Green Spirit Italian Ryegrass by Barenbrug
Green Spirit delivers excellent forage quality for up to two years, with quick regrowth and an extended spring-to-fall growing window that outproduces most cool-season grasses. It blends diploid and tetraploid Italian ryegrasses — tetraploids for dry-matter production and palatability, diploids for persistence and disease resistance.
Key Features
- High dry-matter production, harvested 4-5 times per season
- Little to no seed heads in the first year
- Performs across all planting zones and soil types, from heavy clay to light sand
Adaptation by Region
- Northern U.S.: spring-planted annual
- Transition zone: biennial forage crop
- Southern U.S.: winter annual, alone or mixed with winter cereals
- Western U.S.: performs well with supplemental irrigation
Establishment
Plant in fall or spring, ideally by drilling, after applying 100 lbs of 20:20:20 fertilizer. For fall planting, seed right after harvest and graze or cut before winter to thicken the stand. For spring planting, seed early in the season. Works well as a nurse crop or interplanted into alfalfa.
