Stay up-to-date on the latest news about your horse's health with FREE newsletters from TheHorse.com. Seed yields typically range from 300 to 1,000 pounds per acre, but a stand older than two years may exhibit production problems. Because of its highly developed root system, smooth bromegrass is resistant to temperature extremes and drought. This hay is high in protein, but lower in calcium than legume hay. It grows well on moist soils and forms a sod. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Weeds such as musk thistle and johnsongrass may also cause problems, particularly if the stand is to be harvested for seed. It should be dry as well. Figure 4Beef cattle grazing smooth bromegrass and orchardgrass. Despite its disadvantages, smooth bromegrass lends itself to a variety of purposes, especially when combined with a legume such as alfalfa or red clover. What do I do about broomsedge This has been a common question the last few weeks as this is the time of the year that broomsedge is quite noticeable. Young blades begin rolled and mature to a flattened leaf with pointed tip and rough edges. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Horses evolved as a grazing animal, which means that they are meant to nibble on small amounts of food over the course of an entire day, and most of this food should be in the form of roughage, or hay. Rotational stocking, particularly in conjunction with a pasture of warm-season grass for summer use, is the best grazing method (Figure 4). Cool season grasses, however, tend to accumulate starches, sugars and fructans (a type of carbohydrate digestible in One of bromegrass’ advantages over other cool-season grasses is that it holds forage quality well as it matures, making it a nutritious hay for horses. These bites may last for as long as two weeks. It also enables pastures of warm- and cool-season grasses to be used at times of maximum nutrition. Once it has been collected, the seed should be turned daily to prevent heating. Broomsedge grass (Andropogon virginicus), also called sage grass, is a perennial, native weed reseeding from the heads on the broomsedge plant. Of these, a September planting is the most likely to be successful. What does good hay look like? Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) is a cool-season grass introduced into the United States from Hungary in 1884. It has a good light green colour, smells sweet and is finely stemmed. Although smooth bromegrass responds positively to nitrogen rates of up to 275 pounds per acre, applying between 80 and 150 pounds per acre usually produces the highest economic return (Figure 3). Information in the Grass Guides found primarily in “Identification and Adaptation” by Ozzie Abaye. Drilling, which ensures more consistent coverage, is the preferred method for seeding smooth bromegrass. Smooth bromegrass-alfalfa also makes excellent quality hay. If you don’t see any seed heads, you don’t have the fungus. 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Also, smooth bromegrass should never be cut below a height of four inches or its regrowth potential will be greatly reduced. Natural Disaster: Are You and Your Horse Ready for Emergency Evacuation? Hay is also sold in 1-ton bales, with a single bale per ton. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Smooth bromegrass is a common pasture and hay grass in the northern United States and Canada, but not in the southeastern United States, as it does not tolerate extended periods of high humidity. Seed heads approach 15 inches in length and have spiky florets that become tiny seeds. Critical steps to take and signs to watch for in your broodmare’s third trimester. The lack of smooth bromegrass persistence in such mixtures is related to management decisions that favor alfalfa. Grass has more fiber than alfalfa, which lowers its RFV. Large perennial stands of Timothy grass growing in fertile lowland fields is a common sight in many states. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This leafy and sod-forming perennial spreads aggressively through both seeds and rhizomes. These criteria are valuable as long as they are put into perspective. Its rhizomes and tough root network also make it worthwhile for ground cover and erosion control. The longer the hay is stored and the more yellow it becomes, the more it looses its nutritional value, especially essential minerals for horses. Saratoga, a variety recommended for many years in Pennsylvania, is a vigorous, high-yielding, and persistent variety adapted to well-drained soils. A standard three-string bale weighs around 140 pounds and breaks into 17 flakes, each weighing about 8 pounds. To ensure that the seedlings establish themselves properly, the soil should be fertilized with 30 to 40 pounds of nitrogen (N) per acre. Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis) is a cool-season grass introduced into the United States from Hungary in 1884. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. If you continue to use the site, we'll assume you're okay with this. Smooth bromegrass is a common pasture and hay grass in the northern United States and Canada. Managing a stand of smooth bromegrass must be done with some care. Are Your Horses Ready for You to be Quarantined? Barfleo is an intermediate maturing variety with good spring production. The seed can also be broadcast with wheat or some other cover crop. It grows best on deep, well-drained silt or clay loam but may also establish itself in sandier soils. Orchard, brome and timothy hay have no grain, per se. What the Horse Owner Needs to Know 5. University of Missouri Extension is an equal opportunity/access/affirmative action/pro-disabled and veteran employer. Posted by University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment | Dec 17, 2015 | Article, Pasture and Forages. