Western wheatgrass

What is western wheatgrass?

Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii, formerly Agropyron smithii) is a long-lived, cool-season perennial native to much of western and central North America. NRCS calls it one of the best known and most used native grasses.

Western wheatgrass spreads by very strong rhizomes and forms a sod. It handles salty soil, poor drainage, spring flooding and moderately severe drought, and it is very cold tolerant. It greens up in March or early April and matures in mid to late summer.

It is slow to start. Poor germination means thin first-year stands, and NRCS says it competes poorly with aggressive introduced grasses while young. Once set, its rhizomes spread hard. Colorado State says to use it only where there is room to spread.

How to identify western wheatgrass

Pull up a few shoots and look closely where the leaf blade meets the stem. Here is what to check on western wheatgrass:

• Auricles: Purplish and claw-like, clasping the stem.
• Ligule: Hard to see (inconspicuous).
• Leaf blade: Flat, blue-green, with very prominent veins. Upper surface and edges are very rough.
• Sheath: Hairy.
• Seedhead: Stiff, upright spike about 2 to 6 in. long; awn-tipped lemmas with awns up to 5 mm.
• Growth habit: Strong spreading rhizomes. Stems grow singly or in small clusters, 1 to 3 ft tall unmowed.

Where western wheatgrass is grown in the US

Western wheatgrass is a native prairie grass of the Great Plains, the Southwest and the Intermountain West. It grows from about 1,000 to 9,000 ft and is most common where yearly precipitation runs about 10 to 20 in. (USDA NRCS).

Its main jobs are erosion control, mine and roadside reclamation, and livestock forage. NRCS says it is useful as ground cover in urban areas with limited irrigation water and for holding ditchbanks, dikes and roadsides. Colorado State lists it among less-used native cool-season grasses for native lawns and as a landscape grass.

It is not a grass for the East. The NRCS fact sheet says it performs poorly in the East and is not recommended there.

Western wheatgrass pros and cons

Pros

• Native to the western US
• Drought and cold tolerant
• Handles salty and poorly drained soil
• Forms a sod that holds soil
• Low maintenance once established
• Can become a good weed barrier (NRCS)

Cons

• Slow, patchy establishment from seed
• Turns brown in summer without water (Colorado State)
• Aggressive rhizomes need room
• Coarse texture
• Performs poorly in the East (NRCS)
• Grasshoppers, ergot and rusts can hit stands

Grasses that look like western wheatgrass

How and when to plant western wheatgrass

Ways to plant: Seed or sod (USDA NRCS).

Seeding rate: No lawn rate in our sources. NRCS conservation seedings drill about 5 to 15 lb pure live seed per acre and double that for broadcast or harsh sites.

Germination: Poor germination makes first-year stands thin. NRCS says stands are slow and may barely show in year one, often reaching over 50 percent cover by the end of the fourth growing season.

When to plant: NRCS's plant guide prefers very early spring on heavy to medium soils, or late fall on medium to light soils. It advises against late summer seeding (August to mid-September) unless you can irrigate.

Seeding dates change from state to state. See when to plant grass seed by state, or our Pennsylvania grass seed guide if you are in PA.

How to care for western wheatgrass

Mowing: No lawn mowing height in our sources. NRCS mentions mowing new seedings only to cut weeds as they start to bloom.

Watering: NRCS says irrigation improves stands and light watering plus mulch helps new seedings. Colorado State says native cool-season grasses often brown in summer unless irrigated.

Fertilizing: Colorado State says to fertilize native cool-season lawns in September. NRCS notes older stands on good sites can become sod-bound and may need fertilizer.

Nitrogen per year: No yearly rate in our sources. Colorado State says to fertilize native wheatgrass lawns in September; NRCS says weed control and fertilizing help improve stands.

Overseeding: NRCS says not to seed it with strongly competitive introduced grasses, since young plants compete poorly.

Common western wheatgrass problems

If a pesticide is needed, use only products labeled for that use; the label is the law. If you hire someone to treat a lawn, make sure they hold your state’s pesticide applicator license; see our pesticide applicator license guide. To put a name to a lawn weed, use our weed identification guide.

Questions we get about western wheatgrass

Similar lawn grasses

Creeping red fescueFestuca rubraTall fescueLolium arundinaceumChewings fescueFestuca rubra subsp. commutata