Grasses - Ryegrass - Forages of Florida - Solutions for Your Life - UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

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Ryegrass
Species:	Ryegrass
Scientific Name:	Lolium multiflorum
Cultivars:	Early maturity: Attain, Big Boss, Bulldog/Grazer, Ed, Flying A, Oregro DH-3, TAMBO, Verdure, Gulf (susceptible to rust). Late maturity: Marshall, Jumbo, Big Boss, Ed, Rio TAMTBO. Other include: Prine, Surrey II, Passeral plus, Brigadier, Fantastic, Graze-N-Gro, King, Beefbuilder III. For the cool-season forage variety recommendations report, cl ick this link.
Growth Habit:	2-4 feet tall, bunchgrass, auricles present, plant base often purplish. 'Shiny' leaves.
Life Cycle:	Annual
Origin:	Europe
Production Season:	February through all of May (except in south Florida, where growing season is shorter).
Nutritive Value:	High quality. High crude protein; high digestibility.
Use:	Grazing, hay, silage
Adaptation
Soil:	Sandy-loam, clay-loam.
pH:	5.5-7.5
Rainfall:	35 inches (winter-spring period). Requires moisture. Not recommended for sites with low moisture retention.
Temperature:	Grows during cool season. Tolerates 12°F (minimum)
Management
Planting Date:	October 1 - November 15
Planting Depth:	<0.25 inch
Seeding Rate:	20 to 30 lb/acre
Seed Cost:	Gulf ($0.31/lb; $6 to 9/acre) Passerel ($0.56/lb; $14 to 17/acre)
Fertilization:	60-80 lb N/acre early in January. Also click this link
Production:	4000 to 7000 lb/acre (less than 4,000 lb/acre may be considered a failure crop). Well managed and all other conditions favorable you can obtained 3 harvests (mid February, late March, and mid April). Forage is too valuable to sacrify for seed production.
Notes
Due to later maturity than winter small grains,important to keep grazed short to prevent competition to warm-season perennials when overseeding into these permanent pastures. Susceptible to leaf and glume 'blotch' (Septoria spp.) and leafspot 'Bipolaris' (formerly Helminthosporium spp.) both cause leaf lesions associated to heavy N fertilization, wet, windy, and warm weather 60 to 77 F, especially in Brevard, Osceola, Polk, Pasco counties and northward.

Ryegrass

Adaptation

Management

Notes