Teff Grass Seed

Teff is built for it. It's a fast-growing summer annual with excellent regrowth, giving four or more grazings, or several hay or silage cuts, in a season with good moisture and warm conditions. It responds quickly to nitrogen and thrives under irrigation, and it's fairly drought hardy once established. Teff is an annual and is killed by frost, so plan on resowing each spring.

Very shallow: 3 to 6 mm, into moist soil. Teff seed is tiny, so a firm seedbed is essential for good seed-to-soil contact, and a roller behind the seeder helps, though not on wet soils that may crust. Calibrate the drill carefully for the 3 to 6 kg/ha rate. Sow in spring once soil temperatures are 16°C and rising, and expect emergence within about 5 days.

Cut at the early boot stage, before seed heads appear, usually 45 to 55 days after sowing when the crop is about 70 to 95 cm tall. The canopy is thick and dense, so it often carries more yield than it looks. Leave about 10 cm of stubble for quick regrowth, and take later cuts roughly every 30 to 35 days in the leafy vegetative stage, depending on moisture and fertiliser.

That's lodging, usually caused by too much fertiliser or leaving harvest too late. Teff is a low-input crop: a maximum of about 100 kg/ha of urea or equivalent is enough for high yields, and after a pulse crop it needs little or no extra fertiliser. Cut at early boot, before seed heads emerge, rather than letting it grow on. Lodged teff is difficult to cut and bale.

Hold off until the root system has developed, especially on lighter soils, and start grazing when plants are 50 to 70 cm tall. Don't graze below 10 cm if you want good regrowth. Teff handles heavy grazing, but coarse stems remain unless it's grazed early, so slashing after grazing promotes even regrowth. On very sandy soils, consider cutting hay early in the season and grazing after the last cut.

Teff isn't known to cause the prussic acid poisoning that can occur with forage sorghum, and it's regarded as non-toxic. Like other grasses, though, it can build up high nitrate levels after heavy nitrogen fertiliser combined with drought, so take care grazing stressed crops. It's suited to beef and dairy cattle, sheep and horses. As with any lush, fast-growing feed, introduce hungry stock gradually, and talk to your vet or nutritionist about any specific animal health concerns.

Teff is a good option. It's suited to loams through to heavy soils, tolerates low pH, and grows on soils with a pH (CaCl2) down to 5. It needs 450 mm-plus rainfall, irrigation or good stored moisture, and is fairly drought hardy once established. It has good heat tolerance but isn't frost tolerant, so sow in spring once soils reach 16°C and rising.

A single hay cut typically yields 3 to 5 t/ha. Under irrigation, three cuts can deliver around 10 t/ha of high-quality fodder over a season. Yield depends on moisture, temperature and fertiliser. Teff thrives under irrigation and responds quickly to nitrogen, but too much fertiliser can cause lodging. Cut at about 70 to 95 cm, as the dense canopy often carries more than it looks.

Yes, but deal with the weeds first. There are few labelled herbicides for teff, so control weeds in the previous crop and spray out persistent weeds before sowing. Once it's in, teff is competitive: if there's a two-week window of favourable weather after sowing, it will outcompete most weeds. A firm seedbed and good moisture at sowing give it that fast start, with emergence usually within 5 days.

Teff is a soft, fine-stemmed, leafy forage that's very palatable. It typically runs 9 to 14% protein with an NDF of 53 to 56%, and the hay is high in calcium, phosphorus, iron and trace elements. Quality is best when the first cut is taken at early boot, before seed heads appear, and later cuts in the leafy stage. Feed test your own hay before building rations, as quality varies with cutting time and growing conditions.