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Reed Canary Grass

D

Dean

Well-known Member
Anyone have any experience with establishing reed canary grass.

I know it's considered an invasive species in some places but not in IN.

I have several acres of bottom ground that floods with Ohio River backwater several times each year. The innundation kills most annuals but I have been told that reed canary grass will likely tolerate the water.

I've also been told that Ohio State U has been conducting research on the grass as a hay and forage crop.

Dean
 
I have a old stand of it. It will tolerate drought or wet years. I have been told it makes good silage, and good hay if you can cut it early. We were told to plant canary grass due to wet clay, and it will grow fine. Problem is its so wet by the time you harvest it its to mature and not good for much, except bedding. If you cant bale it early itbecomes very course, and almost like straw. When its like that I use it for bedding. There are much better grass hays out there. Personally Id stay away from it, at least here were its so wet. It may be great for a dry area, and newer seeds may be better, I dont know. Good luck.
 
We had it on the homestead. Once it gets established in wetlands nothing else can compete. It completely takes over.

This is my experience with it.
Areo
 
My dad has canary grass in bottom with heavy gumbo,it has kind of purple top,doesn't get as course,makes two cuttings but not as water tolerant,makes excellant feed if put up right especially second cutting.It is a different variety I guess.
 
I have that miserable stuff on my place, but I never planted it. It just invaded and continues to spread and croud out good grasses. Just my experience-others may be different.
 
Wild reed canary grass will grow literally anywhere from a bog to dryland and everywhere in between and every single pound is good for nothing but bedding. That stuff will establish and spread from a small amount of seed all on it's own... and it's HARD to kill.

The tame varieties that they've developed that are ~low alkaloid~ are supposed to make much better feed if cut on time...... but I've not had much luck getting it established on the dry slope that I wanted to use it on. I think the tame varieties have probably lost a lot of their hardiness and so on that makes the wild stuff such a survivor.
I know I was told at the time to expect the variety I tried to be quite difficult to establish. As I recall that was Palaton...

Rod
 
Hey Rod, how goes it? Yep just what I said, makes great bedding. We call it stray, kinda like straw, kinda like hay LOL. I was also told that plowing it under will cause it to spread, because it spreades by root rhizomes, Only way to get rid of it is to spray it with round-up, or a herbicide... Dunno Jay
 
Ditto. I'm getting ready to burn it down TWICE with round-up and re-seed this fall as soon as I decide what to replace it with.
 
I have been planting reed canary with alfalfa and penlate orchard grass. the reed canary stays long is a bunch grass and produces soft good tonnage hay we run a small beef operation in Pa seams to work well for us. you do have to make it on time but you have to make all grass or hay on time
 
Thank you.

I'll do that.

The ground where I plan to plant it is unproductive due to flooding but I keep the weeds and saplings mowed.

I am not planning to hay it but want it to look better.

Dean
 
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