Star Seed

Smooth bromegrass is an important forage grass.

AREA OF ADAPTATION: It is an introduced grass, which had been growing for so many years, that many farmers and ranchers think of it as a native grass. It is a very palatable, long-lived, cool-season grass, spreading by underground roots, often forming a dense sod.

PLANTING: The seed is light in weight but can be drilled or broadcast without too much difficulty. The seed should be drilled about 1.3 to 2.5 cm (1/2 to 1 in.) deep.

MANAGEMENT: It requires nitrogen fertilizer for satisfactory productivity. It has been planted extensively in irrigated pastures in the cooler parts of New Mexico. Some farmers are using Smooth Bromegrass with alfalfa under irrigation in the medium elevations and are obtaining not only increased yields of hay but higher quality feed. Under non-irrigated conditions, Bromegrass is planted at high elevations in New Mexico if there is adequate winter and spring moisture. Under dryland conditions, Bromegrass stands tend to die out in about ten years.

SEEDING RATES: 6.7 to 9 kg PLS/hectare; 6 to 8 lbs. PLS/acre

NUMBER OF SEED: 236,000 per lb.

Click Here to see the USDA Plant Fact Sheet

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