How to Grow Grasses on the Prairie

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. Click here to SUBSCRIBE to the official This Old House YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=thisoldhouse 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 (http://bit.ly/2FYvpOp ), the University of Wyoming Extension (http://bit.ly/2UrPuH1 ), Nawada Landscape Design (http://bit.ly/28YHZAi ), and Wanda Manley. 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. This Old House releases new segments every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Keywords: This Old House, How-to, home improvement, DIY, ask this old house, jenn nawada, prairie grass, lawn, landscaping Watch the full episode: http://bit.ly/2G6mpry Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/1psm4fC Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisoldhouse https://twitter.com/asktoh Pinterest: http://bit.ly/1psm4fE G+: http://bit.ly/1CtsNjJ Instagram: http://bit.ly/1psm1QZ Tumblr: http://bit.ly/1CtsLbH