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Indian Rice Grass
About...
Indian Rice Grass (Achnatherum hymenoides) - Also called Indian Millet and Sandgrass. It is a widely adapted native grass of the intermountain west. Indian ricegrass 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.MORE NATIVE GRASS OPTIONS
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.
Seeding Rate: 20 - 25 lbs per acre
Planting Directions
TEMPERATURE
Minimum soil temp 50F
DEPTH
1/4 inch
SOWING RATE
8 - 12 PLS lbs per acre or 1/2 - 1 PLS lb per 1000 square feet for orn...more 8 - 12 PLS lbs per acre or 1/2 - 1 PLS lb per 1000 square feet for ornamental plantings...less
MOISTURE
Keep moist until germination occurs
Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) - Start Indian Grass seed for this versatile, perennial, prairie grass. Indiangrass is a beautiful, clumping, native grass of medium color, turning to a showy yellow to bronze color in the fall. It will normally retain some color throughout the winter. At one time Indian Grass grew throughout the prairies of central and eastern United States. It grows best in deep, well-drained floodplain soils but is highly tolerant of poorly to excessively well-drained soils, acid to alkaline conditions, and textures ranging from sand to clay. In good soils this native grass can get up to 6 - 7 feet tall, but 3 - 5 feet tall is more normal.
Indian Grass has many uses. It is very palatable for livestock in its active growing season and provides an excellent wild life habitat. Since it is very tolerant of poor soils, it can be used for erosion control in many areas where other plants won't thrive. Native prairie grasses are often used for landscaping as an ornamental grass, a border plant, or used alone or combined with other native grasses, such as the bluestem grasses, to create a meadow look or even combined with wildflowers.
How To Grow Indian Grass Seed: Fresh native grass seed may be sown in the fall and expected to sprout when the soil warms up in the spring, or firmly planted 0.25 in deep in early spring. It should not be mowed or grazed at all the first year.
Seeding Rate
8 - 12 PLS lbs per acre or 1/2 - 1 PLS lb per 1000 square feet for 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.
