Why do Native Grasses make good cover?
Properly chosen native grass species will last the life of the vineyard and will require far less input costs. Native perennial grasses can function as a true companion crop active when cash crop is dormant and asleep when the cash crop is making money. When a re-seeding annual crop is planted, attention must be paid to the cover crop so that the plants will reseed. Yearly weather patterns with too little or too widely spaced rains to germinate seed are a concern. The perennial native grass allows the grower more freedom. The operations needed for the cash crop can be the primary consideration. The plants regenerate each year from dormant crowns so mowing times and heights will have less effect on their return each winter. Perennials have deeper roots and stronger crowns than annual plants. This offers enhanced benefits of water infiltration, compaction fighting and, with time, soil interface and plow pan reduction. Deeper rooting also puts more organic matter in the soil and recycles
