Requirements and uses
- Areas with rainfall higher than 500 mm
- Well adapted to medium and low potential soils
- Successfull on soils with high clay content, but cannot withstand waterlogging
- Mainly a pasture grass – utilized from mid summer and later
- It is a sweet grass and keeps its palatability until late in winter – even after being killed by frost
- Excellent as fodder
- Good quality silage if its chopped fine enough
- Invasion of Eragrostis can pose a problem for the lifespan of Smutsfinger grass
Establishment
- November, January and February best sowing months
- Stop 8 weeks before the first frost is expected
- Where weeds are not a serious problem, you can sow during September/October
Soil preparation
Two important points:
- Soil surface must be dry. Germination will take place with first rains.
- The subsoil must be wet. This will benefit if dry weather is experienced after germination.
Utilization
- Does not like heavy grazing
- Prefer long rest periods
- Should be grazed before piping for highest crude protein
- Used in summer – CP about 10%
- Used in winter – CP about 8%
- Withdraw animals after December for winter usage
Seed mixtures
- Smuts finger grass with Rhodes grass is 2 kg Rhodes + 4 kg Smutsfinger per ha
- Works well with lucerne (in rows), bloating still a possibility
- Four grass mix: Smuts finger, Rhodes grass, Panicum maximum en Anthephora pubescens (Botle brush grass) 1 kg each per ha for uncoated seed