Canada Wildrye Native Grass Seed

Canada Wildrye is a cool-season, perennial bunchgrass native to North America. Canada Wildrye typically forms clumps with tall, slender stems that can reach heights of 2 to 4 feet. The grass features long, flat, and coarse leaves. Its seed heads are open, nodding spikes with long awns, giving them a distinctive appearance. These seed heads emerge in late spring and persist through summer.

Product Information

• Botanic Name: Elymus canadensis
• Application or Use: Pasture, Forage, Cover Crop, Habitat
• Germination Time: 7 - 14 days, under optimal conditions.  Allow 3-4 weeks for the unstratified seed to break dormancy and germinate, under optimal conditions.
• Growing Locations: Warm Season, Transition Zone & Cool Season
• Height: 3 - 5 feet
• Sunlight Requirements: 8 hours, full sun for best results
• Advantages: Adapted to many soil types; excellent forage and habitat species
• When to Plant: Recommended planting time is spring and summer when night time temperatures are consistently 65+ degrees and after last chance of frost.

Product Information

Canada Wildrye is a cool-season, perennial bunchgrass native to North America.

Canada Wildrye typically forms clumps with tall, slender stems that can reach heights of 2 to 4 feet. The grass features long, flat, and coarse leaves.

Its seed heads are open, nodding spikes with long awns, giving them a distinctive appearance. These seed heads emerge in late spring and persist through summer.

Canada Wildrye thrives in a variety of soil types, including sandy and loamy soils, but prefers well-drained areas. It grows well in full sun to partial shade and is relatively drought-tolerant once established.

This grass is commonly used for erosion control, habitat restoration, wildlife cover, and in reclamation projects due to its ability to establish quickly and its deep root system that helps prevent soil erosion.

Canada Wildrye provides habitat and food for wildlife, particularly birds and small mammals, and can be a valuable component in naturalized landscapes.

Once established, Canada Wildrye requires minimal maintenance. Regular watering during establishment and occasional mowing or cutting in late winter or early spring can help promote growth and rejuvenation.

Canada Wildrye is valued for its ability to stabilize soils, its wildlife benefits, and its adaptability to a range of soil conditions, making it a practical choice for erosion control and ecological restoration projects.

*Product packaging may appear different than what is pictured.

The seed is chaffy, and special grass drills developed for this type of seed should be used. Drill the seed at 1/4 inch in moist, fine textured soils and 3/4 inch in drier, looser and coarser soil conditions. Planting should take place in the spring. Dormant seedings after November 1st have proven very successful. Range seedings of Indiangrass are seldom used alone.

Generally, spring is the best time of the year to plant. Indiangrass can be found on prairies, bottomlands, and in all soil textures throughout the eastern half of the United States, as well as the desert southwest. There are several varieties but the more popular varieties are "Cheyenne," "Lometa," "Osage," "Rumsey" and "Oto."

Instructions

When choosing to start a new lawn, remove old vegetation by using a de-thatcher, power rake or tiller to kill the existing vegetation. Rake or drag the area to remove debris and dead grass for a clean area. Ensure the soil is leveled and loosened to allow the seed to have good soil contact once spread on a clean seed bed.

If you have an area with heavy weed coverage, we recommend starting fresh by killing and removing the existing vegetation. If you choose to use chemicals, herbicides or fertilizers, you must check with the product's manufacturer prior to planting new seed to ensure the proper waiting period.

When overseeding an existing area, mow your lawn at the lowest setting and bag the clippingsx. Rake or drag any areas that have dead thatch or debris.