How to Plant and Grow Sideoats Grama Grass

When planted in small groups in your garden, sideoats grama grass (Bouteloua curtipendula) forms the basis of a naturalized landscape, recalling the naturally occurring prairie and woodlands of the past in your geographical area. Your yard becomes a habitat for native plants and wildlife. As a native plant, sideoats grama attracts pollinators and birds. Use this plant in habitat gardens, where it provides food, nesting material, and cover, or as an accent in a garden bed.

Purplish-tinged flowers appear on arching stems above the foliage in early to mid-summer. The flowers fade as the seeds mature. The flowers and seeds are attached or hinged to one side of the stems, giving the plant its name.

Where to Plant Sideoats Grama Grass

Plant sideoats grama in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 10. Use it in prairie gardens, garden beds, and naturalized areas. It grows well in dry, sunny problem areas, such as along house foundations and around deck supports. It does best in full sun.

How and When to Plant Sideoats Grama Grass

Sideoats grama is a hardy native grass that can be planted whenever the ground is workable and the plants are available. Plant nursery starts at the depth grown in the pots. Native plants show growth later than some garden plants, so garden centers may not have them in the spring or early summer.

Plant it singly or in groups of three or more spaced 18-24 inches apart in the front of gardens with short garden favorites such as catmint, calamint, black-eyed Susan, and perennial salvia.

This plant forms clumps and doesn't self-sow excessively but is easy to grow from seed. If sowing seed, sow it 1/4 inch deep in a garden bed in spring or fall when the temperature is at least 50°F at night.

Sideoats Grama Care Tips

Sideoats grama doesn't have major problems. This warm-season grass uses the entire growing season, producing flowers in late summer into fall. Taller companion plants may create too much shade or flop onto this shorter plant. 

Light

A deer-resistant plant native to North America, sideoats grama thrives in sunny locations. Plant it in full sun for best growth, although it tolerates partial shade.

Soil and Water

Plant nursery plants in medium to dry soil. Sideoats grama isn't picky about the soil as long as it drains well; it will grow in sandy soil or clay. Apply supplemental water to new plants the first year and in periods of drought, being sure that dry soil receives water.

Temperature and Humidity

This warm-season grass thrives in a temperature range of 70°F to 90°F and doesn't germinate from seed until the temperature reaches a reliable 50°F. It grows well in hot, dry areas.

Fertilizer

Fertilizer is not necessary after the plants are established. Seedlings benefit from an application of high nitrogen fertilizer, following the directions on the package.

Pruning

No pruning is necessary. In a garden bed, cut back the plants to 4 inches in late winter or early spring.

Potting and Repotting

Sideoats grama is a grass that is infrequently grown in containers. However, single plants can grow in 1-2 gallon pots with excellent drainage and well-draining soil. Place the containers in full sun and water them sparingly. Cut the plants back to 4 inches in late winter or early spring. No repotting is needed.

Pests and Problems

Sideoats grama is relatively free of pests and diseases. Although it serves as a host plant for the larvae of several caterpillars, the birds and butterflies the plant attracts eat the larvae and caterpillars before they do much damage.

How to Propagate Sideoats Grama Grass

Propagate sideoats grama by root division or seed.

Division: Divide sideoats grama in late fall or early spring while the plants are dormant. Dig up the entire clump and use a sharp spade or saw to cut the clump in half. Immediately replant the two divisions. This sounds simple, but the root system of sideoats grama is notoriously lengthy. Roots can reach 6 feet long.

Seed: Harvest the seeds of this plant in the fall by running your hand over the stem and capturing the seeds as they fall. Wait until they dry out to store them until spring.

Sow the seed outside in a prepared bed three to four weeks before the temperature in your area usually reaches 50°F. Germination usually occurs in about three weeks.

Start the seeds indoors in spring in 4-inch peat pots by pressing three seeds 1/4 inch into potting soil. Keep the soil moist and place the pots in a brightly lit, warm location until the seeds germinate. Thin to the strongest seedling in each pot. Transplant the seedlings outside after the weather warms.

Types of Sideoats Grama

There are two native varieties of sideoats grama. Of these, Bouteloua curtipendula var. curtipendula is the shorter of the two, has more rhizomes, and is native from southeastern Canada to Argentina, while Bouteloua curtipendula var. caespitosa spreads more by seed than rhizomes and enhances gardens primarily in the Southwest U.S.

'Butte'

The Bouteloua curtipendula 'Butte' cultivar emerges quickly in spring. It excels in erosion control and is attractive in a garden setting. Growing to 3 feet tall, it blooms from July to September. Zones 3-9

'El Reno'

Bouteloua curtipendula 'El Reno' was released in 1944 and is the official state grass of Texas. It produces seed three times a year and has been widely used as forage for livestock since its introduction. It grows 1-3 feet tall. Zones 2–10

'Niner'

Plant Bouteloua curtipendula 'Niner', a caespitosa variety that lacks creeping rhizomes, in early spring or early fall. It adapts to high elevations and grows well on medium and heavy soils. Like most sideoats varieties, it is primarily grown for animal forage but can be planted in gardens as an accent. It grows to 2–3 feet. Zones 3–9

Sideoats Grama Companion Plants

Butterfly Weed

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), with bright orange flowers, is late to emerge in the spring.  Be careful not to weed it out. Plants in the Asclepias genus provide food for the larvae (caterpillars) of the monarch butterfly. This small to medium size (2 to 3 feet tall) prairie perennial works well with native grasses and in perennial gardens.

Little Bluestem

Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grows 3 to 4 feet tall and is planted for its blue-green leaves that turn red-orange in the fall. This grass is a major component of the prairie and does best when planted with short-to-medium height grasses and perennials.

Sedges

Some sedges (Carex species) grow well in sun, but most prefer shade. This curly sedge (Carex buchananii) will grow in similar sun conditions to sideoats grama and gets 2-3 feet tall. A shorter option is plains oval sedge (Carex brevoir) that gets just 8 inches to 1 foot tall.