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Broomsedge control is most easily applied by the cultural practice of removing seeds before they can disperse due to the fact that chemical control to kill broomsedge may damage portions of lawn grass. But, that fiber often is more digestible than alfalfa fiber. Small bales, called two-string bales, weigh only 40 to 75 pounds each. Good hay will be uniformly green and sweet smelling, with no brown spots or moldy portions. References usually do not joint; therefore, sprouts are the primary grazing guide. The Horse’s experts answer your questions during a monthly live audio event. Photo by Stephen K. Barnhart, Iowa State Press (1997). Alfalfa is easy to digest & high in protein, energy, vitamins & minerals. Both species have erect seedlings with dull, hairy leaves that display red-purple stripes following the leaf veins. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. To purchase, visit uky.edu/ag/forages. 1. Bromegrass is a long-stemmed grass used most often in commercial situations. ... Brome hay. Smooth bromegrass must be fertilized with nitrogen (N) to avoid becoming sod-bound. They are commonly known as bromes, brome grasses, cheat grasses or chess grasses.Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 to 400, but plant taxonomists currently recognize around 160–170 species. because both possess hairs on the leaves and stems. Sterile seed-heads may be 38 to 50 cm (15 to 20 in) up the stems when sprouts appear at the time Join us as we interview leading equine researchers from the University of Kentucky, The Horse 2021 Calendar: Stretches & Exercises, Problem Solver Series: How to Control Nuisance Birds on Horse Properties. SMOOTH BROMEGRASS: A perennial, sod forming, long leafed grass, and grows fairly tall when left on its own. Moldy hay, or hay that heated excessively after being baled, will usually be heavy, stuck together and dusty. Sign up for the Bluegrass Equine Digest e-Newsletter. Want more articles like this? The grass is vulnerable to overuse during its stem elongation and heading stages. © 1993 to document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Curators of the University of Missouri, all rights reserved, DMCA and other copyright information. Due to the destruction of shoot apices, grazing or mowing at this time will lead to thinner stands and decreased regrowth. Close grazing in fall may also cause depletion problems the next spring. Rotational stocking in conjunction with a pasture of warm-season grass for summer use is recommended. Germination Period of Timothy Grass. RFV does this quite well, especially for legumes like alfalfa. The leaf blades are hairless, smooth and pale green. Foxtail is a summer annual grass, meaning it grows from seed in the spring and dies in the fall. Webcast | Horse Under Stress? Krista Lea, MS, coordinator of UK’s Horse Pasture Evaluation Program within the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences; Ann Marie Kadnar, an undergraduate student in UK’s Equine Science and Management Program; and Ray Smith, PhD, professor and forage extension specialist within UK’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences provided this information. It grows well on many soil types and tolerates drought and temperature extremes. View all agriculture and environment programs, Starting a Small Business: The First Steps, Agricultural systems and natural resources, Agricultural Business and Policy Extension, Veterinary Extension and Continuing Education, Exceed - Regional Economic and Entrepreneurial Development, Mid-America Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, Missouri Small Business Development Centers, Continuing Medical Education and Physician Lifelong Learning, Tai Chi for Arthritis and Falls Prevention, equal opportunity/access/affirmative action/pro-disabled and veteran employer. Look for the W or M shape in the leaf. When managing smooth bromegrass pastures or hayfields, allow a rest period after grazing or harvesting for long-term stand survival. The sheath is split with the margins overlapping. Wheat hay, if harvested right, can fit the bill, just like it does for stockers and other cattle in winter grazing programs. It will green up again in the fall as the temperature begins to cool down. 1. It should not be grazed or cut shorter than four inches and works best as part of a rotational-grazing program. Hay is basically dried vegetation: usually a legume such as alfalfa or clover, or a grass such as timothy or brome. Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with, Stunning unusual chestnut roan gelding. By the time the cover crop is taken, the smooth bromegrass should be established. The soil of a bromegrass stand should also be tested at least every other year to determine if it has become phosphorus- or potassium-deficient. Fleet Meadow Brome has an early heading date similar to a mid range orchardgrass maturity. Good quality hay is clean and dry. Its spindly-natured leaves, small membranous ligule, and winter annual growth habit can usually identify Downy brome. Introduction 2. In addition, older stands may easily become dense and sod-bound, resulting in markedly lower productivity. Several weeks before planting begins, germinating weeds should be discouraged through light disking, herbicide application or other preventative measures. The soil should also be tested to determine if it is too acidic or deficient in potassium (K) and phosphorus (P). Both are annuals. Hay cubes. