Star Seed

Indiangrass is a warm-season tall grass. It is a bunching sod-former that grows from 3 to 5 feet tall in leafy clumps. It isn’t normally found as a dominant species.

CHEYENNE is of heterogeneous plant makeup. It is a good forage type and a good seed producer. It is adapted for range and pastures in western Oklahoma and in Texas. Cheyenne has had wide use and acceptance in New Mexico, western Kansas, and eastern Colorado.

HOLT is moderately early in maturing. It is superior in leafiness and yield to early maturing strains from the Northern and Western sandhills regions of Nebraska. It has relatively finer leaves and stems than later maturing varieties from more southerly sources, which may produce more total forage.

RUMSEY is a late maturing variety. It is used for livestock forage and as a hay crop. Rumsey is excellent for wildlife. It is adaptable in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, western Kentucky and western Ohio.

OSAGE is the latest maturing variety in Indiangrass. The leafy variety is known for its excellent forage production even during the driest of years.

NEBRASKA 54 is a tall, leafy, late-maturing variety adapted to eastern and southern Nebraska and adjacent states. Plants have proven to be vigorous and productive, with high seed yields.

AREA OF ADAPTATION: It grows in areas from near sea level to about 7,000 feet in elevation in the Southwestern Mountains. It is found in Midwestern and Southern prairies and savannas.

PLANTING: The seed is chaffy, and special grass drills developed for this type of seed should be used. Drill the seed at 1/4 inch in moist, fine textured soils and 3/4 inch in drier, looser and coarser soil conditions. Planting should take place in the spring. Dormant seedings after November 1st have proven very successful. Range seedings of Indiangrass are seldom used alone. 4 to 6 lbs. PLS per acre is the recommended seeding rate.

MANAGEMENT: Mixed stands of Yellow Indiangrass, with it in secondary amounts, are grazed seasonally and cut for hay. Sometimes it is seeded alone for pasture or hay. Periodic rests from grazing during the growing season must be provided to maintain grass stand. This species is well-suited for use with cool season species in separate pastures to improve and extend production where there is a longer growing season.

Click here to see the USDA Plant Fact Sheet

IMAGE: Haddock, Michael John. Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas. University Press of Kansas, 2005.