Native Plants

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Thursday - September 19, 2013

From: Klondike, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Grasses or Grass-like
Title: Native prairie grasses for East Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

What are the best grasses for native east texas prairie grass reestablishment, I have a small acreage I would like to turn into native grass land.

ANSWER:

First, there are several prairie restoration organizations with a wealth of information to help you in your very worth project. You might start by looking at the information from the Native Prairies Association of Texas. In particular, see Planting a Tallgrass Prairie: What to Plant.

Here are some of the grasses they name on that page that grow in Delta County or an adjacent county.

Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem)

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)

Tripsacum dactyloides (Eastern gamagrass)

Andropogon gerardii (Big bluestem)

Here are some other grasses native to your East Texas area that would do well in your prairie.

Bothriochloa laguroides (Silver bluestem)

Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)

Native American Seed in Junction TX has a Prairie Starter Mix with most of the grasses named above as well as a few more.

You might also find several of our "How to Articles" useful, especially Recreating a Prairie. You might also like to visit Clymer's Meadow Preserve, the largest tract of tallgrass prairie in Texas located in adjacent Hunt County.

There is more information about prairie restoration at Prairie Parcel Restoration from Teacher Research Associates (TRAC) Program at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia Illinois and at Prairie Restoration from Prairie Plains Resource Institute in Nebraska.