Seed heavily for economical erosion control; seed thinly as a good nurse crop when establishing perennial stands for pasture or lawn. Dense fibrous root systems withstand temporary flooding and are effective at holding soil and improving tilth. Uncut, will grow to 2–4', but should be kept mowed if you wish to prevent reseeding.

Does not reliably winterkill. A good choice for a first cover crop when converting forest land to cropland; it isn’t picky about where it establishes, and it effectively “retrains” the soil’s microbial population to foster annual plants instead of woody growth.

As annual forage: Nutritious and highly palatable until heading, but low quality after heading. Outstanding seedling vigor, readily reseeds, and tolerates close grazing. We currently carry a tetraploid variety, making it even more well-suited for grazing.

Seed at 25–40#/acre, 1–2#/1000 sq ft. ②