What's the difference between orchard grass and fescue?

The Difference Between Orchard Grass, Tall Fescue and Bluegrass. Orchardgrass is largely grown for pastures and to produce hay and fodder for cattle. Tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass are grown both for their grazing qualities and for their usefulness as turf.

Does orchard grass make a good lawn?

Orchardgrass may be a hardy grass variety, but it is still undesirable in a lawn due to its appearance and effect on the existing grass.

What kind of grass is orchard grass?

Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) is a perennial, cool-season, tall-growing, grass which does not have rhizomes or stolons (bunch-type grass).

What is orchard grass good for?

Grazing/Hayland: The primary use of orchardgrass is for pasture and hay forage production (Ogle, et al., 2011a). It is highly palatable to all classes of livestock. It is one of the best forage grasses for use in the Northern states under intensive rotational grazing systems.

Does orchard grass grow fast?

Compared to many cool-season grasses, orchardgrass establishes easily and is sometimes interseeded into mature pastures and hayfields with a lot of success. It may take up to one year after seeding before full production potential is reached.

UK Tall Fescue Vs Orchardgrass High Res Movie

Will orchard grass reseed itself?

Will orchardgrass reseed itself? Yes, but only under optimal conditions. Furthermore, orchardgrass produces seed heads during their initial spring growth. After cutting or grazing, it will then reproduce through its leafy and palatable regrowth.

What's the best time to plant orchard grass?

Orchardgrass is ideally sown in spring, or late summer. Note that sowing in mid to late August or later may not give young starts enough time go become stable for the oncoming winter. A well-prepared seedbed will help to promote higher quality orchardgrass.

Is there another name for orchard grass?

orchard grass, (Dactylis glomerata), also called cocksfoot grass, perennial pasture, hay, and forage grass of the family Poaceae.

What is orchard grass look like?

Leaves are broadly tapered to a point and the base is v-shaped. Sheaths and ligules are smooth and membranous. The inflorescence is a panicle up to 6 inches (15 cm.) long with two to five flowered spikelets in dense side clusters.

What's better timothy or orchard grass?

Orchard Grass is higher in protein (10-12%), higher in calorie content and contains the same balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus as Timothy grass. The higher calorie content of Orchard Grass is a result of higher fiber digestibility compared to Timothy Grass.

Can orchard grass be frost seeded?

Frost seeding success is usually obtained with legume species like red clover or birdsfoot trefoil but some grasses such as perennial or Italian ryegrass and orchardgrass can be successfully frost seeded with proper management.

Will deer eat orchard grass?

Deer don't eat orchard grass – or any pasture grass. They will eat the clover, but the grass will outcompete the clover for nutrients.

What does a fescue lawn look like?

Tall fescue is medium- to dark-green in color and coarse textured. It is a bunch-type grass and forms a coarse, clumpy appearance when used alone. The new, improved turf-type varieties have finer leaf texture, denser growth habit, and possess weak rhizomes (Photos 1 & 2).

Will fescue choke out orchard grass?

About the only good thing about orchardgrass is that it is a bunch grass and does not spread. Orchardgrass often comes in as a contaminant in grass seed, especially K-31 tall fescue. Buying good grass seed is the first line of defense against this weed.

How long does it take orchard grass to grow?

For most grasses, this is about 3-6 weeks after planting, but could be longer depending on growing conditions. Remember to be gentle when mowing the first few times — the seedlings will be somewhat tender.

Is crabgrass a orchard grass?

Orchard grass is a stubborn weed grass that spreads quickly. It forms tufts, has rough, flat stems and leaves, and grows upwards instead of outwards like crabgrass. Some types of orchard grass grow with grass blades dispersed throughout the lawn and others grow in clumps.

How do I control orchard grass?

The best way to kill orchardgrass in lawns is to spot-treat it with a glyphosate-based herbicide such as Roundup. Spray and cover the undesired weed with the herbicide when it is actively growing and allow it to absorb the weed killer. Uproot the orchard grass when it dies and replace it with new sod.

How do you control orchard grass?

An option is to use glyphosate (a non-selective herbicide) to spot treat the undesirable grass. Weeds must be actively growing when glyphosate is applied. To improve control, water well and allow foliage to grow a week or two before treating.

Is orchard grass good for cattle?

A sought-after grass known for its soft, highly palatable leaves, orchardgrass is suitable for horses, cattle, and small ruminants. It has good quality forage with heavy spring yield and moderate fall production but is less drought tolerant than fescue.

What temperature does orchard grass germinate?

germination was greatest at 10 to 30°C. Germination of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) and hardinggrass (Phalaris aquatica L.) was greatest at 15 to 20°C.

Does fescue make good hay?

The hay of each maturity was then fed to 500-pound Holstein heifers. Not surprisingly, the early-cut fescue had the highest forage quality with a digestibility of 68 percent and a crude protein content of 13.8 percent (see table below).

What animals eat orchard grass?

Orchard Grass can be fed free choice to rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, prairie dogs and other herbivores as an alternative to timothy, oat hay, and brome.

Is orchard grass good for pasture?

Orchardgrass produces heavy growth during April and May. This growth can be used for pasture, hay, greenchop or silage. Graze it heavily or mechanically harvest it early to promote high yields of high quality forage.