Star Seed

Western Wheatgrass is a native, long-lived, cool-season sod former. It grows erect and rigid with plants from 1 to 3 feet tall.

ARRIBA has good seedling vigor and is an aggressive sod former. This makes it a valuable conservation plant for soil stabilization. With irrigation, Arriba can produce large amounts of nutritious forage for pasture or hay. In tests it has proven to be superior in seed production when irrigated. Seed source is near Flagler, Colorado. It is an excellent variety for all of Colorado, Western Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas.

BARTON is a stongly rhizomatous, leafy grass. This grass is an ecotype which is intermediate in growth, between the Northern and Southern types. It shows little evidence of rust in Western Kansas and is relatively free of rust around Manhattan, Kansas. Plot evaluation made at Manhattan found it superior in forage production and disease resistance to grasses added representing areas where Western Wheatgrass seed is frequently harvested for commercial use.

AREA OF ADAPTATION: This grass is one of the most common and abundant wheatgrasses in the West. It thrives on fine textured soils with moderate to higher levels of soil moisture. It is tolerant of poor drainage with water tables within 6 inches of the soil surface.

PLANTING: Drill seeds 1/2 inch deep on fine soils; 1 inch deep on medium textured soils. A seeding rate of 6 to 10 lbs. PLS per acre is recommended for range use. Seed before or at the beginning of the 2 month period having the most favorable conditions for rapid germination and seedling establishment.

MANAGEMENT: Western Wheatgrass is a primary forage species on ranges in good condition. It produces nutritious forage early in the spring before the warm-season grasses become green. It is palatable to all livestock. The grass is becoming more important as a reclamation plant. Stands do best alone or when mixed with species of similar palatability and phenology. Graze moderately, utilizing no more than 50 to 60 percent of the herbage and leaving an ungrazed stubble of 3 to 4 inches.

PLANTING DATES: March - June

SEEDS PER POUND: 110,000

PLANTING RATE: 8 TO 15 PLS LBS/ACRE

Click Here to see the USDA Plant Guide

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