Get Ray’s Perennial Ryegrass for $2.34 per Pound 

SOMETIMES NEW IS BETTER. THIS IS NOT GRANDDAD’S RYEGRASS. Remarkable yields and superior feed quality. Fast to germinate and establish. #1 in recent field trials! Super palatable and digestible. 

Perennial ryegrass is the most widely used grass for grazing in the world because of its aggressive growth and high forage quality. With proper management and high fertility, perennial ryegrass can persist for five to seven years. This grass can be used for pasture and hay and is often mixed with alfalfa, clovers, and other grasses. Perennial rye has one of the highest forage qualities of cool-season grasses.

• Planting Depth: 0.25″ to 0.5″ 

• Planting Rates: 30 to 40 Pounds per Acre; in Mixes, Perennial Rye Should Be Less Than 20% of the Mix 

• Planting Dates: March to May, August to September 

Product ships in a 50-pound bag.

Establishment

Perennial ryegrass can be sown by itself or in mixtures with legumes or other cool-season grasses. Broadcast sowing into thin stands can be successful, but no-till drilling is the recommended method to thicken existing stands. Plants are ready for harvesting when they can no longer be pulled out by the roots.

Adaptation

Perennial rye has a wide range of adaptability to soils but thrives best on fertile soils with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. This grass produces well in regions with a milder climate, as it does not withstand hot, dry weather or severe winters. It will withstand fairly wet soils with decent soil drainage.

Management

Successful use of perennial ryegrass requires aggressive management and high fertility. Intensively managed pastures are a great place to use perennial ryegrass. Perennial ryegrass makes excellent haylage or baleage but does not dry well for hay. Residual heights can be lower with perennial ryegrass compared to other grasses. Grazing down to about 2” in spring and fall is optimum but leaving a higher residual of at least 3” in the summer helps persistence and overall productivity of the stand.

Ryegrass is generally cut for hay when seed heads start to emerge. Allowing 7” to 10” of regrowth between grazings will benefit yield and persistence. On new seedings, harvest or grazing should be delayed until plants are 10” to 12” tall.

Description

Perennial ryegrass is a bunchgrass that grows 1’ to 2’ tall, with medium longevity. There are numerous long, narrow, stiff leaves near the base of the plant. The undersides of leaves are bright, glossy, and smooth. Inflorescence stems are nearly naked. Seed heads are spikes with spikelets growing edgewise to the seed head stem. Seeds do not have awns (bristles). There are approximately 227,000 seeds per pound.