Hello all!

Does anyone have any suggestions for grass species that can
effectively out-compete cheatgrass (bromus tectorum)?

Here's my story: I moved onto an old farmstead about 6 years ago. The
"lawn" and surrounding several acres with outbuildings were infested
with broadleaf weeds—mostly kochia and Russian thistle. I've
controlled these and replanted much of this area with native
grasses—mostly buffalograss, blue grama, western wheatgrass and
intermediate wheatgrass. Unfortunately, cheatgrass continues to be a
problem for my natives. They simply can't compete with it. Cheat
starts growing in the fall, and greens up earlier in the spring,
taking the water from nearby natives. Each year the cheat seems to
expand its "range" at the expense of the natives. The wheatgrasses
don't do too bad, but the intermediate wheatgrass is a bunchgrass and
doesn't expand too rapidly, and the cheat just moves in between the
bunches. The western wheat has been slow to expand, and by the time
it does, the cheat has occupied all the areas around it.

I've tried several methods of controlling the cheat—controlled burns,
round-up in the fall/spring and repeated tilling (to encourage
germination, and then kill the seedlings, then repeat), but ultimately
the cheatgrass returns.

So now I'm thinking that I'm ultimately fighting a losing battle
hoping to outcompete cheatgrass with native grasses, and whether there
are non-natives I should consider that would require little care
(watering, fertilizing, etc.)—the main reason I planted natives in the
first place. Smooth brome comes to mind, but I was hoping I might get
some ideas from others who have faced this problem.

My location is western Nebraska—sunny, warm, windy in summer, can be
very cold in winter. Soil is sandy loam alluvial. Precipitation is
around 15"/year.

Thanks so much for any ideas!!!