<> Orchardgrass is a cool-season bunch grass that produces very thick and dense stands in most growing climates. Or like some folks, maybe you cut grass hay just when you get around to it. However, fescue is of higher quality in fall, especially after frost. Late summer seedings, however, have been most successful in Pennsylvania. Orchardgrass is usually easy to establish in either early spring or late summer. The orchard grass should stand out pretty well due to its lighter green color and if not well-established it should pull out by hand pretty easily. Athos ranked number one in yield in the official NIAB forage grazing trials in the UK. Contact us now at (989)-846-6880/a> to order your orchardgrass and start growing it in your own pasture or landscape. Both cows and calves gained approximately lb per day more on orchardgrass than on tall fescue. Home #1. Orchardgrass competes vigorously with alfalfa for potassium, potentially reducing the yield and persistence of alfalfa. The best way Click to get the print magazine. This is probably due to less demand than for tall fescue seed and because very few acres of orchardgrass are grown alone, making them suitable for seed harvest. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Sign up for our newsletter. Many diseases attack orchardgrass. It germinates early in the season and achieves the bulk of its growth in the cooler season. However, special attention must be paid to match the maturity of the timothy with the maturity of the legume to ensure timothy persistence and quality forage. Legumes such as alfalfa and the clovers--ladino . Cut rates by 5-10 lbs per acre if in mixes. Orchardgrass is a versatile grass and can be used for pasture, hay, green chop, or silage. 0000003925 00000 n Delivery method and timing to include policy for multiple shipments if applicable. Some south Missouri farmers have reported almost 100 percent loss of stands when harvest was delayed to the late bloom stage. When using pure stands for hay, it is imperative that nitrogen be applied in combination with adequate phosphorous and potassium. The late-heading Baraula is so far the clear winner at my farm. This provides the more tender shoots with the highest nutrition available for browsing animals. Amba is very winter hardy and has very good tolerance to late night . Maintain soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 for best results. Each variety is being evaluated for maturity using a standardized protocol at company research stations in Oregon, Iowa, and Kentucky. Inavale Orchardgrass Seed is out of stock for the season. Late heading varieties therefore can provide more flexibility in management options. | Heavy grazing of orchardgrass during October can decrease carbohydrate storage and lead to some winter kill of plants. The bunch-type growth characteristic and shade tolerance combine to make orchardgrass well adapted to grow with competitive tall growing legumes such as alfalfa and red clover. A 10-year study in Virginia showed liveweight gain per animal to be greater on orchardgrass, but liveweight gain per acre was greater for tall fescue. Theses and dissertations Seed should be planted 10 to 20 pounds per acre. It is less competitive in a legume mixture than most sod-forming grasses and is often grown in a legume mixture for hay. 0000007592 00000 n A clean, firm, weed-free seedbed is recommended. Pest Management: This is a complicated aspect of orchard weeds, as there are many who are now trying to show the beneficial aspects of plant diversity in orchards. Rolling after seeding ensures even germination and emergence. 0000037496 00000 n Timothy is well adapted to New York and Pennsylvania environments and soil conditions. Orchardgrass has 416,000 seeds per pound. Stands of orchardgrass will often be more persistent when grown with a companion legume. Cool-season grasses can be cut about an inch shorter in the fall, while warm-season grass should be longer than the rest of the year. Orchardgrass is also known as cocksfoot. <>/Pattern<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Most of this is common knowledge, but the issue becomes more complicated when grasses are mixed with legumes. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Hay buyers want a high-quality leafy mixture, but it can be difficult to determine when to cut, especially at first cutting. Back to Articles The focus of this study was to determine how these varieties compared for maturity, yield, stand survival, disease rating, spring regrowth, and fall regrowth across a wide range of locations. %PDF-1.5 Orchard IPM - Scouting Report Form for Apple Scab, Plum Pox Virus - Replanting Stone Fruit in Sites Previously Affected by PPV. All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. Some of these varieties may be very well adapted to Missouri. Range and erosion control seedings should be made in the late fall or very early spring. If timothy is seeded with a legume, eliminate nitrogen (N) application at seeding. Initial flowering in the spring does not usually occur until late May in southern Pennsylvania and June in northern Pennsylvania and New York, depending on the variety and location in the state. 0000066017 00000 n Orchardgrass is well adapted to grow with legumes such as alfalfa, red clover, lespedeza and white clover. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at <>/PageLabels 168 0 R>> It also enhances the nitrogen in soil when planted deep with abundant water. Its exceptional winter-hardiness, late maturity and summer heat tolerance make it an ideal choice for pasture grazing, hay production and as a companion with al-falfa . However, this late fall growth will be less acceptable to cattle than tall fescue. Prepared by Marvin H. Hall, assistant professor of agronomy, Penn State, and Jerry H. Cherney, associate professor of agronomy, Cornell University. Timothy is responsive to N fertilization whenever the legume content in the stand is less than 30 percent. ]TP, TB_ m!