Cattle, horses, sheep, goats and various wildlife enjoy munching on this tasty grass, which is often included in pasture mixtures with fescue, Bermuda grass and orchardgrass. • Pastures have higher levels of crude protein, water soluble carbohydrates, and dry matter digestibility. As seed heads emerge, toxic alkaloids concentrate in the seed. Tall Fescue with seed heads. The drawings on the following pages show things to check when looking at each of these plant parts. It is difficult to get rid of. It does, however, combine well with alfalfa. Awn A stiff, hair-like extension on some glumes. Seedhead development usually occurs on cool season grasses such as Perennial Ryegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue during this time of year. It’s persistent in the landscape. So he just “let it go” hoping natural succession would take place. If left un-mown tall fescue will produce seed heads of about 3' with leaves and foliage usually reaching a height of less than 20 inches. After your newly seeded fescue Lawn is completed we recommend watering three times a day every day of the week, but only long enough each time to keep the seed wet. Height at seed head stage: 30 inches (USDA Plant Fact Sheet) Shade tolerance: Hard fescue tolerates a variety of light conditions, including shade (Beard 1973, Watschke 1990, Ruemmele et al. K-31 is the most widely used grass in Missouri pastures. Sheath Pull a stalk and hit the seed head lightly against your palm; if it releases seeds, you should harvest immediately. Fescue seems to have a multi-branched structure with the seeds at the ends. Check the seed heads to determine whether the seeds are ready for harvest. Grasses can easily be identified by looking at the leaves, stems and inflorescences (seed heads). Glume A tiny leaf-like structure enveloping the seed. … Culm The jointed stem of grasses. Seed heads of Kentucky 31 tall fescue present special risks when fed to cattle. for fescue seed head suppression? I know it was already identified, but based on the image tool nycjsw provided it definitely appears to be fescue. Planting turf-type tall fescue under the best possible conditions gives your seeding project a distinct advantage. • Fescue remains in a vegetative growth stage for the remainder of the season. Fescue toxicosis costs Missouri’s beef industry $160 million each year in reduced weaning weights, conception rates and milk production. 2003) Suggested mowing height: Hard fescue does not tolerate mowing <1 inch (Beard https://www.ortho.com/en-us/problems-and-solutions/seedheads-lawn Prairie grass seed isn’t competitive, so it’s best planted with other cool-season grasses. I once had a client tell me he bought a farm with Tall Fescue pasture. I call it the toxic waste of the grass kingdom. Leaves. Growing and Managing Prairie Grass. 2. Glossary Auricle A short extension of the leaf blade that wraps partway around the stem. POA seems to have mutliple seeds along the branches. 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