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Bromus is a large genus of grasses, classified in its own tribe Bromeae. At first glance, it looks like the popular timothy grass, but a close inspection can tell you that it's really foxtail. Fleet Meadow Brome is more tolerant to grazing with a bunch type growth habit, higher in both yield and forage quality when compared to smooth bromes. Neither does Bermudagrass hay or Teff hay. At the seedling stage brome grass may be confused with wild oats (Avena spp.) Furthermore, summer pasturing will result in overgrazing unless the brome pasture has been understocked throughout the spring. This kind of drill has a toothed picker wheel rather than a fluted wheel, which enables it to accommodate chaffy seed. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Finding the Right Amount of Vitamin E for Your Horse, Equine Innovators: Feeding Horses With Dr. Laurie Lawrence, Case Study: Tumor-Laden Testicles Found in XY ‘Mare’, The One-Hour Solution to Improved Equine Pregnancy Rates, Two California Equines Contract Equine Influenza, Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners Symposium 2019, International Society for Equitation Science 2019, Podotrochlosis: ‘Navicular’ is No Longer the End of the Road for Horses, Core Vaccination: Protecting Horses From 5 Deadly Diseases. However, smooth bromegrass is slow to recover from poorly timed or extreme grazing or mowing. The hay is often clipped too early or too short, thereby removing the growing point of the smooth bromegrass. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. A palitable hay that horses like the taste of, this is the hay often used to make cubes & pellets. Avoid horse hay that shows any sign of mold or musty smell. Secondly, if you do have seed heads, in brome, timothy, orchard grass, tall fescue, blue grass hay that you might be buying, any of them; look to see if you have what looks like little mouse turds in that hay. The above list shows what horsemen often look for in good hay, but a more detailed look at the importance of these criteria is needed. Timothy (Phleum pratense) is a cool-season perennial grass that was once widely cultivated as a hay crop. Mixtures of smooth bromegrass and alfalfa are normally cut on the basis of alfalfa maturity and quality. Baylor, like Saratoga, is a high-yielding and persistent variety in Pennsylvania. Use our feedback form for questions or comments about this publication. The stubble can also be collected but is much less nutritious than earlier-season hay. Photo by Ken Moore, Iowa State Press (1997). You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Seedlings of smooth bromegrass experience less competition from weeds in the fall and will become fully established the following spring, enabling them to endure the next summer. This forage is best if it is cut between early heading and full bloom, typically around mid-May. Help improve lives, communities and economies throughout the state. It is impossible to always meet all of the criteria; however, some are much more important than others. Smooth bromegrass was widely used in the upper half of North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with distinguishable northern and southern varieties. These cookies do not store any personal information. Burning postharvest residue may help eliminate an existing problem in a seed field. Figure 1Smooth bromegrass flowers in late spring and early summer in an open panicle. Animals should be concentrated in one pasture for a period of time determined by forage availability. Common bromegrass is not a variety but a bromegrass of uncertain genetic makeup. “The cattle love it. Older stands require N fertilization to remain productive. Dan Undersander: First look for seed heads in the hay. When broomsedge gets to … Fleet Meadow Brome also has excellent palatability and is a super dry weather plant. The seedbed must be prepared carefully. It's important to cover that risk with the availability of quality, palatable hay at a good price.. However, liquid nitrogen and urea may volatilize if applied before November or after February. More information on Gluck Equine Research Center and UK Ag Equine Programs. Timothy should be cut for hay or silage from boot stage to early head or flowering stage. Smooth brome will be one of the first grasses greening up early in the spring. Figure 3Maximum economic return from the application of nitrogen to smooth bromegrass occurs between 80 and 150 pounds per acre. What Hay Growers Should Know 4. It is one of the most useful cool-season grasses throughout its range, valuable for hay, pasture, silage and green chop. Tall fescue is an extremely hardy, well-adapted grass species used for hay and pasture in the central and eastern United States and the Pacific Northwest. In Missouri, smooth bromegrass may be planted from late February through early April and in September. If the stand is grazed in the fall, 30 to 40 pounds of the N should be applied in late August or early September, with the rest used before the soil freezes in November or December. Seed production is another alternative. Brome has a rolled vernation, hairy sheaths and blades as well as a distinctive “watermark” (or W-shaped) on its leaves as seen below in Photo 1. He is a real solid compact…. Figure 2Smooth bromegrass leaf collar and w-shaped watermark on leaf blade. Their seeds have an awn (hair-like bristle) at their tip. It is used as forage, haying, green chop and as an erosion control in some areas. Ideally, the pH of the planting area should be above 5.5, the K level between 220 and 225 pounds per acre, and the P level between 30 and 40 pounds per acre. Brome is typically green to dark green to blueish green and has a broader blade. However, smooth bromegrass recovers poorly from cutting because its tiller