Native Tallgrass Mix

Your hay or pasture grass seed has to work for you—adapted to the purpose, place, and management you have in mind. We usually carry two or more varieties of each species, ranging from high quality forage to more economical selections when forage quality is not as vital. We also have several hay and pasture grass mixes that combine the advantages of several species in one bag.

Best use: Warm-season pasture. Also for hay and wildlife habitat. Warm-season grasses provide peak forage in summer, which coincides with the summer slump period for cool-season forages. This makes the two complementary for a consistent forage supply over the grazing or haying season. Keep cool-season species and warm-season species seeded separately in their own paddocks. Mixed stands are difficult to management and maintain. With typical grazing heights and recovery periods for cool-season species, the warm season species are often grazed out of the stand.

This native grass mix is an excellent choice for wildlife habitat and conservation use. Bunch-type species provide ground cover and nesting areas for gamebirds and songbirds, and white-tailed deer will utilize tall grass throughout most of the year. Native wildflowers, such as our Native Wildflower Mix, can be added to the mix for additional pollinator habitat.

Adaptation: Adapted to the Northern Great Plains and Upper Midwest. Hardy to USDA hardiness zone 4.  Should also perform well across the northern U.S. to New York and Pennsylvania. Widely adapted to many soil types from heavy clays to sand. Most productive on moist soils, but can tolerate dryer soils. Sideoats grama serves as a fast-establishing nurse crop and is also well adapted to very well drained areas of fields and hillsides

Management: This warm-season grass mix will emerge later in the spring compared to cool-season grasses, and therefore suitable grazing period begins in the summer months. In the seeding year, delay grazing until mid to late summer. Once established, the mix can be grazed in late June when plants are 16-20” tall. Allow at least a 45-day and up to 60-day recovery period before grazing again in the last summer or early fall. Forage stands well for stockpiled grazing into the early winter. Maintain a stubble height of 6” for best recovery and extended stand health.