West End tests turf alternative

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/07/2022 (1399 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WEST END

Keep off the grass alternative.

The West End BIZ has partnered with the City of Winnipeg and Native Plant Solutions to plant native grasses in lieu of classic turf along a newly renovated stretch of Wall Street.

“Because the street was being redone, we decided we would give it a shot,” said Joe Kornelsen, executive director of the West End BIZ.

Members of the West End BIZ noticed several years ago that the grass along Wall Street was struggling, Kornelsen said.

“We’ve been chatting with the city about ways to improve the infrastructure along Erin (Street) and Wall (Street) for some time, and they were very happy to see what could work there,” Kornelsen said.

The boulevard along the west side of Wall Street just south of Ellice Avenue is now home to a pilot project to see whether these plants will outperform Kentucky bluegrass under salty, gravelly conditions.

“Even though we need road salt for safety,” said Gord MacKay, a wetland and upland plant specialist for Native Plant Solutions, “one of the problems with so much road salt, and the gravel from snow clearing, is that it accumulates on all the roads kills the grass — it thins it out and eventually kills it.”

MacKay explained that salt is the original herbicide. The Greeks used it to control weeds in grape orchards, for example.

Fortunately, native grasses are proven to be hardier than their mainstream counterparts.

Native Plant Solutions primarily used nuttall’s alkaligrass in this project. This type of grass can be found growing in ditches along major routes in the city, like Waverley Street. Salt is no enemy to nuttall’s alkaligrass.

A type of fescue and a perennial ryegrass were also included in the pilot project.

“They’ll be fully mature by the fall,” MacKay said. “With the amount of rain we’re having, I’m sure even by the end of August they’ll be their normal size.”

He anticipates the grasses could reach 30 to 40 centimetres tall.

Before the planting took place, Native Plant Solutions removed some of the boulevard’s existing soil and amended it with peat moss and sand. Workers seeded the area by hand on June 27. A blanket made of woven jute was placed over the seeded area to keep the soil moist and prevent erosion. The material will degrade after about a year-and-a-half to two years.

MacKay expects the native grasses will require some initial weed control but are, in general, low maintenance.

“This mix was designed so if they want to mow it, they can mow it,” MacKay said. “It will tolerate the occasional mowing. We prefer it if they didn’t, but sometimes you need to do that because of weed control.”

To MacKay’s knowledge, this is the first time the city has greenlighted a native grass boulevard project of this kind. But MacKay has a good idea how the grasses will perform. This spring, Native Plant Solutions distributed this exact seed mix on boulevards along sections of Dafoe Road on the University of Manitoba campus.

Native Plant Solutions is a consulting division of Ducks Unlimited Canada.

“They’ve been involved in studying native grasses for over 30 years,” MacKay said, “so, I’m drawing on a lot of the knowledge they’ve acquired in upland management.”

The West End BIZ anticipates the pilot project must first undergo several seasons of sun, salt and snow before it can be hailed a success.

“I’m hoping to see some positive results next summer,” Kornelsen said.