@r. Yields of orchardgrass can be seriously reduced by high temperatures, low moisture supplies and the presence of plant diseases. Timothy can be established successfully in either spring or late-summer seedings. It yields very well without much input and it stockpiles well. Late August to early September are considered best fall seeding dates in most of the state, with mid-September seedings satisfactory in the extreme southern areas. Seedings of orchardgrass can also be made with broadcast equipment such as fertilizer trucks, buggies or tractor-mounted distribution. If soil fertility is low, a large proportion of the total production of orchardgrass occurs in spring, whereas with proper fertility and split applications of nitrogen, aftermath production may contribute from 35 to 65 percent of total production. With the release of a more persistent, better performing variety, some Missouri farmers may be interested in seed production. Orchardgrass is a bunch grass that exhibits reproductive growth of 2-4 in height and vegetative growth from 6-18. This article appeared in the March 2018 issue of. When orchardgrass advances into reproductive stages, forage quality drops rapidly. The simple solution is to choose late-maturing orchardgrass varieties, but this can be easier said than done. 0000010331 00000 n For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. It has the ability to establish and persist in areas that receive as little as 11 inches of annual precipitation. 1 0 obj Copyright, USU Library - 3000 Old Main Hill - Logan UT 84322 - 435.797.0816. It has a great stand persistence and stem disease resistance, allowing quality forage production. Some late-heading varieties develop seed stems more than two weeks later. There is increased risk of winter injury with summer seedings made after mid-August. Caution must be used not to bury the seed after broadcast seeding. Easy! Forage Information System The best stands of timothy are obtained when seeds are sown not deeper than inch in a well-prepared, firm seedbed. 0000074430 00000 n 13 0 obj <> endobj xref 13 69 0000000016 00000 n By taking bare soil into the Winter months, you are all set to broadcast 5-10#s (5-6 for bedding, 8-10#s for screening), onto the frozen ground in January or February. 0000003949 00000 n Orchardgrass performs best in a pH range of 5.8-7.0. Description Orchardgrass ( Dactylis glomerata) is a common perennial weed of turf, and can be a contaminant in commercial tall fescue seed. 8\lR1bgm!Wz1H2H}-YFFc U:@ 1F3}H8A1? It is also well adapted to grow with legumes, typically. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. > 0000063429 00000 n 0000036896 00000 n 0000074971 00000 n In addition, harvesting at early heading reduces yields and persistence, compared with harvesting at either early or late bloom (Table 3). Even after it has headed out, it has far more palatable leaves than "native" orchard grass. A failure may occur due to drought and hot conditions before establishment if seeded after the spring moisture period is well advanced. Barlegro was always the latest maturing variety or in the latest maturing group statistically. The half-sib family population varied significantly for both traits, but also was characterized by significant variation across years and locations. Download Technical Bulletin: HLR Download Supplemental Flyer: F-53 HLR Orchardgrass Culm internodes also commence elongatation in an ""un-telescoping"" manner beginning with the lowermost internode thereby raising the meristematic zone (floral bud and leaf bases) to a vulnerable position. Tennessee. The following fertility practices should be applied to realize the top potential of pure stands of orchardgrass. Timothy is grown primarily as hay for horses but is frequently included in pasture mixtures. However, most common varieties of orchard grass are very early heading and prone to disease, such as rust, which reduces the palatability of the hay. 0000002011 00000 n Orchard grass. Rotational grazing with heavy stocking rates of cattle will give better animal performance and reduce spot grazing. Timothy stores energy reserves for regrowth and tillering in its haplocorm or corm (enlarged bulbous structure) at the stem base. If a late-summer seeding is planned, prepare the seedbed 2 to 4 weeks ahead of seeding, if possible. Under grazing management, timothy should not be allowed to progress very far into jointing before grazing. Nevertheless, late heading and high forage yielding families were identified through a selection index. Nevertheless, late heading and high forage yielding . Help improve lives, communities and economies throughout the state. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the ability to identify and use molecular markers to identify and select late-heading orchardgrass; and to select superior orchardgrass plants from a promising late-heading orchardgrass breeding population to for further cultivar development. Annual nitrogen applications of 150 lb per acre are economical. Heide, O.M. However, orchardgrass re-growth, which is mostly leaves, is very high in quality. For cross pollination to occur, the floral bracts (lemma and palea) must be spread apart to allow for the exchange of pollen. Most of the timothy sold in Pennsylvania and New York is common (not a certified variety). Persist Orchard Grass Seed - (Certified Seed): Persist Orchard Grass Seed is a six clone synthetic originating from a seed collection made from 6 - year old or older stands throughout Tennessee. Call to check availability. My Account Provided site conditions are correct, it is easy to establish and durable. /ZVy]g2hYZd?g.QnD)8*vz[zd V,O9d7_:'JZfrh ^.2]`ShO-63%Z`N? wH!zN+ Getz, Megan Marie, "Development of Late-Heading Orchardgrass Germplasm" (2022). Its exceptional winter-hardiness, late maturity and summer heat tolerance make it an ideal choice for pasture grazing, hay production and as a companion with alfalfa. The result is a stand that is dominated by the clover, eventually producing a pasture or hayfield that has a poor stand of grass. 