What is this feed grass?

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INresponse

INresponse

Awesome Friend
Neighbor
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Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
1,978
Location
Southern Utah
A couple years ago about 5 acres of empty land at the front of the community was fenced in so cattle can occasionally graze there to knock down the desert grasses and weeds. The cattle did a good job but apparently the rancher scattered some seeds to give the cattle something better to graze on and now there is 3 to 4 foot tall grass everywhere with the seeds about to scatter, and the wind carried the darn stuff everywhere in the neighborhood. Their idea was to eliminate a fire hazard but now there is tall dry grass all over that property and along the roads and across the vacant lots in the neighborhood and in the yards of the houses where people left the yards natural.
I tried to look it up myself but there are far too many options and most pictures are not clear or close enough so I gave up and came to the experts.
What is this stuff?

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Peanut said:
I've raised cattle and hay... need a bit more info to make an id. Something in context, a patch of the grass where it's growing. Put a bucket in the photo for size reference.
Click to expand...
I guess I should have thought of that to begin with. =-)
Southern Utah 5300' elevation.
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Just my two cents worth, but it looks like rye grass, kind of like the rye grass growing out on the desert in N.W. Nevada, in the Rye Patch area between Winnemucca and Lovelock.
 
There is an app "picture this" - it's a plant identifying app.
INresponse said:
A couple years ago about 5 acres of empty land at the front of the community was fenced in so cattle can occasionally graze there to knock down the desert grasses and weeds. The cattle did a good job but apparently the rancher scattered some seeds to give the cattle something better to graze on and now there is 3 to 4 foot tall grass everywhere with the seeds about to scatter, and the wind carried the darn stuff everywhere in the neighborhood. Their idea was to eliminate a fire hazard but now there is tall dry grass all over that property and along the roads and across the vacant lots in the neighborhood and in the yards of the houses where people left the yards natural.
I tried to look it up myself but there are far too many options and most pictures are not clear or close enough so I gave up and came to the experts.
What is this stuff?

View attachment 87022View attachment 87023
Click to expand...
Here is a link PictureThis - Online Plant Encyclopedia and Plant Identifier App
 
Thank you all. I think I will agree with those who suggested Rye, but when I searched that I learned it is referred to as Winter Rye or Winter Rye Grain, as opposed to rye grass which is a type of grass for a lawn
https://www.thespruce.com/all-about-winter-rye-grass-5196072The article doesn't mention it being invasive but it hints at it being problematic if you allow it to go to seed. Once it goes to seed it will renew itself. In my area the wind blows strong on a regular basis and the occasional "dust devils" spin up like mini tornados and pick up everything off the ground and scatters it for a hundred yards in every direction. In less than 2 years this stuff has sprouted up a mile away from the fenced in area where cattle graze for a couple weeks maybe twice a year. We have had foxtail grass with nasty sharp pointy seeds similar to the Rye seed pods but the foxtail only grows about 12 or 16 inches tall and the grass portion is very fine and if burned the fire is cool and stays close to the ground. This Winter Rye is 4 feet high in some areas, has a much thicker shaft, and is starting to dry out. If it catches fire the flames will have much more fuel, burn hotter and spread fast across the tall grass.

I am not impressed with the introduction of this in our area. The cattle were supposed to eat down the weeds and stop down the brush to reduce the risk of fire, but now we have a new risk of fire that has spread throughout the entire community.
 
Looks like what we called "Wheat grass" if you have room, just sew sorghum and buckwheat. horses love it and you can eat it too. I've heard if you're not harvesting it for the winter, a crazy mix is best for cattle.
 
The problem is I do not want it around. The past two years it has been spreading around our community and is taking over the roadsides, open areas and the wash. We haven't had rain in a couple months and it is 4 feet tall and drying out just in time for fire season. Being on the side of the streets and highway if a spark or cigarette or car accident lights it on fire it will be very bad and because it is tall it will torch up the Juniper/cedar trees real quick.

