DeLange Seed

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LITTLE BLUESTEM: Schizachyrium scoparium

      Little bluestem is a long-lived perennial warm-season native grass.  A bunch grass with or without rhizomes, little bluestem grows to a height of two to four feet.  Widely adapted, it can be found in every county in Kansas.

      An excellent quality forage in early stages of development, little bluestem loses palatability and quality as maturity approaches.  It is more drought tolerant than other grasses associated with the tall-grass complex i.e. big bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass, etc., and persists longer under heavy grazing pressure on loamy to clay textured soils in drier climates.

USE AND MANAGEMENT:

            Primary usage of little bluestem is for hay and pasture and game bird cover.  It is also an excellent conservation grass.  Because of its growth habit and wide range of adaptability to climate and soil types, little bluestem has great merit for use in water channels, reclamation of mined lands, and erosion control.

            To maintain plant vigor, no more than 50% of the current years growth should be grazed off.  Grazing should be deferred or grazing pressure reduced substantially for 90 days every two to three years before seed maturity to allow the grass to regain vigor and produce seed.

            If cut for hay, a four inch stubble should be left to promote recovery.  The hay crop should be taken toward the end of July or the first of August to achieve best quality.