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Sideoats Grama
(Bouteloua curtipendula)
One native grass often seen throughout the Southwest is Sideoats Grama. It is a warm season bunch grass, growing twelve to forty inches tall. The root system is non-sod forming and is moderately deep and fibrous. It grows well on drained sandy plains, rocky slopes and mountain plateaus. The plant is drought tolerant and winter hardy. Growth begins in early April.
Sideoats Grama seedlings are vigorous, making it relatively easy to establish on severely eroded soil. This grass produces high quality, nutritious green forage that is readily eaten by all livestock.
The foliage is fine textured and blue-green in color. It dries to a straw yellow. Plants are rhizomatous and provide good ground cover.
‘El reno’ is the most well known and widely used variety throughout the United States because of its leafiness, forage produc-
tion and vigor. It is ranked high in disease resistance as well as winter and drought hardiness.
‘Haskell’ has proven to have greater, stronger and longer rhizomes than other commercial types available. The plants are more robust than other varieties available.
‘Vaughn’ and ‘Niner’ Sideoats Grama are of medium height with good seedling vigor. They are better adapted to Arizona, New Mexico and eastern Colorado than other varieties due to the fact that they are more drought tolerant.
Plant 4 1⁄2 to 5 1⁄2 pure live seed pounds per acre 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch deep. The seed are chaffy and it is best to sow with a chaffy grass drill.