When planting in fall, plant when anticipated warm weather is passed, so germination of seed is at a minimum. Fall planting will allow the seed to over winter and sprout in the spring. This over wintering also has the effect of breaking the dormancy that some of the native seeds display. There are risks to the wintering however, late fall rains and warm spells may allow the seed to begin germination only to be killed by the winter ground freezing. Also, the longer the seeds are on the ground, the more chance there is of them being eaten by birds and rodents.
Plant wildflowers the same times as prairie grasses.
Select a site that receives full to partial sun and is well-drained. Round-up is the most popular. These grasses must be removed before planting a wildflower or prairie grass site. A season of repeated tilling might be needed in some cases of heavy sod-forming grasses. Care must be taken to completely eliminate any cool season sod-forming grasses.