Warm Season Grasses

Warm Season Grasses produce well in hot and dry weather on soils with low moisture holding capacity and low pH. Warm Season Grasses occur naturally and are most frequently planted in warm dry climates in the west, southwest and midwest. They can be harvested and stored as hay. Growth of warm-season grasses usually occurs in mid-summer. Establishment and management requirements are quite different from cool-season grasses. First-time users must pay special attention to management details. When managed properly warm-season grass hay can provide good quality forage, especially for beef cattle.

Warm-season grasses grow best on deep, well-drained soils and should be seeded between mid-April and mid-May. Later seedings are slower to establish, yield less, and have more weed infestation the year after seeding. Good seed and soil contact is very important for establishment. A tilled seedbed should be free of weeds, fine-textured, and firm. Plowing, disking, harrowing, and cultipacking generally are required. Band seed ½-inch deep with a drill equipped with press wheels. If broadcast seeded or drilled without press wheels, rolling or cultipacking after seeding is necessary to assure a good firm seedbed.

Warm-season grasses can provide forage for animals throughout the summer months when cool-season grasses become less productive. They establish relatively slow but if they are properly managed a stand of warm-season grasses can last for many years. Because of the expense and difficulty in establishment, these grasses should be established as permanent sod pastures or hay fields. Warm-season grasses are not as well suited for crop rotation as the cool-season forage crops.