Growing Grass in the Desert

Finding a green patch of grass for the rabbits to graze in is a challenge in El Paso! During the summer rains, it's possible to cut grass just growing around the neighborhood (not on private property). With the seasonal rain coming to an end, however, I've been looking for another source of fresh grass.

I found this wonderful idea from therabbithouse.com, a blog from the UK (where rabbits are the third most popular pet, not including fish).



I decided to do a something similar on a smaller scale. The seeds are from Peaceful Valley, a company that sells organic heirloom and conventional seeds. Since rabbits and horses have a similar diet, I chose Premium Horse Pasture Mix. (If you are trying this for your own rabbits, make sure to buy a mix without alfalfa as this grass is not good for rabbits.) It cost about $4 for one pound + $10 for shipping. (I know! The shipping is much more expensive than the seed, but after looking at quite a few websites, this is the best price for getting just one pound of organic seed.)

Texas has not yet banned styrofoam cups.
Here is one from a popular local barbecue, recycled.

The grass in this pot was pretty much eaten down to
a nub. It's back after just a week!

Each time the grass gets eaten down to about an inch or so above the soil, it takes about a week for the grass to grow tall enough to be a significant snack. To make sure the rabbits could snack on grass every two days or so, I decided to plant a few more containers.

I started by puncturing holes in some yogurt and take out containers. An easy way to get through tough plastic is to heat up a bent paperclip with a lighter before pressing it through the bottom of the container. Rabbit poop is great fertilizer, so I decided to use some of it to act as a drainage material. There are some pellets of litter in there too, but since it's recycled newspaper, I don't think it's a big deal. 

The faded watering can is a testament to the merciless sun in El Paso.
Keep the grass in the shade!

The yogurt tape is covered with Washi tape. Cute!

Fill with regular potting soil and sprinkle with grass seed. The 1 lb. bag is meant to be spread over acres, so don't let the seeds fall too densely.

Water heavily the first time, and lightly in the morning and the evening. In the El Paso area, the sun is pretty merciless, so make sure the grass doesn't get too much.

And that's it! Check back in a few days to see the results!