109 Crop Science Building Amendment with organic fertilizers rich in nitrogen is recommended. A pound of orchardgrass seed will contain about 645,000 seeds, roughly 2-1/2 times the number of seeds in one pound of tall fescue. Data fromMU showed that when the stem rust pathogen is present, orchardgrass stands are severely depleted during late July and throughout the month of August. 0000090507 00000 n 0000011623 00000 n 0000002996 00000 n It is a cool-season, perennial bunching grass. Jimmy Henning and Norman RisnerDepartment of Agronomy. Orchardgrass is easy to establish and has a more dense root system than smooth bromegrass, timothy or bluegrass. (Read more). Same day order fulfillment for orders placed before 1 pm MDT, We NEVER store your payment methods, only your email when you sign up for our mailing list. Prepared by Marvin H. Hall, associate professor of agronomy. 0000016746 00000 n Soil test reports should be used as a guide in determining rates of N, P2O5 and K2O to apply for desired yield goals. However, because it becomes coarse and less palatable as it matures, it is best suited for pastures. %]g}G=bPE ,pJ. As a general rule, you can cut cool-season grass to a height of 2.5 inches in the fall. . 0000074454 00000 n This is especially true with reference to fertilizer application and stage of maturity to harvest. Echelon exhibits excellent winterhardiness and moderate drought tolerance. It is important to remove the grass cuttings from your orchard grassland, if they are allowed to rot down they will enrich your soil which can lead to a loss in plant diversity. Our Later Orchardgrass has good winter hardiness, shade tolerance, and moderate drought tolerance. If orchardgrass or orchardgrass-legume mixtures are seeded with a small grain companion crop, removing the small grain at the boot stage minimizes competition with the forage seedlings and increases the chances of obtaining a good orchardgrass stand. Disadvantages. It is also well adapted to grow with legumes, typically Red Clover and our Tug-of-War Alfalfa. Various studies have shown that orchardgrass will respond to high levels of fertility. I buy locally grown orchard grass hay. Leave a 3-to 4-inch stubble so the grass can recover quickly. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Among the better orchardgrass uses is its ability to add nitrogen to the soil. Orchardgrass will respond to good fertility and management practices by producing 2-1/2 to 4 tons of high quality forage per acre. Frost Seeding Switchgrass. Nitrogen fertilizer should not be applied when the stand contains 30 percent or more of alfalfa, red clover or ladino clover. Our Price: $ 230.95. Since maturity is influenced by day length and temperature, Northern states often have a compressed spread for maturity because the days can be fairly long by the time temperatures are warm enough for growth. Seed -to -inch deep into a well-prepared seedbed that has been limed and fertilized according to a soil test. 0000016814 00000 n 4 0 obj This is called floral induction. Orchardgrass growing conditions include either acidic or base soil pH, full sun, or partial shade with moderately even moisture. Late heading/maturity type. Justus was selected for high tolerance to the stem rust pathogen and has produced better animal performance than other varieties in grazing trials. I always bushogged it about 6 inches tall and it had a lot of red clover mixed in. These warm-season perennial grasses start growing in late spring as air and soil temperatures increase. As tillage, it is turned under in late winter. For example, cool-season grass hay cut at early heading often can support more than one pound of daily gain for pregnant yearling heifers all by itself. 0000074186 00000 n Irish oats are typically used as cover crops, but Italian ryegrass is preferred. There are some varietal variations but, in general, orchardgrass matures about one week earlier than tall fescue and about two weeks before smooth bromegrass. Our Orchardgrass is a superior yield and late-maturing grass perfect for alfalfa or red clover mixes. This early harvest will also help increase yield of high quality re-growth. Sheaths and ligules are smooth and membranous. Orchardgrass should not be seeded with other grasses because of differences in maturity and palatability. Crude protein levels in well-fertilized hay harvested at early heading, range from 10% to 18%, but drop rapidly after heading to about 8%. It heads out 2+ weeks later than "native" orchard grass . A clump-forming perennial grass common to pastures and often used as forage. ?=~I&+!WYV}Ltp?Q0]3" f1|\6tMHlY(75b[7]KEG# The intermediate to late heading varieties in HLR are good for interplanting with alfalfa. It is similar in maturity date to currently grown cultivars. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Yields are reduced during periods of drought. Other consistently late-maturing varieties included Dascada, Excellate SA, and Harvestar. Thus, fall seedings should be made about 45 days before the first killing frost (usually about 27 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit) so seedlings can develop well enough to survive the winter. //