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Agronomy Guide

Extension » Agronomy Guide » Crop and Soil Management » Tables » Table 1.8-3. Characteristics of some perennial forages grown in the northeastern United States

Table 1.8-3. Characteristics of some perennial forages grown in the northeastern United States

**Table 1.8-3. Characteristics of some perennial forages grown in the northeastern United States.**
Species	Soil moisture adaption	Soil fertility adaption	Drought tolerance	Periods of production	Rel. maturity classification¹	Growth habit	Height classification
Maturity classification refers to the relative timing of heading or flowering and depends not only on species but also on variety. The growth habit of tall fescue depends on harvest management: under lax cutting, bunch; under intense cutting, sod. Depends on fall management and winter temperatures. Warm-season grasses mature in mid- to late summer depending on species. Height of birdfoot trefoil depends largely on variety.
Cool-season grasses
Kentucky bluegrass	Well-drained to moist	Good to medium	Poor	Early spring and late fall	Early	Dense sod	Short
Timothy	Well-drained to moist	Medium to fair	Poor	Late spring and fall	Medium-late to late	Bunch	Tall
Smooth bromegrass	Well-drained	High to good	Good	Spring, summer, and fall	Medium-late	Open sod	Tall
Orchardgrass	Droughty to moist	Medium to fair	Good	Early spring, summer, and fall	Early to medium	Bunch	Tall
Reed canarygrass	Droughty to wet	Medium to fair	Very good	Early spring, summer, and fall	Medium-late	Open sod	Tall
Perennial ryegrass	Well-drained to moist	Good to medium	Poor	Early spring and late fall	Early to medium	Bunch	Short
Tall fescue	Droughty to moist	Medium to fair	Good	Early spring, summer, and fall	Medium-late	Variable²	Tall
Matua prairiegrass	Droughty to moist	Medium to fair	Very good	Early spring, summer, and fall³	Medium	Bunch	Tall
Warm-season grasses
Switchgrass	Droughty to moist	Poor to fair	Excellent	Summer	Very late⁴	Bunch	Tall
Big bluestem	Droughty to moist	Poor to fair	Excellent	Summer	Very late³	Bunch	Tall
Legumes
Alfalfa	Well-drained	High to good	Very good	Spring, summer, and early fall	Medium-early	Bunch	Tall
Red Clover	Well-drained	Good to medium	Fair	Spring, summer, and fall	Medium	Bunch	Tall
Birdsfoot trefoil	Droughty to wet	Medium to fair	Good	Spring, summer, and early fall	Medium-late to late	Bunch	Medium⁵
White clover, common	Moist	Medium	Poor	Spring and fall	Medium	Spreading	Short
White clover, Ladino	Moist	Good to medium	Poor	Spring, summer, and fall	Medium	Spreading	Short

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