Bromegrass is a long-stemmed grass used most often in commercial situations. To purchase, visit uky.edu/ag/forages. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Standing hay is a grass and legume mix that is let to mature at 3 to 4 feet tall. Grass has more fiber than alfalfa, which lowers its RFV. Drilling, which ensures more consistent coverage, is the preferred method for seeding smooth bromegrass. Brome has a rolled vernation, hairy sheaths and blades as well as a distinctive “watermark” (or W-shaped) on its leaves as seen below in Photo 1. Other legumes have different colours; cicer milkvetch has creamy white flowers, birdsfoot trefoil bright yellow, and … Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) is a cool-season grass introduced into the United States from Hungary in 1884. Stay up-to-date on the latest news about your horse's health with FREE newsletters from TheHorse.com. Photo by Ken Moore, Iowa State Press (1997). Posted by University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment | Dec 17, 2015 | Article, Pasture and Forages. © 1993 to document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Curators of the University of Missouri, all rights reserved, DMCA and other copyright information. This combination limits the problems of bloat and short grazing seasons that come with alfalfa, and causes better animal performance than a pasture of pure smooth bromegrass. Rotational stocking, particularly in conjunction with a pasture of warm-season grass for summer use, is the best grazing method (Figure 4). Baylor, like Saratoga, is a high-yielding and persistent variety in Pennsylvania. Sign up for the Bluegrass Equine Digest e-Newsletter. By the dough stage, the grass will be nutritionally inadequate. Fleet Meadow Brome is more tolerant to grazing with a bunch type growth habit, higher in both yield and forage quality when compared to smooth bromes. However, smooth bromegrass recovers poorly from cutting because its tiller apices, or tips, are vulnerable to removal. Look for the W or M shape in the leaf. You may have multiple bumps that form a painful rash. It is highly palatable. Broomsedge control is most easily applied by the cultural practice of removing seeds before they can disperse due to the fact that chemical control to kill broomsedge may damage portions of lawn grass. He is a real solid compact…. Tall fescue is an extremely hardy, well-adapted grass species used for hay and pasture in the central and eastern United States and the Pacific Northwest. Young blades begin rolled and mature to a flattened leaf with pointed tip and rough edges. Make successive harvests for hay and silage when basal sprouts appear at the soil surface. Although smooth bromegrass responds positively to nitrogen rates of up to 275 pounds per acre, applying between 80 and 150 pounds per acre usually produces the highest economic return (Figure 3). Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) is a cool-season grass introduced into the United States from Hungary in 1884. Mixtures of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa are normally cut on the basis of alfalfa maturity and quality. Hairy woodland brome, Bromus pubescens (native) – Minnesota has several native Bromus species.. Hairy woodland brome is covered in fine h The grass is vulnerable to overuse during its stem elongation and heading stages. Their seeds have an awn (hair-like bristle) at their tip. Smooth bromegrass is a common pasture and hay grass in the northern United States and Canada. Due to the destruction of shoot apices, grazing or mowing at this time will lead to thinner stands and decreased regrowth. Its rhizomes and tough root network also make it worthwhile for ground cover and erosion control. Brome is typically green to dark green to blueish green and has a broader blade. It will green up again in the fall as the temperature begins to cool down. It is … Smooth bromegrass seed should be harvested when the culm, or stem just below the seed head, has matured and dried out, ideally on a day when the humidity is less than 50 percent. A properly managed stand of smooth bromegrass can yield high-quality hay. In addition, excessive fertilization may lead to problems ranging from lodging during harvest to grass tetany and nitrate-N toxicity. It now is present in most of Europe, southern Russia, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, North America and Asia. The seed can also be broadcast with wheat or some other cover crop. Avoid horse hay that shows any sign of mold or musty smell. Close grazing in fall may also cause depletion problems the next spring. digestible carbohydrate, but are usually lower in total energy. Grass hay, though, is a bit more difficult. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Photo by Mike Collins, Iowa State Press. Broomsedge grass (Andropogon virginicus), also called sage grass, is a perennial, native weed reseeding from the heads on the broomsedge plant. Help improve lives, communities and economies throughout the state. So grass hay frequently is ranked lower than it … Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. However, smooth bromegrass is slow to recover from poorly timed or extreme grazing or mowing. because both possess hairs on the leaves and stems. Are Your Horses Ready for You to be Quarantined? Moldy hay, or hay that heated excessively after being baled, will usually be heavy, stuck together and dusty. Because of its highly developed root system, smooth bromegrass is resistant to temperature extremes and drought. With flaxen mane and tail and four white socks. Timothy should be cut for hay or silage from boot stage to early head or flowering stage. Photo by Stephen K. Barnhart, Iowa State Press (1997). Figure 4Beef cattle grazing smooth bromegrass and orchardgrass. Smooth bromegrass is a common pasture and hay grass in the northern United States and Canada, but not in the southeastern United States, as it does not tolerate extended periods of high humidity. This is a low protein and fat hay which has long strands and is high in fiber. Furthermore, summer pasturing will result in overgrazing unless the brome pasture has been understocked throughout the spring. But, that fiber often is more digestible than alfalfa fiber. The sheath is split with the margins overlapping. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. It is nutritious and palatable to horses, but does not tolerate close and frequent grazing; therefore, it is frequently found along fencerows of horse pastures. Our feedback form for questions or comments about this publication 15 inches in length and have spiky that... 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