Are you looking for ornamental grass for your sunny landscape? Prairie dropseed is an easy-to-grow native grass that can be used in a variety of garden arrangements. All you need is a sunny plot with well-drained soil. In this article, we will discuss the proper care and maintenance of this beautiful and useful ornamental grass.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Sporobolus heterolepis, commonly known as prairie dropseed, is a species of prairie grass native to the tallgrass and mixed grass prairies of central North America from Texas to southern Canada. It is also found further east, to the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada, but is much less common beyond the Great Plains and is restricted to specialized habitats. It is found in 27 states and four Canadian provinces.
Prairie dropseed is a perennial bunchgrass whose mound of leaves is typically from 1 to 2 ft (30 to 60 cm) high and 2 to 3 ft (60 to 90 cm) across. Its flowering stems (culms) grow from 1+1⁄2 to 3 ft (45 to 90 cm) tall, extending above the leaves.
The flower cluster is an airy panicle 3 to 8 in (8 to 20 cm) long with many branches. They terminate in small spikelets, which each contain a single fertile floret. When it blooms, the floret has three reddish anthers and a short feathery stigma. If it is pollinated, the floret produces a nearly round seed 1.5 to 2.0 mm (0.06 to 0.08 in) long.
At the base of the spikelet are two bracts (glumes), one of them 4 to 6 mm (0.16 to 0.24 in) long and the other 2 to 4 mm (0.08 to 0.16 in) long. The bracts each are long and tapered, with sharply pointed tips. Around the floret are a lemma and palea, each about 3.5 to 5.5 mm (0.14 to 0.22 in) long, though the palea is sometimes longer than the lemma.
Prairie dropseed is a fine-textured grass with long, narrow leaves that arch outward, forming attractive, round tufts. The leaves range in color from a rich green hue in summer to a golden rust color in the fall. Foliage is resilient enough to resist flattening by snow, so it provides year-round interest. From late July to mid-September, the grass blooms with rusty-tan flowers that rise 30 to 36 in (760 to 910 mm) in height.
It occurs in a wide range of soils, doing well in moist to dry conditions. It is much less common in wetlands.

II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Give this grass a location with full sun, ideally at least six hours of bright sunlight each day. It will be okay with partial shade, but the more sun, the better, as shade-grown plants simply won’t flourish or grow as well.
Watering
Prairie dropseed has good drought tolerance. In areas with regular rainfall during the growing season, watering is usually not necessary. In areas with extended drought periods during the summer, water it weekly, or more often in intense heat. However, avoid overwatering, which will actually harm it.
Soil
As long as it is well-drained, prairie dropseed tolerates a wide range of soils, even clay soil. What it prefers, however, are dry, rocky soils that resemble its native Great Plains habitat. It tolerates a wide range of soil pH, though the soil in its natural habit tends to be somewhat alkaline.
Fertilizing
It’s not necessary to fertilize this plant. Adding extra fertilizer may encourage your plant not to flower at all because they are adapted to grow in sandier soil types with limited organic matter. Excess nutrients often translate into lush green growth but no flowers.
Pruning
No pruning is necessary for this plant during the growing season. However, it pays to cut it back during the late winter or early spring to make way for new growth.
Propagation
Prairie dropseed is grown from seed or the division of mature clumps. Unlike many other grasses, it does not freely self-seed in the garden. If it does drop some seeds and you find a young plant growing near the parent, it is easy to dig out and transplant young self-seeded plants. But the easiest, quickest, and most straightforward way to propagate is by division.
- Seed
This grass can be started from seed, but the seeds can be difficult to germinate. However, if you want to try this method, you’ll need to allow some time. In the fall, when the seeds are mature and fall freely from the panicles, collect more seeds than you think you will need because not all of them will germinate.
Replicate natural conditions by cold-stratifying your seeds for three or four months. You can easily do this by placing your collected seeds in an airtight bag or small container and placing them in your refrigerator immediately after you collect them.
In early spring, spread the seeds on moist, clean soil and cover with a dusting of fresh soil. Water them well and keep the soil moist and warm until the seeds germinate. Move your germinated seeds to a sunny location and keep the soil moist while the young plants start to grow. They will start life looking like a single, tiny, thin blade of grass. Seedlings grow very slowly.
- Division
Dividing mature clumps is quite straightforward. If you have a clump that is several years old and has broadened around the base, it can be divided and replanted.
Use a sharp spade to dig around the edge of the plant, allowing plenty of room to capture the spread of its fibrous root system. Cut through the center of the clump and remove approximately half to be transplanted to another location. Fill in the remaining gap with fresh soil.
- Transplanting
If you have a nursery-grown plant, a division from your yard, or a plant gifted to you from a gardening friend, you will need to transplant it into your landscape in the spring.
Begin the site preparation by digging a hole slightly larger than the plant’s root ball you want to transplant. Carefully remove your plant from its pot and place it in the hole, keeping the soil level with the original soil level.
Refill the space around the roots with fresh soil and give your new transplant a deep watering to help it settle in. If you are growing more than one plant, space them at least three feet apart because each can grow up to three feet across. Keep the new transplants well-watered for the next week or two.
Potting and Repotting
Perennial grasses such as prairie dropseed are not common choices for container culture, though it is certainly possible to grow them in pots for use on patios or decks. Use a large, well-draining container filled with standard potting mix blended with sand or pumice to improve its drainage. Because these plants prefer slightly alkaline conditions, a handful of agricultural lime blended in can be helpful for countering the slight acidity of peat-based potting mixes.
Potted grasses should be moved to a sheltered location out of the wind during the cold winter months. Repotting is necessary only when the root crown begins to die out in the center, at which point it should be divided with individual pieces repotted in separate containers.
Overwintering
Like most other grasses, prairie dropseed will turn brown and wither in the winter, but come back hearty in the spring with no intervention on your part. Late winter or early spring is the best time to pull or cut back the dead stalks in anticipation of new spring growth.
How to Get to Bloom
This native grass will normally flower amply with pinkish-brown panicles in mid to late summer, provided it is getting plenty of direct sunlight. Shady conditions will cause reduced flowering. Overly rich soils or excessive fertilizer may actually reduce flowering, as this plant prefers rather poor, dry soils.
Pests and Diseases
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Part of the appeal of prairie dropseed is that it is not affected by any serious pests or diseases. It is also deer-resistant.
Common Problems With Prairie Dropseed
This plant has very few cultural problems, as it is better behaved and less prone to rampant spreading than other ornamental grasses. But as a clump gets old, it may develop bare spots in the center of the growth as the root ball becomes too dense and fibrous. At this point, it’s time to dig up and divide the clump, discarding the overgrown center crown.
Ornamental grasses should be used carefully in regions prone to wildfire. While the dried grass clumps are attractive, they will very easily catch fire if drifting embers fall on them.
III. Uses and Benefits
Any place you might want to use an ornamental grass, consider growing prairie dropseed. This plant works well in a variety of garden designs. Use it as a mound-forming ground cover by planting several dropseed grass clumps in a cluster. Add it to your prairie-themed garden, or use it to enhance your wildlife or bird garden. It also makes a great plant for broad borders and edges or along garden pathways.
This grass would look great planted alongside perennial wildflowers or along the edge of a shrub garden. This can be an excellent option if you need plants for erosion control on a hillside. Not only are native grasses practical, they are also very showy. The long-standing attractive vegetation will provide four seasons’ worth of garden beauty.
Looking for easy-to-manage grass for a container garden? This is a good choice. You can use containers in areas that may be difficult to garden otherwise. Dropseed plants will perform well in containers, especially the more compact cultivars, allowing you to diversify your landscape in a very quick and easy way.