Fescue, where to use it?

[agmantoo]

20 lbs/acre is correct. Fescue seed are somewhat bulky as grass seed go and are cheap for grass seed at around 80 cents per lb.

 

[fargus]

We seeded 25 acres this spring with BFT and Reed Canarygrass. It was one of the "new" endophyte-free varieties, Barolex I think it was called. On top of that we seeded it under a nurse crop of barley.... so we have done almost everything wrong. We're going to see what it's like, we've always seeded it in a mix here, but there hasn't been any planted on purpose in 20ish years. Whatever else is here has shown up on its own.

The best forage grass we have here is still the much-reviled twitch grass. (Known as quackgrass to the rest of the english-speaking world.) Can't kill it, fills in bare spots, and holds its feed value extremely well. The grazing experts up here say it doesn't yield very well.... when managed well it's as good as anything.

 

[vclavin]

I understand Reeds Canary grass can also be edophyte infected.
Valerie

 

[dun]

I understand Reeds Canary grass can also be edophyte infected.
Valerie

I think the canary grass is an alkaloid problem rather then endophyte

 

[vclavin]

I understand Reeds Canary grass can also be edophyte infected.
Valerie

I think the canary grass is an alkaloid problem rather then endophyte

The alkaloid problem is caused by the endophtye:
http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/dnpus/an_ ... forage.htm
Valerie

 

[dun]

I understand Reeds Canary grass can also be edophyte infected.
Valerie

I think the canary grass is an alkaloid problem rather then endophyte

The alkaloid problem is caused by the endophtye:
http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/dnpus/an_ ... forage.htm
Valerie

This may not make sense, but it isn;t the endophyte in canary grass that causes the problem it's the alkoloid. There are thousands of endophytes in plants, some good and some bad. From what I was taught the alkoloids in canary grass are when it's stressed, not just when it's growing as the normal course of things like ergo valine in fescue.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Don't really matter if it is infected or not, it is what mine has to eat. They can live with it or i will find one that will.

 

[Angus Cowman]

Don't really matter if it is infected or not, it is what mine has to eat. They can live with it or i will find one that will.

:nod: :nod: :nod:

 

[fargus]

I agree with the alkaloid thing. These new varieties have been bred to be low alkaloid types. With the wild types it is more of a palatability issue. Decreased intake is what will cause performance problems, not a poison in the grass itself.