eastern gamma grass

[Mbell97]

Does anyone have experience with eastern gamma grass? Any info at all you can give me would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[dun]

My only experience with it is that it gets very clumpy after a copule of years and is a murder to try to cut and bale because it's so rough. Walking through it is no pleasure either

 

[novatech]

I have a neighbor that has about a 20 acre bottom with gamma. Rarely has he had to fertilize it even making hay. It seems to collect nitrogen like a legume as it always has good protein. It is also one of the few grasses that is doing OK in the drought we are in. The research I have done says it is slow to establish.
I didn't notice his as being any rougher than any other clump type grass. Maybe there are different verities.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Fire is the key to getting it established. Get it started and ran a fire threw it in the late spring.

 

[jsramer]

I have some gamma grass that is going on its 7th year. Each year it gets better and better from a tonnage standpoint. I graze it only and dont cut it for hay; works very well for that. I really wish I had about 20 more acres of it. Usually start grazing first to middle of May and graze to the middle of sept. Rotational grazing works best as continous grazing is hard on it. Like Dun all my other pastures is rocks and fescue, so getting the cows on gamma during the summer slump works great. Carrying capacity is low at start but each year it has gotten better; this past year was grazing 2 cows per acre on the stuff leaving an 10 inch stubble before rotating. I did give it a shot with 50# nitrogen first of May and then again middle of June.
Hope this helps.
Jeff

 

[Mbell97]

thanks jsrammer!!!! Great info, How did you get it going at the beginning?

 

[jsramer]

I notilled the gamma grass with a corn planter set on 30" rows. I got my stratified seed from Shepard Farms at Cliftonhill, MO; I just follwed Dan's reccomendations for planting. Did not graze the first year, cut for hay in August and then let it go until the next spring then burned it off. Started grazing the 2nd year, rotating it leaving a 10" stubble. Usually give it 1 to 2 shots of nitrogen early in the growing season and then hit it with p & k late summer early fall.