Many customers ask, “Which grass should I plant? I’ve read the brochures and am still confused. They all sound good. Please help.” No forage fits all situations. The kind of livestock, the location and soils, type of management used, availability of irrigation, and winter and summer conditions all play a role in answering this apparently simple question. A dairy with mild winters in coastal Oregon , with irrigation and lots of liquid manure to fertilize the grass with, is a far cry from a cow-calf operator in Illinois , who can’t irrigate and suffers cold winters with no snow cover. The same is true for the farmer in the South who prays for some new miracle grass to replace his stock poisoning KY-31 tall fescue.The grasses Barenbrug markets are wonderful but certainly not “wonder” grasses that take root and prosper everywhere. Some of them fit in a wide range of conditions and some only in very narrow, specialized situations. To help you decide the best forage for you, keep in mind that cool season grasses are categorized as either upland or lowland, meaning they thrive better under certain soil type, moisture, and fertility conditions. The upland cool season grasses prefer lighter, well drained upland soil and tolerate medium to low fertility and droughty conditions. These include the bromes and orchardgrasses. Orchardgrass is also best for shade tolerance. The lowland grasses perform best in heavier, moisture retaining and more fertile lowland soils. These include bluegrasses, tall fescues, perennial and annual ryegrasses, timothy, and reed canarygrass. In lowland pastures subject to flooding and standing water staying in excess of a few days, you are limited to using reed canarygrass or in less severe cases, tall fescue.
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