Overseeding an annual forage has become standard operating procedure for 99% of bermudagrass growers for two main reasons. Many of you need the green forage for your waste management plans and it seems we all need the extra grazing. Without a doubt, the most popular forages to overseed are rye and ryegrass. These are two very different species and for most producers, ryegrass should be avoided.

Rye is one of the cereal grains. Typically, it will produce more fall growth as an overseed than ryegrass. It has a shorter growing season and generally goes to seed in March or April. Rye that is cut for hay in late winter or early spring will show some regrowth but is normally shorter and thinner than what was previously there. Rye should be drilled in 1 to 2 inches deep at a rate of 100 to 120 pounds per acre. Most producers plant based on bushels, so two bushels per acre is plenty.

In years when rye is in short supply and is expensive, some producers may be tempted to use ryegrass. Ryegrass is not a cereal grain. If planted as an overseed, ryegrass shows little fall growth. The grass will tend to germinate producing a small plant with three or four leaves, and then waits for spring to really start growing. In the spring, usually about the time rye is going to seed, the ryegrass takes off and produces lots of forage until late May or early June.

Ryegrass that is cut or grazed in late winter will produce as much or more regrowth as the original stand. Cutting or grazing the forage encourages tillering. This leads to shading of the bermudagrass, which weakens and thins the stand. For this reason, ryegrass is not recommended for overseeding bermudagrass pastures and spray fields.

If ryegrass is going to be used, remember these key points. If drill planted, 10 to 20 pounds per acre is sufficient. If broadcast, seeding rates need to be 20 to 30 pounds per acre. If possible, have enough grazing pressure to keep the ryegrass grazed to a one-inch stubble height in late March or early April to allow sunlight to reach the emerging bermudagrass. If this is not an option, understand that you will need to mow and remove the ryegrass and then kill the regrowth with an herbicide to prevent shading of the bermudagrass. If you do not remove the ryegrass and only spray to kill it, the resulting thatch will be just as harmful to your bermudagrass as leaving the ryegrass to grow.

If rye is in short supply or you just can’t get it for some reason, producers may have to consider other options. I haven’t seen any triticale available this year but that doesn’t mean it isn’t. Triticale is a cross between rye and wheat. It produces a little more forage than rye but tends to give up some winter hardiness. Triticale does well in our area and some producers plant this every year instead of rye.

Oats are available and can be used if needed. Oats perform well in this area. The main benefit from oats is the fact that they usually give much more fall growth compared to the other small grains. This means more grazing in late fall and early winter which can give your rye a chance to grow if you plant multiple species. Oats also make much better hay than rye. So, if you are planting with the intent of making hay, oats are the way to go. The down side of oats is they are the least winter hardy of the small grains. If we have a hard winter, you can lose some. There are varieties of black oats, a true winter oat, available now to combat this issue.

Wheat can be used as forage too. It has good winter hardiness and can produce a lot of forage if fertilized well. Wheat tends to do better if planted early in the season. The later it is planted, the more it will perform like you see in crop fields. A mixture of wheat and oats would probably work well for a grazing situation. One other note on wheat, some producers will overseed wheat onto bermudagrass fields and then harvest the wheat for grain. This can be done but is very detrimental to your bermudagrass. A better option would be to graze wheat on prepared seedbeds and take the cattle off mid to late January and harvest those fields instead.

One other possible forage is brome grass. Most of you are probably familiar with Matua. It can be used but is susceptible to several foliar diseases. There are varieties of brome available now with some resistance.

Brome will do well in an overseed situation. It will produce large quantities of highly nutritious forage if fertilized. In addition, if allowed to go to seed in May or June, it will come back again the next year. Seeding rates for brome are 10 to 20 pounds broadcast or 8 to 15 drilled per acre.