History
,
Primary
Use & Site Adaptation
Reed canarygrasscould be called one of the most
overlooked crops in northern Missouri. It arose in
temperate Europe, and spread to Asia and North
America in prehistoric times. Reed canarygrass tolerates wet and dry extremes, and poor or fertile soils
with minimum disease and insect difficulties.
Reed canarygrass can be used as pasture, especially
low-alkaloid varieties, and for hay or silage. The lowalkaloid varieties are more palatable and should be
used rather than the high alkaloid varieties that are not
nearly so palatable. It is often used in soil conservation programs and on pond edges.
Tolerant of drought, reed canarygrassis also very
tolerant of flooding and poorly drained wet areas.
Reed canarygrass is adapted to nearly all soil
conditions. It will persist on soils too poorly drained
for most other forage species, and at the same time it
will do well on droughty sites. Fertility should be in
the medium range according to a soil test. Forage
harvested for hay will remove 45 pounds nitrogen, 12
pounds phosphorus, and 50 pounds potassium per ton
harvested. Growing slows after October.
higher than 14 inches for
best results in a pasture
system. Rotational grazing, which utilizes heavy
grazing pressure for
short periods, results in
the best utilization of
reed canarygrasspastures. Light, continuous
grazing results in selective grazing in which
mature growth accumulates. If a stiff, short
stubble builds up, a single, close clipping (four
to six inches) will
improve utilization. A "
rotation of seven days of
grazing, followed by a
21-day rest, is suggested.
Summary
Poin ts
Reed canarygrass is
very tolerant to long periods of flooding and
Characteristics
poorly drained, wet soils.
Reed canarygrass is a tall, upright-growing perenni- But it also is very
al with a rhizomatous root system. It is one of the first tolerant to drought.
cool-season grassesto stop growing and lose its green Being tolerant to wet
color in the fall. In pure stands it will respond to
sites it is seen by some to
extremely high rates of nitrogen, and will make more
be a threat to wetlands.
summer growth than any other cool-season grass.
Varieties
for
Management
Northern
Because of its rapid spring growth, it is a good prac- Missouri
tice to graze early forage. This will delay haying until Low Alkaloid: Palaton
weather conditions are more favorable for harvest.
,7:
venture
Hay
should
be
cut
at
boot
to
early
head
stage.
Later
cuttings should be made when basal sprouts appear at
h
the
SOIl
surface.
A
cuttIng
heIght
of
four
InC
h
es
s
Id
H ' h Alk
tlIgn
AIKalolo.
I
'd . R .
Ise
ou
I oree d
Flare
be maintained.
Reed canarygrass should not be allowed to grow
54
~
United States
Department of
Agriculture
Natural
Resources
Conservation
Service
May
1996
Columbia,
Missouri
General
Information
Reedcanary grass is a tallgrowing, cool-seasonperennial with a
rhizomatous root system. It is
tolerant of flood and drought, and is
used for pasture, hay and erosion
control. It is one of the first grassesto
begin spring growth.
Animals grazing reed canary
grass during spring and summer
perform similar to those grazing
orchard grass,timothy or brome, and
they perform better than animals
grazing fescue. However,it is not as
well suited for fall and winter grazing
as tall fescuebecauseit is one of the
first cool-seasongrassesto stop
growing and lose its green color. It
makes excellenthay for horses,who
have shown preferenceto it over good
quality timothy hay.
Reedcanary grass first was used
in the southern corn belt to control
erosion in ditches, waterways and
gullies. It is excellent for that purpose
wherever the grass is adaptable.
Severalimproved varieties of
reed canary grass are available.
Ioreed and Rise are high alkaloid
varieties while Palaton and Venture
have low alkaloid levels.
Adaptability
No other forage plant is more
adapted to wet, marshy areasas reed
canary grass. It has withstood
flooding for as long as 49 days without
permanent injury. It also has been
found to be one of the most drought
tolerant of the cool-selisongrasses.
Reedcanary grass has been
widely used in the northern region of
the central United States for many
years. It is adapted to all of Missouri,
which has someof its most vigorous,
productive stands in the extreme
southeastpart of the state.
Establishment
Reedcanary grass may be
establishedin the samemanner as
other cool-seasongrasses.Sinceseed
germination and vitality often is low,
it is important to purchaseonly pure
live seed. It may be seededduring
August or early in the spring. Check
with Natural ResourcesConservation
Serviceor University Extension for
current recommendedseedingrates
and dates.
Reedcanary grass may be used
as sodin areaswhere seedingis
difficult. Small piecesof sod are
embeddedat one to two-foot intervals
acrossgullies in early spring, or in the
fall when the soil is wet. Shootswill
emergethrough six to eight inches of
sediment,if it happensto be deposited
on them.
Management
Reedcanary grass should not be
allowed to get higher than 14 inches
for best results in a pasture system.
In pure stands, reed canary grass
will respondto extremely high rates of
nitrogen. It will make more summer
growth under these conditions than
any other cool-seasongrass in
Missouri.
Reedcanary grass can be made
into hay, but it should not be allowed
to becomecoarseand stemmy.
Becauseof its early spring growth,
graze it first to delay the haying
period. If it is cut for hay without
grazing the first growth, mow it when
headsfirst begin to appear.
Legumescan be maintained with reed
canary grass despite its ability to form thick sod.
Its upright growth characteristic allows
substantial light to reach the legumes. In wet,
low areas,ladino or alsike clover make good
companionlegumes. On upland sods,ladino, red
clover,birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa grow well with
reed canary grass.
Seedproduction usually is a problem with
reed canary grass becauseof shattering. The seed
head matures downward from the top of the
panicle, and the first mature seedshatters before
the remainder of the seedin the head is ready to
harvest. Only two or three days separatethe
ripening of the first seedand the start of extreme
shattering. For seedproduction, nitrogen should be
applied from Decemberthrough January. Seed
yields will be increasedby applying 100 to 125
pounds of nitrogen per acre.
Where
To Get Help
For more information about reed canary grass,
contact the local office of the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service. It is listed in the
telephone directory under "U .S. Government."
familial status (Not all prohibited bases apply to all prognltns.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for cummunication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etcJ
should contact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-5881 (voice) or (202) 720-7808 (rDD).
To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Depanment of Agriculture, Washington, D.C" 20250, or call (202) 720-7327 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (rDD). USDA is an equal
employment opportunity employet