The Agricultural Service Board is responsible for re-seeding grass to newly constructed roads, borrow areas and reclamation sites owned by the County. Direction is also provided to contractors and developers seeding new roadsides, Municipal Reserve lands and utility rights-of-way.
Seed Mix Standard
The following standards are advised to promote grass growth on disturbed areas, prevent soil erosion, and reduce weed infestations.
The base grass-seed mixes are:
Urban Turf:
- 30% Creeping Red Fescue
- 25% Intermediate Ryegrass
- 25% Perennial Ryegrass
- 10% Kentucky Bluegrass
- 10% Chewings Fescue
Rural Road:
- 30% Strong Red Fescue
- 25% Hard Fescue
- 20% Perennial Ryegrass
- 10% Alkaligrass
- 10% Creeping Red Fescue
- 5% Colonial Bentgrass
The above seed mixes are seeded at 175 kg per hectare.
All contractors or developers seeding a roadside, Municipal Reserve or utility right-of-way in the county must follow the above standards.
Privately-owned borrow areas are seeded to the original, pre-construction mix. Any other special requirements should be communicated to the County’s Infrastructure and Operations department at the road agreement stage.
Seed Mix Testing
All seed must be tested for Fusarium graminearum. A “Certificate of Seed Analysis” from the supplier must be submitted to Agricultural Services for approval prior to purchasing any grass seed. This ensures that all seed used is free of weeds and is of the highest quality.
Seeding Deadlines
All re-seeding must be completed no later than the spring following the previous summer’s construction.
Grass Species Not Permitted
- Crested wheat grass (Agropyorn cristatum)
- Downy brome (Bromus tectorum)
- Japanese Brome (Bromus japonicus)
- Canary reed grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
These species are non-native to Canada and often spread into areas where they are not wanted.
Foxtail Barley Management
Foxtail barley is a native bunchgrass found throughout Canada. It is a perennial plant, greenish-purple in colour with round, hollow stems and swollen nodes. Foxtail relies solely on its seeds to propagate. The unique seed head has very long awns that look like a “foxtail,” which makes this plant very easy to identify. At maturity, the awns fade to a straw colour or almost white.
Over the past few years, Foxtail barley has been particularly abundant due to the warm, dry weather. This hardy perennial loves moist, saline soils, and with more wetlands drying up it’s found plenty of new homes. Foxtail barley can also occur in cultivated fields, roadsides, waste lands, and lawn.
Unlike some plants, Foxtail barley isn’t affected by selective herbicides which means it must be treated with a non-selective bare ground product. Spot treatment in the fall with glyphosate (Round Up) is usually recommended, with the warning that it will kill most other grasses and broadleaf plants if not applied properly potentially decreasing competition and making the situation worse next season.
Mowing throughout the growing season to prevent foxtail from going to seed is the best action at this time. While Rocky View County does not specifically target foxtail in its mowing program, municipal reserves are cut once per year and ditches are cut once or twice per year. Foxtail barley is not a listed species on the Alberta Weed Control Act nor are there any specific bylaws in Rocky View County for its control and therefore targeted management is not required.