# Brome grass



## cuttman (Apr 21, 2010)

Can anybody shed some light on how brome would be to grow compared to orchard grass. I am in southeastern Indiana.


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

Smooth bromegrass is a winter-hardy, high-yielding, sodforming perennial grass for northern and central Illinois hay and pasture. Smooth bromegrass works well in mixes with alfalfa or red clover. Major strengths Major weaknesses Adapted to welldrained and droughty soils Winter-hardy Highly palatable Responsive to nitrogen Heat-tolerant Fluffy seed is hard to flow through seeder Slow to establish, low seeding vigor Less summer production than orchardgrass Must be rested after harvest or stand will not persist. Hay harvests must be limited to 3 cuts a year. Not tolerant of close grazing

Orchardgrass is a high-yielding, bunch-type perennial grass adapted throughout the state for hay and pasture. Winter-hardy varieties need to be grown in northern Illinois. Orchardgrass grows best on soils with good moisture-holding capacity. Seed medium- to late-maturing varieties when grown with legumes. Major strengths Major weaknesses Easy to establish and can be frostseeded Palatable Quick recovery after harvest One of the most productive grasses in midsummer Grows in partial shade better than other grasses Not drought-tolerant Varieties differ in susceptibility to rust and leaf spot diseases Varieties differ greatly in maturity Moderately winter-hardy for the northern quarter of Illinois

It did not copy and past very well. This is from the U of Illinois. Might also work for your area. If you want, search for University of Illinois Agronomy Handbook. then click on Chapter 6- "hay and pasture" It is only about 16 pages long. Pretty good reading.

Hope this is helpful

73, Mark


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Used to seed a lot of Brome with alfalfa. Yields extremely well as a companion crop, however after year 5, it will almost take over an alfalfa field.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

stack em up said:


> Used to seed a lot of Brome with alfalfa. Yields extremely well as a companion crop, however after year 5, it will almost take over an alfalfa field.


Smooth brome spreads but I've used some Meadow Brome which doesn't.It yields a lot more also.

Brome you have a big first cutting and it tapers off in yield and don't get much for a third cutting.

Orchard grass you can get a nice third cutting it tends to grow better when it cools down in the fall then Brome does.


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