Plant height is 12-18 inches. Big bluestem Root system reaches down to nine feet in depth. Plant height is 4-8 feet. Because they develop very deep root systems, native grasses provide very good long-term erosion control. And, they will often grow on poor soils because they can gain access to nutrients and water that shallower rooted grasses cannot reach.
Native grasses are therefore desirable for stabilizing soils.
Their drawback is that they establish somewhat slowly. Cover crops may be seeded with them to provide short-term erosion control while the native grasses establish. Mulching newly planted sites is also a good idea. All rights reserved.