Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass is a cool season perennial grass. It has many worthy attributes and is considered the best overall pasture grass for many areas. Ryegrasses, in general, grow best on fertile, well-drained soils but perennial ryegrass can tolerate wet soils better than some other grasses. It also does not generally tolerate drought or extended periods of extreme temperatures well. Perennial ryegrass will do well in fertile summer-irrigated or sub-irrigated soils. It is not very persistent or productive on lower fertility summer-dry soils. Perennial ryegrass establishes rapidly, has a long growing season, is high yielding under good environmental conditions and proper fertilization, contains high quality nutrients, recovers well after grazing, tolerates traffic, and is valuable as hay, silage, and pasture. It is often used in mixtures with white clover. Perennial ryegrass is highly digestible for all classes of ruminant animals.