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Seed Quality
Hancock Seed is dedicated to delivering the best seeds possible to our customers. Hancock Seed grows and harvests many of our products, and we acquire the majority of the rest from other family farmers.
All these seeds are processed, packaged and shipped from Hancock Farm. This helps us ensure that our high standards are met. Unlike much of the competition, we refuse to sell you a seed that was not gathered during the last harvest. You will always receive fresh product from Hancock.
Every seed we grow comes with 40 years of experience behind it...you can rest assured that all of our products are cultivated in a method that assures its potential for growth.
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Big Bluestem is tolerant of a wide range of soils and moistures. Depending on soil and moisture conditions, it grows to a height of 3 – 10 ft. The stem base turns to a blue-purple as it matures. The seed heads have three spike-like projections, resulting in another common name for Big Bluestem "turkey foot." The roots are deep, and the plants send out strong, tough rhizomes, so it forms very strong sod.
Product Information
- Application or Use: Pasture, Forage, Cover Crop
- Germination Time: 14 - 21 days, under optimal conditions. Allow 3-4 weeks for the unstratified seed to break dormancy and germinate, under optimal conditions.
- Growing Locations: Warm Season, Transition Zone
- Height: 3 - 8 feet
- Sunlight Requirements: 8+ hours, full sun for best results
- Advantages: Tolerant to wide range of soils including acidic and salinity soils.
- When to Plant: Recommended planting time is spring and summer when night time temperatures are consistently 65+ degrees.
Product Details
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High quality for domestic animals and wildlife food
- Can grow as tall as 3 feet to 8 feet tall
- Native to the tall grass prairies of North America
- Found primarily in areas that are too wet or too rocky for cultivation
- Serves three functions; food storage, anchoring the plant in the soil, and reproduction
Product Information
Big Bluestem is a warm season grass that starts leaf growth in late spring. The seedhead develops and matures in late summer to fall. This perennial species reproduces both sexually by seeds and asexually by rhizomes. The underground rhizomes send up stems that develop into new plants. Therefore, underground portions of Big Bluestem serve three functions; food storage, anchoring the plant in the soil, and reproduction.
The lower leaves of the Big Bluestem plant are 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide, and are covered with long, soft hairs. The leaves are bluish and then red-purple as the plant matures each growing season. It is this bluish color that inspired the name Big Bluestem.
*Product packaging may appear different than what is pictured.
Plant Big Bluestem in the springtime at a rate of 15 - 20 lbs per acre.
Instructions
When choosing to start a new lawn, remove old vegetation by using a de-thatcher, power rake or tiller to kill the existing vegetation. Rake or drag the area to remove debris and dead grass for a clean area. Ensure the soil is leveled and loosened to allow the seed to have good soil contact once spread on a clean seed bed.
If you have an area with heavy weed coverage, we recommend starting fresh by killing and removing the existing vegetation. If you choose to use chemicals, herbicides or fertilizers, you must check with the product's manufacturer prior to planting new seed to ensure the proper waiting period.
When overseeding an existing area, mow your lawn at the lowest setting and bag the clippingsx. Rake or drag any areas that have dead thatch or debris.