Bermuda Grass Speedie

We recommend Bermuda Couch Speedie for irrigated summer horse pasture. Bermuda grass has proven one of the best perennial grasses for irrigated summer pastures in Australia. In irrigated WA areas it can usually be grazed from mid-October until frosts in May, and a planting can generally carry about four horses per hectare over that period.

For Bermuda Couch Speedie, the ideal planting time is from mid-October to December. The soil must stay damp throughout germination and for at least 1 to 2 weeks after sowing, so plan your irrigation or sow into good moisture. We also suggest a light irrigation 3 to 5 days after the first watering to stop the surface crusting.

For Bermuda Couch Speedie we recommend 7 to 10 kg/ha for pasture and around 100 kg/ha for turf. Our catalogue advises sowing as near 6cm deep as possible and warns against planting too deep. Drilling into a dry seedbed and then irrigating up works well unless the soil has been disked to kill germinated weeds.

Bermuda Couch Speedie is suited to commercial pasture or hay production where total soluble salts in water restrict other crops. It performs best in moderately acidic to neutral soils (pH 5.8 to 7.0, CaCl2) but also tolerates more alkaline conditions. It is a heavy user of nitrogen, so plan regular fertiliser applications through the growing season.

Usually not, if you have sown Bermuda Couch Speedie. It spreads by above-ground stolons and below-ground rhizomes, so it is very good at self-repairing, and bare patches from the first sowing are often filled in without a second sowing. Keep the soil moist, fertilise with nitrogen and avoid grazing too close in the early harvests.

Yes, we recommend Bermuda Couch Speedie for irrigated summer hay. Our catalogue reports hay yields of 11 to 22 tonnes per hectare a season from about six cuttings. When properly fertilised, irrigated and harvested, the hay has a total digestible nutrient value about equal to lucerne hay, though with less digestible protein. First harvest is about 90 days after planting.

For Bermuda Couch Speedie we recommend strip grazing, confining stock to a section they can graze off in 2 to 3 days. Keep the sward under 15cm, cutting any excess for green chop or hay. Let the topsoil dry after irrigation before restocking to avoid compaction, and don't graze or mow below 4cm during the first 2 or 3 harvests.

Speedie has been dehulled, so it germinates a little quicker than normal unhulled Bermuda grass seed, and ours is also coated. Faster germination helps establishment in the warm mid-October to December sowing window. Keep the soil damp for at least 1 to 2 weeks after sowing, and expect first harvest about 90 days after planting.

Yes, Bermuda Couch Speedie is a tough perennial. Its extensive root system lets it survive extended drought or waterlogging. It goes dormant and loses colour over winter and with frost, but keeps an intact surface and greens up quickly once rain falls after summer dormancy. Note that it does not tolerate shade well.

It depends on your site. Bermuda Couch Speedie suits irrigated summer pasture, hay and salty water, and survives drought. Our Kikuyu is popular for coastal South West sheep and cattle pastures and spreads fast. Our Carpet Grass is the pick for poor, low-fertility or shaded ground, but isn't drought or salt tolerant. All three are summer-active perennials.