Puccinellia

We recommend Puccinellia. It is the most salt-tolerant of all commercially available grasses, handles waterlogging, and is highly palatable, even when mature. It has excellent feed value compared with other species that grow on heavily saline land, and its main advantage is lifting stocking rates on these difficult soils.

For Puccinellia, we recommend 2 to 4 kg/ha as a monoculture or 1 to 2 kg/ha in a mix, using the higher rate where salt scald is worse. Sow shallow, as the seed is small, from autumn to early winter. Choose paddocks free of barley grass, and watch for red-legged earth mite at establishment.

With Puccinellia, wait until the second year after planting, then graze in late autumn and winter. Avoid overgrazing in spring and early summer, because it can pull out plants and reduce ground cover, especially with sheep. Graze rotationally, and use it over summer as dry standing feed.

Puccinellia is excellent green feed, but crude protein and digestibility fall as plants mature, to less than 5% CP and around 50% digestibility, which is barely enough to maintain liveweight. It can be grazed as dry standing feed over summer, but we recommend planning supplementary feeding in late summer.

Probably not with Puccinellia. It tolerates salinity and winter waterlogging, but it needs a dry soil surface in summer and does not survive where the surface stays wet over summer. It is also sensitive to waterlogging during establishment. For such sites, talk to us about Tall Wheat Grass or other options.

Puccinellia is a low-input, winter-active perennial for saline and waterlogged areas, suited to 350mm+ rainfall, although wet, poorly drained winter soils matter more than rainfall itself. It responds quickly to opening rains, thrives in winter and spring flooding, and responds to nitrogen. It suits loam to heavy soils.

We recommend pairing Puccinellia with Tall Wheat Grass, which is an ideal companion on saline, poorly drained soils. On less salty margins, Paradana Balansa clover can add a legume. Sow Puccinellia at 1 to 2 kg/ha in a mix and keep sowing shallow.

Yes, there are no noted livestock disorders or toxicity with Puccinellia. It is very palatable and suits sheep grazing, although sheep can pull plants out if spring grazing is too heavy. Graze rotationally, and plan supplementary feed in late summer, when its protein and digestibility drop.

Puccinellia prefers neutral to alkaline soils but has been grown successfully on soils as low as pH 5.5 (CaCl2). It suits loam to heavy soils that are saline and wet in winter but dry on the surface in summer. Sow shallow at 2 to 4 kg/ha as a monoculture.

Puccinellia is the most salt-tolerant commercial grass and is very palatable, but it needs a dry surface in summer. Tall Wheat Grass suits a wider range of soils, including highly alkaline ones, needs 450mm+ rainfall, and is slower to establish. The two work well together on mixed saline sites.