Annual Ryegrass

[rollinhills]

I need to put something out behind my red river crabgrass, the ground tends to be a little soggy through the winter and wheat doesn't handle that well, will ryegrass take the water well enough I can get a early cutting of hay off it?

 

[Texasmark]

I'd install Tall Fescue at a high seeding rate to get the clumps (that develop) close together. My Fescue has survived for years and produces in all but the hottest months of July and August, usually but this year it's still putting out here in Sept......it blew right through J and A like it wasn't there.

As soon as it cools off a tad and it gets a shot of water it's gone to make another season. Very good at self seeding if you let it go the last of June so it can develop and mature the seed pods. You only need to seed it once. Roots make a thick wad and hold extremely well against moving water.

Cows love it and I don't fertilize other than to get it started. That way I don't have to worry about any potential problems that sometimes develop with forage crops.

 

[rollinhills]

I have these fields sown in red river crabgrass, I really don't want to get any Fescue in them I don't care for it too much, causes problems around here. I have been putting out wheat and cutting it early but the ground is kind of soggy and it won't grow well. I was wondering if ryegrass would handle wet natured soil better. I'm haying this don't have fence around it yet so grazing is not a option.

 

[Texasmark]

You can plant annual rye and at the end of the season let it go to head out and mature. It will restock itself bigtime. I bought this farm in 1978 and planted annual rye once. I have it every year if it rains. If not no rye to speak of, but when a year comes with water in the spring, here comes the rye. The last two years have been wet and I have had more than I wanted of it.....need to get it off the field (die when things get hot) so I can feed my Bermuda and get a crop out of it.....rye is really undesired in this field.