How tall does orchard grass grow

Table 1. Characteristics of perennial cool-season grasses in the Northeast. This will depend not only on species but also variety. Adapted Varieties Several varieties of orchardgrass have been tested and were high-yielding in Pennsylvania variety trials. Establishment Orchardgrass is usually easy to establish in either early spring or late summer.

Table 2. Seeding rates for timothy and a single legume in mixture. 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 Harvest Management For highest quality and high yielding hay, orchardgrass should be harvested in spring during boot stage.

Table 3. Yield and persistence of perennial cool-season grasses when the first harvest was taken at different stages of grass development and fertilized at two rates of N, averaged over three production years. Management and Productivity of Perennial Grasses in the Northeast. West Virginia Agric. Prejoint High 3. Nutritional value of perennial cool-season grasses at first harvest. Stn Prejoint Table 5. Performance of cows and calves grazing orchardgrass and tall fescue during a three-year period.

Orchardgrass Tall fescue Adapted from V. Lechtenberg et. Calf performance Average daily gains, lb 1. Fertility Maintain soil pH between 6. Summary Orchardgrass is a bunch type grass which establishes rapidly and is suitable for pasture, hay, or silage. Prepared by Marvin H. Hall, associate professor of agronomy.

Authors Marvin Hall, Ph. Why do we need this? Entering your postal code will help us provide news or event updates for your area. Related Products. Grain Drill Calibration Videos. White Clover Articles. As previously mentioned, there are a number of orchardgrass varieties to select from, though breeding programs have steadily been phased out over recent years.

The number of variety performance trials has also declined, but some universities still carry out this worthwhile mission. The 13 varieties were evaluated for yield, stand percentage, maturity timing, disease incidence, spring regrowth, and fall regrowth.

Seeding occurred either in the spring or fall of , and performance data was collected through The performance of the orchardgrass varieties was quite variable among the five locations. In other words, a specific orchardgrass variety often exhibited different performance characteristics from one location environment to another.

This finding makes selecting a high-performance orchardgrass variety for a specific region more difficult unless you happen to be near a variety-testing site. Most orchardgrass varieties are marketed nationally, but not all may be adapted as such. What we do know about orchardgrass is that there are huge differences in performance among varieties. For example, legume-grass mixtures are a viable option to decrease nitrogen fertilizer input into forage systems.

Clovers can be interseeded into orchardgrass pastures because they grow well together because of their growth habits. Orchardgrass also grows well with tall fescue. However, because orchard grass has a higher palatability than fescue, this mixture requires proper management to avoid selective overgrazing.

Similar to tall fescue, producers cannot overseed orchardgrass with warm-season grasses because it cannot compete with them, nor tolerate shading. When establishing an orchardgrass stand, it is essential to plant it into a clean, prepared seedbed.

This usually means using a glyphosate e. If weed control is not effective prior to planting, there may be issues with cool-season weeds, such as annual ryegrass, annual bluegrass, little barley, bromes, etc. Herbicide options are often limited during the establishment period. Orchardgrass tolerance to broadleaf herbicides generally increases after seedlings are 2 inches tall or have two to four tillers. As with any new crop, growers should be aware of the history of herbicide use on that particular field prior to planting orchardgrass to reduce risk of potential injury from soil residual products.

Certain postemergence products do require specific orchardgrass establishment periods after planting to ensure crop safety. Herbicides like 2,4-D, dicamba, and aminopyralid have shown to be safe on orchardgrass when applied at the three to four leaf growth stage.

If you have further questions, contact the animals sciences and forages regional Extension agent covering your area. Seed costs will be variable depending on the variety purchased. In general, it can cost more than KY 31 fescue seed, but is cheaper than a novel fescue i.

There is a need for further research on orchardgrass production systems in Alabama to determine the best management practices and potential production to further determine cost of production. While orchardgrass has high forage production and quality, with high palatability, it requires proper management to perform well. In terms of disadvantages, the main ones are related to short stand longevity and a narrow range of adaptability in Alabama.