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Forage grass growing guide
Buffel grass is a drought-hardy, warm-season perennial forage grass for dry tropical and subtropical land. Sow its fluffy seed on or just under the surface at the start of the rains; in arid regions outside its native range it can become invasive.
The seed unit is fluffy and bristly and sticks together. Mix it with dry sand, fertilizer or cracked grain so it can be spread evenly; pelleted seed flows best through planters. Seed lots commonly contain only 30-50% live seed, so do not judge a lot by bulk alone.
Not usually needed. Removing the outer bristly coverings to free the grain (caryopsis) improves germination, but whole seed units are normally sown.
Not needed. Dormancy in this warm-season grass is broken by after-ripening: dry storage for 6-18 months after harvest. Fluctuating temperature and moisture, weathering and leaching by rain also break it.
Not needed. Sow into soil that will receive rain or irrigation soon after.
Seed germinates from about 10 °C to 40 °C (50-104 °F), best at 25 °C (77 °F) or with 25/15 °C and 30/20 °C day/night regimes. In the field it needs soil above about 10 °C and rain of more than about 6 mm. Sow at the start of the summer or monsoon rains.
On the surface to 1 cm (0.4 in). Seed on bare soil germinated about 40% better than seed buried up to 2.4 cm; a light rolling after sowing improves soil contact.
Deep, well-drained sandy loams, loams, clay loams and red earths. Best pH is 7-8; it grows at pH 5.5 but is very sensitive to high aluminium and manganese. It is slow to establish on black cracking clays and difficult on hard-setting soils.
The surface often dries too fast for seedlings, so sow just before reliable rain or keep small plots lightly watered. Plants tolerate about 5 days of flooding, but 20 days kills 15-70% of plants.
Leave the seed at or near the surface in an open, sunny site.
Seed can germinate whenever temperature and moisture allow, often after a single small rain. Most seeds that germinate do so in their first season; fresh seed may stay dormant until it has after-ripened.
Pastures are sown direct at 1-2 kg of seed per hectare, using the lower rate on sandy loams. For small areas, rooted splits from an existing clump can be planted at the start of the rains.
Control competing weeds while seedlings establish; buffel grass establishes readily once competition is removed. Do not graze until the stand is well rooted: usually 4-6 months after sowing, and up to 9-12 months in harsh conditions.
Buffel grass suits 300-750 mm of annual rainfall, most of it in summer, and does best where winter minimums stay above 5 °C. Frost kills the tops, but plants usually regrow in warm weather.
Quality falls quickly with age. Cut or graze at least every 8 weeks, and cut at about 7 cm (3 in) to keep the stand leafy.
Cultivars differ in height, rhizomes and blight resistance; taller rhizomatous types such as 'Biloela' suit heavier soils, while 'Gayndah' is a finer, shorter tufted type.
Pasture rarely needs fertilizer, but a seed crop needs nitrogen, usually 100-200 kg N per hectare.
Sow buffel grass on the surface at the start of the rains for hardy dryland pasture.
Freshly harvested seed is mostly dormant. Seed stored dry for 6-18 months after harvest germinates much better.
On the surface or no deeper than 1 cm. Seed left on bare soil germinates better than buried seed, as long as rain follows soon.
It can be. In arid parts of the United States and Australia it has spread from pastures into natural areas and increases fire risk, so keep it away from native desert or bushland and follow local rules.
