Forage Fax

Bastard cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum) is a cool-season annual, multi-branched, herbaceous plant native to Eurasia that grows from one to five feet or more in height.  It has a robust taproot and dark green leaves that are lobed and wrinkled, but sometimes have a reddish cast.  Bastard cabbage typically flowers from early spring into summer, bearing clusters of small, showy yellow flowers at the tips of its branches.  Bastard cabbage can be identified by its unusually shaped two-segmented seed capsule.  The seed capsule is stalked, with a long beak… Read More →

Silver Leaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.) is an upright, usually prickly perennial in the nightshade family. It normally grows 1 to 3 feet tall and reproduces by seed and creeping root stalks. Leaves have a silver color (hence the name) with wavy margins and are lance shaped to narrowly oblong. Flowers are violet or bluish (sometimes white) with yellow centers. The fruits are round and yellow and are present from May to October. The plant has poor forage value for livestock and wildlife and can be poisonous to… Read More →

Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is often referred to as nutgrass or watergrass. Yellow nutsedge is a perennial plant that reproduces primarily by small underground tubers (called nutlets) that form at the end of underground stems (rhizomes). A single plant can produce several hundred of these tubers throughout the summer. Yellow nutsedge can also spread by rhizomes. Yellow nutsedge can be identified by the triangular shape of its stem as can all sedges. You can feel the shape by rolling the stem in your fingertips. One method of control… Read More →

Curly Dock (Rumex crispus) is a perennial broadleaf plant that usually grows in wet areas and is frequently associated with standing water. Leaves are alternate to one another along the stem forming a rosette. The mature plant stands erect and grows 2 to 5 feet tall. Leaves are alternate to one another along the stem. The small greenish flowers are arranged in dense clusters on elongated stems. The fruiting stem dies back in mid to late summer, and the fruits and stems turn a distinctive rusty brown. New… Read More →

Blackhawk Arrowleaf Clover is a new cultivar that was released by Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Overton, TX in 2013. Blackhawk has multiple disease tolerance compared to Apache and Yuchi cultivars. Blackhawk is slightly earlier in maturity than Apache arrowleaf and is in full bloom around May 10 at Overton, TX. Test soil and follow lime and fertilizer recommendations Soil pH should be 6.0 to 6.5 Plan acreage needed (0.5 to 0.8 acre/cow + calf) Graze or hay warm season grasses to about 2-inch height before planting. Disturb sod… Read More →

WEED OF THE WEEK: Hemp Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum L.) Hemp dogbane is an erect, one to three feet tall perennial. It grows from woody horizontal rootstocks. Leaves are smooth, elliptical, narrow and erect. Flowers are small with five greenish-white petals. Leaves and stems have a milky sap. Seed pods are long and slender. Hemp dogbane plants produce from 800-12,000 seeds per plant. Each plant usually has 10 to 60 seed pods and each pod contains between 80-200 seeds.Hemp dogbane is very competitive. It can reduce forage yields if not… Read More →

Broadleaf Marshedler (Iva annua L.) is a warm season annual in the Sunflower family. Also called broadleaf sump weed. The leaves are situated in pairs across from each other on the stem. Marshelder grows in wet, moist areas, disturbed areas, and roadsides. This plant germinates in the early spring in February or March. The flowers, which resemble those of the ragweed group, are inconspicuous. It flowers in later summer and fall. Select Herbicide Options: Weedmaster 2, 4-D GrazonNext HL Duracor Grazon P+D Milestone PastureGard Chaparral (for bermudagrass pastures,… Read More →

Sugarcane aphids feed on and damage all species of Sorghum grown for grain, forage and hay.  Aphids feed on plant sap and infested leaves turn yellow and then brown and die, reducing forage yield. Sugarcane aphids also produce large amounts of honeydew, a sticky waste product that accumulates on leaves.  A black sooty mold sometimes grows on the honeydew, turning leaves black.  The honeydew on leaves and stems can gum up harvest machinery.   The following practices can reduce the risk of sugarcane aphid damage: Plant hybrids with… Read More →