Digitaria swasilandensis

[whitewing]

It's called Swazi here. Horses seem to like it, second to bermuda. Fine-stemmed, grows fast. Anyone know if it's also found in the States?

I'm trying to learn more about it as I've been offered an opportunity to bale quite a bit of it. My problem is that the info I'm finding is all written in Spanish. Yeah, I can read Spanish, but it's a bit of a struggle.

 

[Lucky_P]

In that genus, it would be regarded as a 'crabgrass'.
Don't know whether anyone is growing or promoting that particular species or not.

 

[apical meristem]

Don't you have guinea grass there?

How long is the wet season in the part of Venezuela you are located?

 

[whitewing]

Don't you have guinea grass there?

How long is the wet season in the part of Venezuela you are located?

Yes, we do have guinea grass here. If I recall correctly, it's something on the order of only 5 or 6% protein, but grows pretty fast.

Our wet season typically runs from late May to the end of December.

Here's what I've found so far on Swazi:

Family: Gramínea
Nutrition value: 9 - 14% Protein
Digestibility: 51 - 63%
http://www.tropicalforages.info/Multipr ... densis.htm

I'd like to learn more about its usage as an alternative to bermuda for horses. In other words, how's it stack up against bermuda in the eyes of most horse owners.

 

[Cabo]

Whitewing, in my area, no matter how high the protein or how digestable it is if its not bermuda the horse people don't consider it to be "horse hay".

 

[whitewing]

Whitewing, in my area, no matter how high the protein or how digestable it is if its not bermuda the horse people don't consider it to be "horse hay".

I hear ya.

Since posting this thread I've actually made a couple of thousand bales of the stuff. I checked the sheds today....empty! :shock:

While everyone asks if I've still got bermuda, they buy the swasi as a second choice. I'll post a thread with lots of pics of my swasi adventures.