Teff Grass

Description

Teff Grass
Scientific Name: Eragrostis tef

Teff grass is a warm season annual grass developed for high forage production. Great Basin Seed sells Dessie Teff, a variety developed by Farm Science Genetics.

• New high yielding warm season annual forage grass variety
• Excellent palatability and forage quality
• Ideal for horses and other livestock
• Great for use as an emergency forage crop and for double cropping
• Good for interseeding thin alfalfa stands in final year of production
• Excellent rotational crop when replacing alfalfa or perennial grass stands
• Can be used as a green manure crop and for erosion control

Dessie Teff Grass is a new warm season annual grass variety developed for high forage production and forage quality without the problems of other summer annual grasses such as prussic acid or nitrate buildup. Dessie makes the ideal hay for horses with great palatability, digestibility, a mineral content high in calcium and iron and an attractive green color which is important for the premium horse hay market. Dessie is widely adapted throughout the United States and will tolerate drought conditions as well as wet soils. Dessie is a low input crop that has very few disease or pest problems and does not require high amounts of fertilizer for optimum production. Remember, for profitable summer forage production, Dessie is the answer.

Planting:

• Plant after all risk of frost has passed. Typically late May through late July
• Teff grass does not germinate well in cool soils
• Seeding rate 8 to 12 lbs/acre for coated seed
• Broadcast or drill
• Firm seedbed
• Seeding depth 1/8 to 1/4 inch
• Emergence in 3 to 6 days under optimum conditions

Fertilizer: 

• Teff needs adequate Phosphorous, Potassium and Sulfur – SOIL TEST
• 50 pounds Nitrogen per acre at planting. Small
  amounts of N may be needed after each cutting, however too much N causes
  severe lodging.

Harvest:

• For optimum quality, harvest in pre-boot to early boot stage, approximately 45 to 50 days after planting
• Harvest regrowth in 40 to 45 days depending on location and environmental conditions
• Cutting height 3 to 4 inches