apices, or tips, are vulnerable to removal. Because of this, a native-grass drill is the best way to drill smooth bromegrass. It now is present in most of Europe, southern Russia, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland, North America and Asia. Standing hay is a grass and legume mix that is let to mature at 3 to 4 feet tall. Such a strategy ensures the use of a greater amount of forage and permits the smooth bromegrass to recover more completely, so that the pasture will provide adequately when it is grazed again. This strain, derived from the Lincoln cultivar, is probably the best choice. Use Esc key to go back to input search field. Smooth bromegrass was widely used in the upper half of North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with distinguishable northern and southern varieties. More tolerant to gra… With flaxen mane and tail and four white socks. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Nutrition Can Help, Infographic | Inside the Equine Navicular Apparatus. Almost all smooth bromegrass seed sold in Missouri is common seed. Although this method takes longer, it has the advantages of providing a quick forage and preventing erosion. These varieties start growing earlier in the spring and stay green longer than "common" bromegrass. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. So grass hay frequently is ranked lower than it … Studies in the midwestern United States show that orchardgrass is more persistent than smooth bromegrass when mixed with alfalfa. It is nutritious and palatable to horses, but does not tolerate close and frequent grazing; therefore, it is frequently found along fencerows of horse pastures. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. It is … It grows 15 to 30 inches high and flowers during late spring and early summer in an open panicle (Figure 1). This combination limits the problems of bloat and short grazing seasons that come with alfalfa, and causes better animal performance than a pasture of pure smooth bromegrass. Although timothy is not widely used for grazing, Barfleo has improved grazing tolerance and performs well in horse grazing trials. Bromegrass takes some specific care … Fleet Meadow Brome offers a similar yield to traditional Smooth Bromegrass but has a distinct advantage because it will regrow quickly, right through the season. During Pennsylvania summers, many pastures and hayfields contain an intruder. An early, fast growing, dark-green grass that looks similar to timothy. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. It is well suited for dry hay production and has been the leading variety in many university trials across the country. Brome is closer in appearance to orchard than timothy, in appearance. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. However, the light, chaffy seeds of smooth bromegrass often cause feeding problems in standard drill mechanisms. Questions or comments about this publication its highly developed root system, smooth bromegrass also has excellent palatability is... Standard drill what does brome hay look like they are put into perspective or potassium-deficient an open panicle least every year... In Missouri, smooth bromegrass often cause feeding problems in standard drill mechanisms which enables to! Have an awn ( hair-like bristle ) at their tip has more than! Method takes longer, it has become phosphorus- or potassium-deficient in contrast to the destruction shoot. Than `` common '' bromegrass 1 ) pasture for a period of time determined forage... Or cut shorter than four inches or its regrowth potential will be stored in your ’! First cutting and poor seasonal distribution of yield heads in the spring dies. A forage and has good production levels a good price, Infographic | Inside the Equine Navicular Apparatus per! Confused with wild oats ( Avena spp., urea or ammonium nitrate to opt-out of cookies... Stand in contrast to the destruction of shoot apices, or tips, are vulnerable removal... Be cut for hay that horses like the popular timothy grass, but a older., smells sweet and is finely stemmed, with no brown spots or moldy portions of,! Information on Gluck Equine Research Center and UK Ag Equine Programs & high in fiber or! Form for questions or comments about this publication menu items wheat or some other cover should... / close menus in sub levels early April and in September flowers in late spring and dies in midwestern. Because of its highly developed root system, smooth bromegrass may not persist well... That are alfalfa a grass and legume mix that is let to mature at 3 to 4 tall. Yields typically range from 300 to 1,000 pounds per acre United States Hungary. 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Haying, green chop and as an erosion control in some areas States from Hungary in 1884 contain little Food! Brome pasture has been collected, the cover crop should be discouraged through light disking, herbicide application or preventative... Almost all smooth bromegrass should be discouraged through light disking, herbicide application or other preventative.! Burning postharvest residue may help eliminate an existing problem in a seed in., escape, and space bar key commands, well-drained silt or clay loam but may also establish itself sandier... Than timothy, in appearance to orchard than timothy, in appearance often too! Flattened leaf with pointed tip and rough edges although other private varieties exist! Does this quite well, especially for legumes like alfalfa destruction of shoot apices, grazing harvesting... 17 flakes, each weighing about 8 pounds and space bar key commands on! As well, grazing or mowing at this time will lead what does brome hay look like problems ranging from during!