Germination temperature
Sow when soil is above 10 °C (50 °F); laboratory optimum 25-30 °C (77-86 °F).
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Rescuegrass, also sold as prairie grass, is a cool-season forage grass from South America that grows through autumn, winter and spring. Sow it shallow into fertile, well-drained soil as the weather cools, and graze or cut it in rotation.
Sow when soil is above 10 °C (50 °F); laboratory optimum 25-30 °C (77-86 °F).
About 6-13 mm (1/4-1/2 in); do not sow deeper.
Not documented in reliable sources; freshly harvested seed can be dormant.
Germination is not affected by light; the crop needs an open, sunny field.
Use fungicide-treated seed where head smut occurs; otherwise none.
Direct sow, drilled or broadcast.
Use seed from the previous season rather than freshly harvested seed. An Oklahoma study found two kinds of dormancy in fresh rescuegrass seed, one in the seed coverings and one in the embryo. Where head smut is a problem, Australian guidance calls for fungicide-treated seed.
Not needed for normal sowing.
Not needed for stored seed. In the Oklahoma study, embryo dormancy in fresh seed was released by moist pre-chilling, which an autumn sowing provides naturally.
Not needed. Sow dry seed into a moist, firm seedbed.
Sources differ in emphasis. A Chinese laboratory study found the optimum at 25-30 °C (77-86 °F), while Australian pasture guidance says to sow once soil exceeds 10 °C (50 °F); the plant grows across roughly 5-30 °C (41-86 °F). In practice, sow in early autumn or the start of the cool season, when the soil is still warm and growth conditions are cooling.
About 10 mm (0.4 in) in Australian guidance and 1/4-1/2 in (6-13 mm) in Mississippi guidance. Seed sown too deep is a common reason for a poor stand.
Fertile, well-drained soil of medium or light texture. Mississippi guidance gives a pH of 6-7; Australian guidance says above 5.5. It tolerates heat and drought but not flooding or poor drainage.
Sow into moist soil and keep the seedbed from drying until seedlings establish. Australian guidance lists more than 800 mm of annual rainfall, so in drier areas plan to irrigate.
The laboratory study found germination insensitive to light, so normal soil cover at the right depth is fine.
No reliable day count is published. Expect quicker emergence from stored seed than from freshly harvested seed.
Not used. Drill about 25 lb per acre (about 28 kg/ha) into a well-prepared seedbed, or broadcast 30-40 lb per acre (about 34-45 kg/ha); raise rates by half on a poor seedbed. Australian rates are 20-60 kg/ha alone or 15-25 kg/ha in a mixture with clovers or lucerne.
Let seedlings establish before grazing; Australian guidance is to start grazing at the 4-5 leaf stage. Late-autumn or winter sowings are more sensitive to cold.
Cause: head smut, the main disease of this grass. Fix: sow fungicide-treated seed and choose resistant cultivars where available.
Cause: continuous grazing or hard winters. Fix: graze in rotation and let one crop go to seed in late autumn; dropped seed can re-establish the stand.
Cause: rescuegrass does not tolerate flooding or poor drainage. Fix: sow on well-drained fields and do not graze waterlogged soil.
Cause: the grass is susceptible to mildew. Fix: graze or cut regularly so old, dense growth does not build up, and choose tolerant cultivars where offered.
In Mississippi the planting window is 15 August to 20 September. In Oklahoma trials, September plantings gave the most forage and seed. In hot lowland climates, treat it as a cool-season crop sown as the post-monsoon weather cools.
Start grazing at the boot stage or 4-5 leaves, graze for no more than about 4 days, and rest the pasture 3-5 weeks (Australia) or 25-45 days (Mississippi) depending on season. Keep it below about 25 cm (10 in).
It needs high fertility; Australian guidance gives 20-50 kg P/ha as maintenance. Expect about 3-4 tons per acre of forage a year under good management in Mississippi.
Mixtures with clovers or lucerne are standard and reduce the seed rate needed.
Sow rescuegrass for green cool-season forage when summer grasses stop growing.
Yes. Prairie grass and Matua are names used for Bromus catharticus, also listed as Bromus willdenowii. It is a forage grass, not a culinary herb.
In early autumn or at the start of the cool season, once soil is above about 10 °C (50 °F) but before the coldest weather. Late-autumn or winter sowings are more sensitive to cold.
Shallow: about 6-13 mm (1/4-1/2 in). Deeper sowing reduces emergence.