tall native grass seeds is well-suited for both upland and lowland areas. These native grass varieties are reliable staples, boasting heat and drought tolerance. They offer enduring ground cover and forage production, making them an excellent choice for various environments.

Requires Less Fertilizer

These indigenous grasses are outstanding forage producers that enhance your grass selection naturally, reducing the need for fertilizers and other inputs. Their natural adaptability to the environment makes them efficient in providing quality forage, minimizing the requirement for additional resources and fewer external interventions.

Wildlife Habitat

The Tall Grass Prairie serves as a crucial wildlife habitat. These species form the foundation of the prairie grass environment that historically spanned the central plains of North America. The native grasses in this region are exceptional forage producers, making your grass selection appear more natural.

Erosion Control

Our prairie grass is highly effective in controlling erosion due to its deep root systems and dense vegetative cover, which stabilize the soil and reduce runoff. These resilient native grasses thrive in various conditions, ensuring continuous ground cover that prevents soil displacement and protects against erosion.

Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, and Switchgrass are the legendary drought tolerant grasses of the Tall Grass Prairie. These species are the backbone of the prairiegrass ecosystem that once covered most of the central plains of North America. These native grasses are all excellent forage producers that make your grass selection "natural" which will require less fertilizer and other outputs making them perfect choices for xeriscaping. They are well adapted to both upland and lowland sites. You can not go wrong with these native grass staples which are heat and drought tolerant and will provide permanent cover and forage production.

This mixture contains:

• Little Bluestem - Schizachyrium scoparium
• Big Bluestem - Andropogon gerardii
• Indiangrass - Sorghastrum nutans
• Switchgrass - Panicum virgatum

• 1/2 lbs/1,000 square feet
• 6 lbs./acre when planting with wildflowers
• 12 lbs./acre grass mix only

Planting times: late spring to early summer, with wildflowers; late spring to mid summer, grass mix only.
Planting range: can be planted in the central and midwestern U.S., Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, northern Georgia, western North and South Carolina, western Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, southern New Hampshire and western Massachusetts. For elevations below 6,000 feet, moderate to moist soils.