Drought, new construction and our usual winds have thinned our grasslands. Disturbed land, especially compacted and untended, can take a decade or more to begin to repair. Seeding is one of the best methods of fast-track succession when the aim is land restoration. But merely tossing seed on the ground usually harvests poor results.
To decide what to plant, first assess what grows well in the neighborhood. Our most common native grass is blue gramma. Hillsides often have sideoats gramma or galleta; road edges, bluestem. Areas of wind blown sand may support airy Indian rice grass or, less striking, sand dropseed. At a glance it looks like most of the plants are grasses. That's because wildflowers and forbs may be more difficult to spot. However, research on the Great Plains indicates that 70% of the total number of plants are flowers. Around Santa Fe, there's paperflower along Highway 14, Penstemon palmerii in Las Campanas and P. jamesii in Eldorado. Gallardia ipinnatifida, Perky Sue, blue flax and orange globe mallow grow just about anywhere. In wooded uplands it's wild buckwheat and native lupines with purple aster, cowpen daisy, Russian thistle and some locoweeds.
Selecting the right species means figuring out the purpose of the area you're seeding. Blue gramma sprouts in 7-10 days, but will show foot traffic while buffalo grass is sturdy enough for football games. Mix them together and you'll have a low maintenance lawn that a little mowing, fertilizing and watering only encourages. Most of our natives are warm-season grasses that green when the soil temperature is over 60 degrees. For shade planting use sheep fescue or streambank wheatgrass. Taller grasses add accents and the addition of wildflowers make a meadow.
Diversity is key to a good meadow. Consider adding pepperwood, chocolate flower, Indian paintbrush or limoncillo to the seed mix. Don't forget to include sub-shrubs such as winterfat, sages, ephedra, prickly pear or claret cup, perhaps. Even some of those “darned yellow composites” such as Bahia dissecta, Brickelia or Senecio species make good additions. Chamisa and snakewood, if suited to the site, will find their own way. To blend back to undisturbed land it may make sense to include seed of larger species such as Apache plume, New Mexico locust or mountain mahogany.
If you're starting with a partly established area, first remove all the weeds. You can scratch in amendments with a garden weasel. If the soil is raw, till-in the organic matter of your choice (except manure which invites weeds), add Gro-power for soil microbes and humic acid penetration and phosphorus to help rooting. Mix the seed with sand and spread the blend evenly over the surface then rake lightly or cover with more soil. And, always mulch. Aim for a 50% coverage to increase moisture-holding capacity.
Seed at the end of June in order to catch the summer rains. You can seed in a snow storm but results will be erratic. Frozen ground inhibits the soil-seed connection. In this area, seeding isn't profitable after August. Newly sprouted seed needs a minimum of 6 weeks to withstand hard frost and requires an even moisture during the first month, increasing to more water less often, perhaps once a week for the growing season. Established seeding areas may survive more lushly, even during drought, with deep monthly water.
It takes three years for a perennial to reach full flower, with water. The variety of self sustaining species is always site specific, depending on weather conditions, microclimate, soil type, level of maintenance and perhaps whether your neighbor’s dog comes to visit. But take a chance and dance with natural selection. Meadows always bring a smile.