What Dirt Do You Use for Wheatgrass?

Soil Tolerance

• Wheatgrass adapts to a variety of soil types, from moist clays to dry, sandy soils. Species of wheatgrass possess an especially high tolerance for saline soils, or those with high salt content, and also tolerate alkaline soils, or those with a pH greater than 7. Wheatgrass does not tolerate acidic soils. However, wheatgrass prefers finely textured soils such as clay, sandy clay and silty clay.

Soil Moisture

• Wheatgrass withstands lengthy periods of drought and as many as five weeks of flooding. Species prefer soil with a high water table from which to draw large quantities of water during the early spring. Wheatgrass adapts to well-drained or poorly drained soil, as well as soils with irrigation systems or those devoid of moisture. Ultimately, areas with heavy rainfall and a high level of moisture retention prove ideal for wheatgrass.

Maintaining Soil

• Wheatgrass does not generally require soil amendments, such as mulch or compost. A University of Nevada guide to growing crested wheatgrass suggests that it benefits from the application of balanced fertilizer applied at a rate of 40 pounds per acre, or one pound per 1000 square feet. The guide also recommends irrigating newly planted wheatgrass several times a month for the first two months.

More on Wheatgrass and Soil

• Wheatgrass requires soil relatively free of debris to germinate; it won't establish itself in areas with heavy weed populations or a number of large obstructions in the soil, such as rocks. Soil that creates a human footprint deeper than 1.5 inches is too loose for planting wheatgrass and should be compacted before attempting to cultivate it. Ornamental grasses, weeds or shrubs similar to wheatgrass will out-compete young wheatgrass and should be removed before planting wheatgrass.