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annual vs perennial ryegrass

Started by L. Wakefield, July 17, 2004, 05:38:55 PM

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L. Wakefield

   Okez- now granted it's not a tree.. Mike purchased some soil conservation mix and seeded a woods' road that he had just cut. One type of grass is WAY outperforming..I picked some and brought it in.. it is either annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) or perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)- the pix and descriptions online are virtually (heh heh bad pun   :D   :D  ) identical.. I will get to the feedstore and read the label on the bag on Monday- but meanwhile I wondered if anyone had kicked this ID problem around before. THE DEER DON'T LIKE IT! They walk right thru it on their way to the clover he has in another area. Which is perplexing since either annual or perennial are supposed to be PRIMO forage plants. Both are susceptible to a fungus and it has been wet, but.. it looks healthy in the extreme. Quite shade tolerant. Hmm..  lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

Tom

It's the annual down here that is planted for erosion control and used to a lesser extent for wildlife feed.  Deer won't mess with it until they learn what it is. Kinda funny.  The same thing happened here.  They didn't mess with it last year and were late this year finding it. Once they found it though, they were in it every night. I don't think much of anything likes it once it dies and dries.

It grows so thickly that nothing else will live under it.  Be careful that you don't disperse the seed too thickly.  My wife spread some on the lawn this past winter (she's a yard freak) and now that the summer has come there is hardly anything out there. It smothered the grasses that were established before.

The seed doesn't make it down here.  It's too hot.  You have to seed it every crop.  The same with crimson clover.   White clover will seed here but doesn't get too tall.

Deer Vetch, peas and beans are popular down here but Deer are browsers before they are grazers and do well in blue berry, gall berry and other herbs and small trees.  Not to say they won't graze a garden. :D :D

Bro. Noble

We used to use both perennial and annual here.  You can broadcast it in the fall and wherever there is a bear spot it will grow.  The perennial only lives a short time here and the annual makes enough seed so there is no difference in the two as far as usefulness to us.  It makes good pasture when young but very poor hay.  As Tom mentioned,  you gotta watch or it will take over.  I spent a small fortune seeding a field to alfalfa only to have it completely choked out from annual ryegrass that volunteered from an earlier planting.

When I buy seed now,  I buy annual cause I can buy it cheaper.
milking and logging and sawing and milking

L. Wakefield

   Thank you for the quick replies! I can't wait to watch the deer's learning curve on this one! There is a lot of write up on using it on golf courses and lawns. I think I'll just watch it where he put it, and see what the long-term outcome is. I agree I wouldn't want it in my lawn.  lw
L. Wakefield, owner and operator of the beastly truck Heretik, that refuses to stay between the lines when parking

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