I live on 120 acres about 20 miles north of O46 (Weed, CA). Most of it is flood irrigated pasture. The best part of flood irrigation is no gopher mounds. We are eliminating an open ditch with the installation of a buried pipeline. With this new pipe and moving a fence line, I can get in a 1300 foot landing strip. Some of the existing pasture grass is pretty clumpy after 20 years of cattle grazing.

I think we will probably work this up and replant with grass. Anyone have experience with what would be the best grass for a landing strip. I am sure that would have something to do with climate. I have lots of water and plan to flood irrigate.

Tim

Are you serious....your from WEED, California and your asking US which grass to plant?

Get a copy of the original Caddy Shack somewhere around the middle of the movie Bill Murray describes the ingredients for the perfect grass, it's the scene right before he spits on his wall.

That was a great movie. I am planting a different kind of grass. The county agg comitioner has a place accross the road and he is a flying enthusiest. He graduated from College in agg stuff and maybe he might have a thought on it. Just thought maybe sombody has gone through this before.

Tim

I'm sure someone here has some ideas, just a matter of time before they chime in.

Well, it seems like there was a thread on this topic over at sc.org a long time ago (seems there always is, they've been around forever), but here are my thoughts, which are prob pretty obvious to everyone.

Grass type: I would find a golf course and get a hold of the groundskeeper. Nowadays, those guys have to actually take courses and even go to college to get jobs. It's a science. We've all looked at those nice grass fairways with an envious eye, might as well go talk to the people who take care of it and find out what the grass is, and if it's a mix, what the underlying soil/sand mix is, etc.

Drainage: There is more to drainage that just slope and grading. The capacity of the soil to absorb water and how well it retains it is important.

There are some grass strips in the area, right? Maybe go visit Beagle Sky Ranch between White City and Gold Hill. The nicest I've seen is Sandy River, up in Sandy, OR. It was like a golf course, with a nice sprinkler system and shallow drainage ditches.

Plant it in Alfalfa and make a few extra bucks every time you mow it.

Strata Rocketeer wrote:Plant it in Alfalfa and make a few extra bucks every time you mow it.

And write off the expenses...just tryin to make a buck, afterall.

Fairway Crested Wheat Grass. I did a search online and this was recommended by a local University, NDSU, for our part of the world. You may want to check with your local University and see what they recommend. If you check with a landscaper or nursurey, they may try to sell you what they have on hand.

It's spendy $1.01per pound and 200lbs per acre. 43,560 square ft per acre. But don't take a short cut on seed or you could fight it for a couple years. I seeded my strip last year on May 5 and was landing and mowing it by July. I seeded it myself which save a little. It's beautiful and if I get to it maybe I'll post a picture.

You want a sawding grass not a clumping grass. I needed one that was drought tolerant, you have irrigation so that will be a factor. (can you fly floats off your flooded strip? Just kidding)

Check with your local agronomist and get an unbiased proffessional opinion. Ask the loacal golf course guy and also look at his mower, your going to need one.

Bill

The Cessna Pilot Association forum has a thread going on this subject. I built a grass strip here on the farm about 12 years ago. First you need to decide if you want a manicured strip where you mow it like the lawn, or low maintainance where an occasional mowing will due. We mow ours about every time we mow the yard and it looks nice, but with 3300 feet, plus taxi-way to the hanger, there is 7 acres of mowing. We use our 60 inch mower, plus tow two 60 inch pull behind mowers. There are some grasses that don't grow very tall and may work in your area. I suspect you have a whole different situation then I do and talking to your county agricultural agent about what grasses to use would be wise. Zane is right about drainage (I have an underground drain tile system under mine) but in an area where you flood irrigate I don't know if drainage is a concern, if so, ditching along side the sprip may be in order. Now is also the time to consider lights if that applies.

Thanks for the tips. We have a digger squirrel problem in out area and the local folks that use sprinklers are jealous of my lack of that pest due to flood irrigation. With the digger squirrel, they only make there mounds at night so you do not even have the pleasure of letting the air out of them with your favorite varmit round.

As far as mowing it is concerned, a slow growing grass with ocasional grazing is how I anticipate doing it. Forty cows and calves for two days will shorten it up real nice. Of course I will then pull a meadow harrow (turd buster) over it to keep it from getting to lumpy.

And as far as alfalfa is concerned, not a good grazing crop and to wait for it to get long enough to mow and bail, you can only use it for landing just after the bails are off and in the winter. Also alfalfa clumps real bad after a while.

Found this on fairway crested wheat grass. http://www.animalrangeextension.montana ... tgrass.htm

Tim

One of my dad's buddies landed his C180 on alfalfa for years without any trouble. He cut it about twice as often as the rest of the field. Actually he had it cut for him by his neighbor and it was wash on cost, so no maintenance. He used portable 'rain for rent' irrigation and attached reflectors to the sprinkler risers - instant runway lighting...well, at least as long as his landing light worked. The only trouble he had with it was having to wipe the green stains off the landing gear legs and tail. I think he ran a roller over it occasionally to keep it smooth too.

When I put my runway in about 15 years ago, they told me to use SodarStreambank Wheatgrass. It's been developed for the back country strips and doesn't grow real tall, yet it puts down about 18" of root. It's a nice grass that doesn't bunch, and is really drought resistant. It'll grow in about anything. It's really tough, so make sure your mower is sharp when you go to mow it. The best thing is that the animals really don't like the taste all that well... something well worth considering in our area with all the deer and elk. I think you can find out more about it from Montana Aeronautics. There's lots of it being used around here, and I haven't heard anyone that wasn't happy with it. It's also got a "blue" tint to it, so the runway shows out a bit... great stuff!!!
JH

If money is no object I would go with Astro Turf with a 3/4" pad. And paint it with yardage marks so you can play ball too.

It would be the same everytime you landed on it, doesn't need watering or cutting and the deer don't care for it.

If you go with astro turf, put in runway lights and a beacon too.

I like the Astro Turf idea. A bit spendy I think. I think I can come up with the doe for the astro turf, lights and beacon. I nead donations for the controle tower.

We installed the pipeline yesterday. We need to move the fence then do a little discing and land planing to be sure that we get even water distribution and draining.

Will keep you updated on progress.

Tim

I stopped by Tim's place and gave my expert opinion on wednesday...

...And I got sunburn standing out in his field bullshitting with him!!

It's a really nice place, right at the foot of Mt. Shasta. Can't wait to go visit and BBQ, Tim.

Well.... when ya decide to head to NW Montana.....
JH

Tim,

What do you have for seeding the grass?

Bill

We will use a John Deere grain drill with a fertilzer box and grass seed attachment

Tim