Pasture and Forage Grass Species
MEADOW BROMEGRASS
A cool season, long-lived perennial, sod-farmer with short rhizomes. Adapted to most sites, but performs best on moderately deep, well-drained moist soils. Provides excellent forage and is often used in blends with legumes and other grasses because of its ability to survive but not compete with them.
SMOOTH BROMEGRASS
A cool season, long-lived perennial, sod-forming grass that grows 2 to 4 feet tall. Smooth Bromegrass spreads by creeping rhizomes and is one of the most productive nutritious and palatable forage grasses in the north-central states. It withstands hot, dry weather and has a long growing season.
HYCREST CRESTED WHEATGRASS
Hycrest Crested Wheatgrass offers improved forage and yields over its parent species. It has excellent seedling vigor and is easier to establish than either of its parents. It is very drought tolerant, establishes well on dry sites, and thrives in sagebrush communities. Does well on shallow to deep, coarse to fine textures, moderately well to well-drained soils. It is not adapted to excessively saline areas.
FAIRWAY CRESTED WHEATGRASS
Fine stemmed and leafy. Tillers more than standard crested. Also shorter, more uniform than Nordan. Adapted for turf use in drier areas.
ORCHARDGRASS
A cool season, tall, perennial bunchgrass. For best results, it should be mixed with other grasses and legumes. It is sometimes used for hay purposes but is preferred for pastures when seeded in a mixture because of its early and late growth in the season. It seems to adapt itself to most types of soil but does better in heavy rich soil. Although not as winter hardy as bromegrass, it will stand more heat, drought, and low fertility, and will make more summer growth.
TIMOTHY
Timothy is valuable in pasture mixtures but is not suited for permanent pasture except in combination with grasses and legumes. It is an ideal grass to plant with alsike clover. Timothy is adapted to a considerable range of soil reactions but is adversely affected by high acid to about the same degree as corn. As compared to clover or alfalfa hay, timothy is relatively low in protein and also in minerals, especially calcium or lime. Timothy is a cool season short-lived perennial bunch grass, that is tall and late maturing.
FORAGE TALL FESCUE
A cool season, productive, soil-conserving, perennial bunchgrass that tolerates wet poorly drained soils. Good palatability for both pasture and hay, it is important to use endophyte-free strains when used for forage.
TETRAPLOID PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
Perennial ryegrass is a quick-establishing, short-lived forage grass well adapted to a wide range of soil types. In a northern environment, it will produce high levels of good quality forage for its first couple of years while also providing cover for other establishing forage grasses such as meadow bromegrass, orchardgrass, or intermediate wheatgrass.
KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS
Kentucky bluegrass is a cool-season, sod-forming grass that is adapted to most growing conditions, but will perform best in well-drained and fertile soils. This species is persistent in permanent pastures, great for erosion control, and is usually mixed with other forage grasses such as orchardgrass, timothy, and perennial ryegrass.
MEADOW FESCUE
Meadow fescue is a hardy, fairly tall, short-lived perennial bunchgrass. It is slow in starting but yields well after the first year. Meadow Fescue is especially adapted to heavy wet soils and is generally used as a pasture crop, either alone or in a mixture with legumes. It makes good pasture because it is early, stays green late into the fall, and also makes good quality hay, especially when mixed with Ladino or Alsike Clover.
INTERMEDIATE WHEATGRASS
A cool season, tall, perennial, sod-forming grass with a vigorous root system similar to that of bromegrass. It is easy to establish. Growth starts in early spring. Though usually dormant during the dry hot summer months, it resumes growth in fall. A high-yielding grass generally adapted to the northern Great Plains.
PUBESCENT WHEATGRASS
Pubescent Wheatgrass is a sod-forming grass very similar to Intermediate Wheatgrass in growth habit and period of growth. Certain strains appear to be more drought tolerant and better adapted to low fertility soils than Intermediate.
SLENDER WHEATGRASS
A short-lived, cool-season, perennial bunchgrass. It is primarily used in seed mixtures of introduced and native grasses due to its excellent seed vigor, ease of establishment, and fast growth. Plants lose vigor and decline in abundance within three to four years. Presence in mixtures improves stand productivity, especially during the first production year, until other grasses become better established. It possesses a high tolerance to saline-alkali soils.
WESTERN WHEATGRASS
Western Wheatgrass is a native, cool-season, perennial, sod-forming grass, which reproduces from underground rhizomes and seeds. Western Wheatgrass spreads rapidly and forms a dense sod, making it valuable for erosion control. It produces an abundance of forage early in the season that is nutritious and readily eaten by livestock until late summer when it becomes harsh and fibrous. It makes good quality hay if cut during the late bloom, and can stand close grazing. Western Wheatgrass will do well on a wide range of soils, from sands to clays. It is very tolerant to alkali. It can be seeded in pure stands but is usually used in mixtures because it provides ground cover quite slowly.
TALL WHEATGRASS
Tall Wheatgrass is a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial bunch-type grass with coarse foliage. It is quite alkali tolerant and best adapted to low marshy and high water table areas. Tall wheatgrass is used widely in nesting mixtures and to a lesser degree in reclamation work.
AC SALTLANDER WHEATGRASS
A long-lived perennial grass with a moderate amount of vegetative spread developed as a hybrid between quackgrass and bluebunch wheatgrass. It has demonstrated excellent salinity tolerance. Saltlander is superior in salt tolerance to Crested or Intermediate Wheatgrass and similar to Tall Wheatgrass.
REED CANARYGRASS
Reed Canarygrass is a tall, coarse, vigorous, long-lived perennial bunchgrass that grows to a height of 2 to 8 feet. It spreads by short scaly underground rhizomes that form a heavy sod in well-managed solid seedings. It is adapted for permanent pastures in poorly drained, wet areas. Reed Canarygrass is very tolerant to flooding, even for several weeks' duration. It can be used for pasture, hay, or silage. Hay quality may be improved by early spring pasturing to delay maturity, thus reducing the coarseness of the growth. Although this grass grows best on moist, cool sites, it makes excellent growth on upland soils. One of the earliest grasses to begin growth in the spring, it produces large yields of nutritious forage. Reed Canarygrass is an excellent waterway grass because of its tolerance to water-logged situations and should be considered a first choice under these conditions.