About Using Native Grasses

Native grasses can be used in a wide variety of situations. They can be extremely functional and aesthetic in landscaping applications, and are being used increasingly in revegetation projects. Indigenous grasses provide habitat and food for local wildlife. Many native grasses are drought tolerant and don’t require irrigation once established. If this is the case, why aren’t native grasses used a lot more?

There have been many attempts to establish large areas with native grasses, some have been very successful but many have failed. Several factors determine the success when using native grasses. Some of them are:

Seed viability. Soil type. Method of sowing. Rainfall. Weed control.

Some species of native grass seed are very slow to germinate and establish. Without thorough site preparation and follow up weed control, native grass seedlings are quickly overgrown and out competed by weeds. Many techniques are available to control weeds in native grass, and the methods used will be determined by the species of weeds present.

Flora Victoria can help you select the most appropriate species of native grass for a number of applications, and devise weed control stratergies for many different site conditions.