Well I just returned from Michigan's upper peninsula. Looks like Perennial rye grass has taken over the new white clover plot I planted last august. I had sprayed with roundup in June and in mid August tilled and planted with clover blend and a Cereal rye nurse crop. I mowed the Cereal rye down but the clover looked very sparse. I just could not believe how aggressive the perennial rye grass was. It had pretty much taken over the whole plot. When I get back up there in August I may spray it with a grass specific herbicide and see if it can be saved or I might just zero it out with roundup and start that plot over again next year. Anyone else have trouble with Perennial Rye grass?
Battle with Perennial Rye Grass.
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
jsasker007
5 year old buck +
I think everyone that has it has problems with it.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
If you think it is a lost cause when you see it, consider surface broadcasting buckwheat and cultipacking if possible before spraying with 2 qt/ac gly. Perennial Rye grass can propagate from seed or roots. Killing the existing ryegrass won't necessarily eliminate it down the line. Buckwheat will provide 60 to 90 days of deer food but more importantly, it is aggressive and will often shade out competition. This fall, I'd skip the clover and broadcast winter rye into the standing buckwheat and then mow or better yet cultipack it. I spray with gly again to catch any perennial ryegrass that got started. I'd plant the WR thick (over 100 lbs/ac). I would let it head out next year. In the fall I'd throw and mow perennial clover into the standing WR. It should have enough seed that you don't need to broadcast more, but you can make that call next fall.
Killing existing perennial rye before it goes to seed with a herbicide can help, but once it is in your seed bank, you need to think longer term. Avoiding tillage helps keep from bringing new seed up into the germination layer. Aggressive, thick crops like Buckwheat and WR can help shade it out and slow the development of new plants that do sprout from seed.
It is not an easy problem to solve. Many food plot seed companies use it in their mixes because new folks can do everything wrong and still see the product as successful because they see something green in the field and deer are using it. While it is generally not a preferred food, deer will use it some.
There are some experienced folks who use ryegrass (typically annual) in there programs and don't have an issue with it, but they know what particular variety they are planting and how it acts over time in their climate and soils.
Thanks,
Jack
