Seed the fine-leaved grasses such as big bluegrass or sheep fescue in the 

 early spring or in the fall, when temperatures are lower. Certain weeds in 

 your field may limit the time of seeding. Where heavy stands of cheatgrass 

 or other annuals are apt to come up in the fields, seed in the late spring. 

 Seed in the early spring in areas where summer-growing weeds, such as 

 barnyard grass, are liable to be serious. If you seed in the late spring or 

 late summer, make sure that there will be plenty of irrigation water available 

 during the early establishment period. 



Your work schedule on the rest of the farm also may limit the time of 

 seeding. All perennial grasses require the equivalent of one season's 

 growth to establish themselves. Therefore, if you seed in the spring you 

 cannot expect a seed crop the first year. The establishment year requires 

 the most work for weed control. If you seed one of the rapid-developing, 

 long-lived grasses, such as tall fescue or smooth brome, in the late summer 

 you will get a seed yield the following summer. If you seed Russian wild- 

 rye or the vernal-dominant grasses such as big bluegrass in the late summer 

 you may not get any seed the next summer. 



TYPE OF SEEDING 



The type of seeding you use will be controlled by the land-capability class 

 and the slope of your field. Row seedings can be used on land in Classes 

 I and II, contour-row seedings on land in Classes III and IV with slopes 

 up to 5 percent. Use solid seedings where the slope is more than 5 percent. 



You need only small amounts of seed to establish grass stands on row 

 seedings. Rates from 4 to 6 pounds per acre are adequate. Make a firm 

 seedbed for seeding grasses, the same as for sugar beets or any of the 

 smaller legumes. 



Since the grass is a perennial that forms a large crown, you should use 

 rows spaced at least 36 inches apart. This spacing pennits proper cultiva- 

 tion between rows and allows roguing the stand without too much difficulty. 

 Use wider row spacing if it is better suited to your equipment. Row seed- 

 ings produce higher yields than solid seedings. On one trial conducted in 

 Idaho, smooth brome and crested wheatgrass grown in rows produced 251- 

 percent and 612-percent increase, respectively, over the yields of the solid 

 seeding. 



Row culture on irrigated land permits you to better control irrigation 

 water and may also provide more uniform application over the field. In 

 addition, you can produce a higher quality crop with less labor on row 

 seedings than you can on solid seedings. The rows allow you to cultivate 

 and keep the stand more free of weeds (fig. 1 ) . 



FERTILIZERS 



Grasses require large quantities of nitrogen fertilizer. Applications of 

 60 to 90 pounds per acre more than pay for the fertilizer used in increased 

 seed yields. On soils of high fertility, fertilizer need not be applied until 

 after the first seed crop is harvested. On low-fertility soils use 30 to 40 

 pounds of nitrogen at the time of seeding the grass and then again with the 

 same amount early the next spring. Yearly applications thereafter should 

 be made with 60 to 90 pounds of nitrogen per acre in the early spring before 

 the grass has started growth. 



