Get Smooth Brome for $3.29 per Pound

Smooth Brome is one of the best cool-season grasses, great for hay, pasture, silage, and green chop. This high-quality, high-yielding forage can also work well as a companion to alfalfa. Smooth Brome is best adapted to cooler climates and is generally hardier than Tall Fescue or orchardgrass. It is resistant to drought and extremes in temperature.

• Planting Depth: 0.50″ 

• Planting Rates: 25 to 35 Pounds per Acre; 10 to 20 Pounds per Acre in Mixes 

• Planting Dates: August to September. Fall Planting Should Take Place at Least 6 Weeks Before a Killing Frost. March to May in Northern States to Allow for Proper Germination. 

Product ships in a 50-pound bag.

Establishment

Brome grasses have larger seed sizes than other grasses, so attention to drill calibration is important. The growth patterns of Brome grasses, in general, do well when planted as a companion with alfalfa. A clean, firm seedbed is needed. Due to the slow germination and establishment of Smooth Brome, spring seedings are especially preferred in the northern states. In southern areas, late summer seedings are a second option.

Adaptation

Smooth Brome is susceptible to disease in areas of high humidity. It grows best on slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, well-drained clay loam soils with high fertility, but will also grow well on lighter-textured soils where adequate moisture and fertility are maintained. Smooth Brome performs best in a pH range of 6.0 to 7.5. Stands are difficult to obtain, and growth is poor on soils high in soluble salts.

Management

Bromegrass requires high fertility levels and well-drained soils. Bromes will persist if allowed to go to seed once every season. Due to its high palatability and high protein content, Smooth Brome is compatible with alfalfa or other adapted legumes. Thanks to its massive root system and being a sod former, it can be successfully used for erosion control in critical area planting and waterways if the areas can be irrigated, or if annual precipitation is greater than 20”.

Description

Smooth Brome is a leafy, sod-forming, perennial cool-season grass. The stems vary in height from 2’ to 4’. The plant produces numerous basal and stem leaves that vary in length from 4” to 10”. Frequently, the leaves are marked by a transverse wrinkle resembling a “W” a short distance below the tip. The flower head develops a characteristic rich purplish-brown color when mature.

The seed is produced in semi-compact 5” long panicles with ascending branches. The flat compressed seed is usually awnless, about 0.333” long, and smooth. There are approximately 135,000 seeds per pound.