- 1). Remove any existing grass or weeds growing in the soil where you want to plant your prairie grass. You can use a chemical herbicide or till the ground. In order to ensure success in growing the prairie grass, you need to kill any cool-season grass growing in the location. You may have to do this several times before you have the area free of any growing vegetation.
- 2). Clear the area of the dead grass or weeds killed by the herbicide application. Prairie grass seeds need to have contact with the ground in order to germinate. Level the ground area, making sure the area is free of clumps, rocks and sticks.
- 3). Mix one part prairie grass with two parts sand, vermiculite or sawdust. By mixing the prairie grass with sand, the seed will be distributed more evenly.
- 4). Broadcast the seed by hand or use a lawn fertilizer spreader in the spring or fall. Walk back and forth across the area where you want the prairie grass seed to grow. Overlap each row slightly for a more complete coverage. If you have a large area of a half acre or more, then you may want to use a native grass drill. The drill will put the seeds into the soil at the perfect depth.
- 5). Prepare the seed bed by raking, harrowing or pulling a straight set disc back and forth over the area. Do not cover the seed too deep or they will not grow. The proper depth to sow prairie grass seed is 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep.
- 6). Walk over the seedbed or use a roller to ensure that the seeds have good contact with the soil. Lightly water the seedbed. You will not have to water often unless the season is really dry.
- 7). Mow the prairie grass during the first growing season to control weeds. If you allow them to grow, they will shade the new grass too much and suck valuable moisture out of the soil. Mow the area when the weeds are 15 to 18 inches tall. For the first two cuttings, cut to a height of 4 to 6 inches. After two cuttings, set the mowing height to 6 to 8 inches. Your prairie grass will be lower than this height because you are not cutting the prairie grass, you are only mowing the weeds. Cutting the top off the prairie grass will weaken the plant and delay growth.
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