Descriptions:

Smooth Brome (Bromus inermis):

• A leafy, sod-forming, perennial, cool-season grass that spreads by rhizomes making it very persistent.
  
• The stems vary in height from 2 to 4 feet. The plant produces numerous basal and stem leaves that vary in length from 4 to 10 inches.
  
• Smooth Brome is the most widely used of the cultivated bromegrasses and has been cultivated in the U.S. since the early 1880s.
  
• The grass is highly palatable and is high in protein content and relatively low in crude-fiber content.
  
• Approximately 138,000 seeds per pound
  
• Considered an invasive species in the Midwest

Mountain Brome (Bromus marginatus):

• Yields more and recovers faster than smooth brome. Non-sod forming.
  
• Dries very easily making it a better companion with alfalfa than smooth brome.
  
• Seed 8-15 lbs/acre in a mix or 35 lbs. straight.

Meadow Brome (Bromus biebersteinii):

• Much faster recovery and better fall growth than smooth brome. Non-sod-forming.
  
• Seed 8 lbs/acre with alfalfa or 30 lbs/acre straight.

Best Uses:

• Brome may be used for hay, long-term pasture, silage, or stockpiling.
  
• It is compatible with alfalfa or other adapted legumes.
  
• Since the plant has a massive root system and is a sod former, it can be used effectively for critical area planting and waterways if the areas given adequate moisture.

Adaptation:

• Brome is best adapted to cooler climates and is generally hardier than Organic Tall Fescue or Organic Orchardgrass.
  
• It is resistant to drought and extremes in temperature but will go dormant under these conditions. Fescue is a better choice for summer production.
  
• Brome is susceptible to disease in areas of high humidity.
  
• Brome grows best on slightly acidic to slightly alkaline well-drained clay loam soils with high fertility but it will also grow well on lighter textured soils where adequate moisture and fertility are maintained.
  
• Brome performs best in a pH range of 6.0 to 7.5.

Management considerations:

• Stands are difficult to obtain and growth is poor on soils high in soluble salts.
  
• Due to the slow germination and establishment of Brome, spring seedings are especially preferred in the northern states.

Planting Dates:

• Early to late spring, late summer.
  
• In southern MN: March 15 – May 15, August 1st - August 15th

Seeding Rate:

• 10-20 lbs/acre alone. 3-10 lbs/acre in a mix.
  
• Drill ¼ - ½ inch deep in a well-prepared seedbed. Can be drilled (best method), broadcast or bulk-spread and lightly dragged in.
  
• About 14 days to emergence.

Fertility requirements:

• Brome requires heavy early spring and fall applications of nitrogen to maintain high yields in a pure stand.
  
• Mixtures with alfalfa will require less nitrogen but the alfalfa will usually need phosphorus each year to maintain vigor.

Pasture management

• Do not graze the new seeding. Cut the first crop for hay.
  
• In Bromegrass-Legume pastures, allow the legume to go to bud or early-bloom stage before turning cattle in to avoid bloat hazard, and manage thereafter for optimum regrowth of the legume.
  
• Pastures should not be grazed prior to Brome attaining a minimum height of 10 inches at the beginning of the grazing season.
  
• Grazing pressures should be adjusted throughout the season to avoid grazing this grass to less than a minimum height of 4 inches.
  
• Allow grass to re-grow 4-5 weeks between grazing periods.

Organic Smooth Bromegrass
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G4672

Organic Smooth Bromegrass
http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/uc090.pdf

Bromegrass
http://www.maes.umn.edu/06VarietalTrials/bromegrass.pdf