grass question

[cattletom]

i have a small (6 acres) pasture that i want to plant in something this fall. the pasture has a lot of huge trees in it and that causes a lot of shade thru out the day. i would say the pasture iis shade 80 percent of the day. what are some good grasses to plant in this area. all i want to do is graze cows on it this fall to help supplement the hay. i live in northern mississppi so weather is pretty mild. i have been told rye or fescue. rye is cheaper and easier but im open to anything. what would also be a good summer grass. i was also told wheat but i dont know if it will grow in the shade. thanks tommy

 

[Anonymous]

Does orchard grass grow in your area?
It grows great under trees...I guess that's how it got its name.

Hillbilly

 

[dun]

Does orchard grass grow in your area?
It grows great under trees...I guess that's how it got its name.

Hillbilly

Orchard grass does grow well in shade but since it's a cool season grass and it pretty much quits around here in may-june and ms warming even earlier it probably wouldn't work as a summer grass.
Are there any bermudas that are shade tolerant?
Probably winter wheat or rye grass would be your best bet for fall grazing, although it won't do a lot of growing until the leaves shed off of the trees so that it can get some sun.
We had a pasture that was heavily shaded and annual lespedeza did great. That was the pasture we used in July-August because of the shade and the cows had all the feed they wanted.

dun

 

[gabby]

Bahia grass is hard to beat, and you probably already have some since it's everywhere, kind of like fire ants. It tolerates shade pretty well and it makes good grazing because it contunually produces new grain heads throughout the summer when it's mowed or grazed.
Gabby