spartina pectinata : Prairie Cordgrass

Prairie Cordgrass is sometimes called "Ripgut" because its flat leaf blades with toothed edges are strong and tough enough to readily cut a person's hand. It is a sod-forming grass with 5 to 20 spiked inflorescences along each seed stalk.

Height:	4 - 8 ft
Season of Growth:	Warm (mid-June - Sept)
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Propagation:	Difficult from seed since few seeds are viable. Seeds have a double dormancy and take 2 years to germinate. Best method is by root division.

Prairie Cordgrass grows on wet, marshy prairies where water stands at various times throughtout the year. It grows in heavy, wet clay soils with moisture requirements being wet to mesic.

It requires full sun.

Wildlife Value
Nesting:	Good, especially valuable to some marsh birds, such as red-winged blackbirds
Protective Cover:	Excellent; it remains erect throughout the winter.
Food:	Fair, it attracts birds. Muskrats feed on the roots.

Prairie Cordgrass makes excellent forage and is the preferred hay for horses since it supposedly keeps horses from becoming winded when they are worked hard. Daryl's father told him that his grandfather would hang burlap bags from the harness of his horses when plowing up prairie to prevent the horses' chests from being cut up by the sharp leaf blades of the Prairie Cordgrass

Prairie Cordgrass Price List
6,600 seeds / ounce
*Item #*	*Amount*	*Price*
SpaPecP	Packet	$2
SpaPecOz	Ounce	$8
SpaPecLb	Pound	$100
(Grass prices change often ~~ Call for current prices)
To order Prairie Cordgrass, Call (515) 733-4634 Or Order by Mail: Order Form

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	Iowa Prairie Seed Company 911 Elm Avenue Story City, Iowa 50478 (515) 733-4634	Email: rbbunn@iowatelecom.net
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