Kikuyu Grass – Whittet / Acacia Grass Seed (Pennisetum clandestinum) – For forage / pasture / browsing / grazing!

Kikuyu Grass – Whittet / Acacia (Pennisetum clandestinum)

Forage sowing rate: 2kg – 3kg per hectare in rows of +/- 200mm, or 5kg – 10kg per hectare for full coverage.

Planting time: Sow Kikuyu grass seeds from September to March.

Planting method: Even cultivation of land is beneficial when sowing and weed control is necessary to establish Kikuyu grass.

Fertilization: For Kikuyu grass (based on soil analysis findings) you would require around 200kg – 250kg of P /ha, 100kg – 150kg of K /ha and 700kg – 800kg of N /ha during summer growing season. Irrigation / rainfall is essential when applying N or K chemical fertilizers.

Description: Kikuyu grass is a highly nutritious, robust summer growing creeping perennial grass which develops thick closely noded runners both below and on the soil surface, and it is adapted to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. Best production is obtained in a subtropical / tropical climate when grown in areas receiving more than 700 mm of rainfall.

Although suited to most soils it is not advisable to grow kikuyu grass on soils subjected to waterlogging, on heavy bottomland soils nor on sandy or very shallow soils (there are other species better suited to these situations.)

There are many advantages to planting Kikuyu grass for animal feed, it’s easy to establish, can be planted on steep and / or rocky slopes, can be established without the need for machinery or special equipment, can withstand severe defoliation, is frost resistant, provides for good animal performance, provides for reasonable foggage (standing hay), can be used for silage and hay, can be oversown with temperate grasses (e.g. annual ryegrass) and fodder radish for winter feed, is reasonably drought tolerant, can withstand being burnt, planting material is usually close at hand, an excellent soil erosion control species and promotes water harvest. Although the best production and animal performance will be obtained from rotational grazing.

Kikuyu grass can be continuously grazed!