Reed Canary Grass is a tall-growing, perennial grass which is widely distributed across Minnesota and other northern states. Particularly well-adapted to wet soils, it is also productive on upland sites. Product Information Application or Use: Pasture, Cattle Forage, Livestock Grazing, Hay Production Germination Time: 7 - 14 days, under optimal conditions Growing Locations: Warm Season, Transition Zone, Cool Season Height: 2 - 9 feet  Sunlight Requirements: 8+ hours, full sun for best results Advantages: Adapted to wet soils, persistence on poorly drained soils, and  winter hardy. When to Plant: Recommended planting time is spring, fall or winter when night time temperatures are consistently below 65 degrees.   Product Detail Tall-growing perennial Adapted to wet soils Harvested as pasture, silage or hay Superior persistance on poorly drained soils Winter hardy   Product Information Reed Canary Grass spreads by underground stems (rhizomes) and forms a solid sod. It can be harvested as pasture, silage, or hay, whether sown in pure stands or in mixture with legumes. New low-alkaloid varieties of Reed Canary Grass offer potential for improved animal performance and expanded use. Reed Canary Grass is better-adapted to diverse uses and environmental conditions than most other commonly used perennial grasses. Reed Canary Grass has unjustly gained a reputation as a low-quality forage grass. This misconception is in part due to the potentially high-alkaloid content of native ecotypes, and to the frequent practice of delayed mid-Summer harvest of very mature Reed Canary Grass from wetlands that were flooded during the Spring. But modern Reed Canary Grass forage yields and quality are equal to or greater than those of other cool-season forage Grasses when harvested at a similar stage of maturity. Reed Canary Grass has superior persistence on poorly drained soils, yet its yield and persistence under moisture deficits is equal or superior to other commonly grown cool-season grasses. Reed Canary Grass is very winter-hardy. Of the perennial grasses adapted to Minnesota, Reed Canary Grass is among the most persistent. It maintains yield under cutting strategies designed to produce both low and high-quality forage. While Tall Fescue and Orchardgrass do not persist under infrequent cutting and smooth Bromegrass and Timothy do not persist well under frequent cutting (initial cutting before anthesis), Reed Canary Grass persists when cut at a diversity of growth stages. It is, therefore, very adaptable to use as harvested forage or as pasture. Grasses are mixed with legumes to minimize bloat potential, soil erosion, legume heaving and weed invasion inherent in legume monocultures, and to increase hay-drying rates. Recommended Grass composition varies from 20% to 50%, depending on use of the forage. For animals with high-nutrient intake requirements, reduced grass composition is desired. If grass composition exceeds 50%, forage intake potential can be greatly reduced. Because it has a sod-forming habit, Reed Canary Grass can fill in gaps in the stand, and it will never forms clumps in the field, like those found with Orchardgrass. Reed Canary Grass is adapted to mixtures with legumes such as Birdsfoot Trefoil and Alsike Clover, which also tolerate wet soils. On upland sites in southern Minnesota under cutting and grazing, it is more capable than other grasses of preventing weed invasion of mixtures with Birdsfoot Trefoil, without excessively competing with the legume. Reed Canary Grass has a superior capacity to persist and remove nitrogen when irrigated with municipal and industrial waste effluents. *Product packaging may appear different than what is pictured.