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Western
Wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii)
Common
Name: Blue Wheatgrass, Blue Joint, Colorado Bluestem, Smith Bluestem, Wyoming
Wheatgrass, Black Greasewood
General Information:
Western Wheatgrass is a cool season native grass
that can be found growing on many sites principally in the central and northern Great
Plains but has been used in other areas of the country successfully. It establishes quite
easily in areas of heavy soils where water can accumulate for short periods of time.
Growth begins in the fall, and under most conditions, the grass remains green throughout
the winter. The majority of the growth occurs in the spring. The seed is produced in June
with harvest falling in late June or early July. The plant will then go dormant for the
hot summer period.
Western Wheatgrass is nutritious and
grown often in pure stands as forage for livestock. The hay is high in protein if cut
during the late bloom stage. Haying after seed production and harvest merely produced
filler forage for livestock. One characteristic of Western Wheatgrass that is different
from its warm-season grass cousins is that it withstands closer grazing than the taller
species. However, if this closer grazing is done during the spring months it will weaken
the stand. This perennial grass is often seeded in pure stands for cultivation of forage,
but more often it is found in mixtures, as the grass is somewhat slow to establish as a
single species. Once established, Western Wheatgrass is quite tenacious and can become
invasive.
Another primary use of Western Wheatgrass is
associated with erosion control where it is used to seed waterways, terraces and
streambanks. It often grows through standing silt with no difficulty; a slightly alkaline
or saline condition is also tolerated.
Establishment:
Because Western Wheatgrass is a cool season plant, it should be
planted during the cool parts of the year, i.e. early fall and very early spring.
Comparison of plantings done in the spring and fall or even early winter, suggest that
dormant fall/winter plantings have better survival and produce seed crops more
successfully than spring plantings. If the Western Wheatgrass is to be planted in a
mixture of warm season grasses, the planting should be in the spring for best results from
the entire mix. Germination of Western Wheatgrass is increased by a variance of
temperatures, that is better seedlings develop when there is a soil variance (from cool to
warm and back to cool.) The best germination for Western Wheatgrass was achieved at 65
degrees Fahrenheit, with average germination occurring in 11.8 days. Another consideration
should be the lack of fine root biomass, with only 5-6% of the roots being close to the
surface. Thus in droughty years, the plants would not benefit from light showers. If you are planting Western Wheatgrass in a single species planting,
the standard wheat planter will suffice as your method of planting. If the seed is
incorporated with chaffy grass seeds (Big Bluestem etc.) then a chaffy seed drill must be
used. Again, the planting depth should not be too great: 1/2 inch is the maximum depth and
the planting rate should be 8-10 PLS pounds to achieve the best results. If planting in a
mixture, the percentage of the mixture composed of Western Wheatgrass should be 10-15% of
the total. If you are planting Western Wheatgrass as a monoculture, use
fertilization on your new seeding. This should be based on a soil test, but is usually
60-80 pounds of nitrogen plus needed phosphorus and potassium. - If planting in a mixture with warm season grasses, do not use
nitrogen.
Management:
Western Wheatgrass regenerates vegetatively through rhizomes as well
as sexually by seeds with the greater spreading of the plants coming by the rhozomatous
growth. A certain mycorrhizal fungus that is common in more arid soils, help Western
Wheatgrass with nutrients and water uptake. It is not essential, but beneficial to the
plant, thus any disturbance of these fungi MAY weaken the stand. The grass is a decreaser
on upland sites of less than 20 inches of annual precipitation, and in areas over 20
inches it is an increaser. When mixed with taller or more palatable species, it often
increases. Western Wheatgrass is susceptible to grasshopper damage. In periods
of extreme wet conditions, forage quality is decreased from erot, plus leaf and stem
rusts. Western Wheatgrass can tolerate moderate grazing but is damaged when
grazed extensively in the spring when the majority of its growth is occurring. In addition
to harming the structure of the plant, the heavy grazing increases below ground action of
soil nematodes, due to the fact that heavily grazed grass has less root structure. Western Wheatgrass can be cut for hay in the early summer before seed
stalks appear for best palatability. A controlled burn can be beneficial for your Western Wheatgrass stand
if done at the proper time. Yields were highest when using a winter burn and lowest when using a
late spring burn. (Many times the spring burn was done after the dormancy had begun to
break, thus decreasing the plant numbers and new shoots. In addition, burning when the
surface is too dry in the spring causes the destruction of too much mulch, which acts as a
sponge to absorb moisture for the new plants. Western Wheatgrass is very dependent on
early moisture. Fertilization at proper times (fall) every few years as indicated by
a soil test.
Varieties or Cultivars:
Ariba was developed from original collections in Colorado at about
45000 feet in elevation and with an annual rainfall of ----- inches. The plants are rapid
in germination with strong seedlings. The intended use was for reseeding and revegetation
of range areas. Barton Western Wheatgrass seed was collected along clay bottomlands
in Kansas. It is a strongly rhizomatous leafy type, shows little evidence of rust
problems, and is superior in seed production. Its intended use is for pasture and seed
production. Flintlock originated from collections in Nebraska and northern
Kansas. Its primary use has been for conservation purposes, dry land hay production and
early season pasture. It is favored for hay in many areas because of softer leaves than
other varieties of Western Wheatgrass. Rodan originated in the upper Great Plains and is noted for drought
tolerance. Walsh was also chosen for drought tolerance with the added value to
salinity tolerance. Rosana was developed for irrigated hay or pasture in short water
supply areas and overflow sites. It is used in reclamation of drastically disturbed sites.
It has excellent seedling vigor and its sod is the tightest of all varieties developed
thus far.
11/99 All content property of
Sharp Bros Seed Co
Sharp Brothers Seed Co.
396 SW Davis St. - LaDue
Clinton, Missouri 64735
Phone: 1-800-451-3779
or Phone: 1-660-885-7551
Contact: General inquiries use our contact form.
Also visit Sharp Bros. Healy's website at
www.sharpseed.com
Copyright © 2004 Sharp Brothers Seed Co.
Produced by i4Market, LLC
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