I don't know if the rancher scattered seed in the newly fenced in area or if escaped from a crop field just outside our community. But, I do know it was not here at all 3 years ago before the fencing was installed for the cattle. And, the only reason the people in charge had the area fenced was to allow a local rancher to bring the cattle in a couple times a year to eat down the native grasses and stomp down the sage brush to reduce the fire hazard. They took a scattered 2 foot tall fire hazard and made it in thick and spreading 4 foot tall fire hazard.
 
INresponse said:
The problem is I do not want it around. The past two years it has been spreading around our community and is taking over the roadsides, open areas and the wash. We haven't had rain in a couple months and it is 4 feet tall and drying out just in time for fire season. Being on the side of the streets and highway if a spark or cigarette or car accident lights it on fire it will be very bad and because it is tall it will torch up the Juniper/cedar trees real quick.

I don't know if the rancher scattered seed in the newly fenced in area or if escaped from a crop field just outside our community. But, I do know it was not here at all 3 years ago before the fencing was installed for the cattle. And, the only reason the people in charge had the area fenced was to allow a local rancher to bring the cattle in a couple times a year to eat down the native grasses and stomp down the sage brush to reduce the fire hazard. They took a scattered 2 foot tall fire hazard and made it in thick and spreading 4 foot tall fire hazard.
Click to expand...


Somebody needs to let those cows stick around in there for longer and let them overgraze it. Then when it starts coming back (if at all), put the cows back on it before it gets 6 inches high. If they'd do that consistently, it will either kill the stuff off or atleast keep it in check. But once it's gone to seed.........
 
INresponse said:
The problem is I do not want it around. The past two years it has been spreading around our community and is taking over the roadsides, open areas and the wash. We haven't had rain in a couple months and it is 4 feet tall and drying out just in time for fire season. Being on the side of the streets and highway if a spark or cigarette or car accident lights it on fire it will be very bad and because it is tall it will torch up the Juniper/cedar trees real quick.

I don't know if the rancher scattered seed in the newly fenced in area or if escaped from a crop field just outside our community. But, I do know it was not here at all 3 years ago before the fencing was installed for the cattle. And, the only reason the people in charge had the area fenced was to allow a local rancher to bring the cattle in a couple times a year to eat down the native grasses and stomp down the sage brush to reduce the fire hazard. They took a scattered 2 foot tall fire hazard and made it in thick and spreading 4 foot tall fire hazard.
Click to expand...
OH. vinegar kills it and monkey grass.
 
Magus said:
OH. vinegar kills it and monkey grass.
Click to expand...
That could work. I think we would only need about 1000 gallons or so. About 6 or 7 acres, a mile down one highway and a couple miles down the other road, and along a dozen residential streets and maybe 6 or 7 vacant lots, so far.

Basically, it isn't going away and it will continue to spread and make it's way to the fire break clearing on the opposite side of the neighborhood. Even if some people want to remove it from their property there are people who only come here a few times a year for vacation and leave the property as is, meaning the natural desert plants and whatever else sprouts from seeds blowing around.

I have learned that the oats and barley I have planted in a small area of the yard for feed for the birds to graze will not be allowed to go to seed. Whatever the birds don't eat down I will cut down with the weed whacker. I don't need to add to this problem.
 
Test it on a small patch first, I'm 100% sure about monkey grass, only about 80% on the wheat grass.
 
If I had the problem I would have cut it down before it got 4 feet tall. But, the problem is not on my property and the folk in my community I shared the concern with keep telling ME to call the county or the state to tell them to fix a problem that is not on my property.
Funny how some mentioned they have it on their property but wanted someone else to deal with it. (not funny, just the way people are today)

I asked here first because I was trying to identify what was actually growing. I tried searching but with limited knowledge it is hard to find a good result searching "grass seed pod grain". But, thanks to folks here I am pretty sure it is Rye Grain and I used that to post on our community page to share the perceived problem with the others in the community. I will probably be safe this year, at the rate it is spreading I suspect it will be creeping up my street next year. But, I have a new week whacker so early next year I will be cutting down everything I didn't plant to stop everything from going to seed.
 
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