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<br /> <br />• <br />Description <br />General: Grass Family (Poaceae). As one of the <br />common names implies, the spikes, spikelets, <br />glumes, lemmas, and leaves of what was considered <br />pubescent wheatgrass were densely covered with <br />hairs, whereas intermediate wheatgrass vegetative <br />structures are for the most part smooth, but may have <br />ciliate hairs on the leaf margins. The materials of <br />both are now considered to be encompassed by the <br />species Thinopyrum intermedium. <br />Intermediate wheatgrass grows to 3 to 4 feet tall. It is <br />a long-lived, cool season grass with short rhizomes <br />and a deep feeding root system. The seed spikes may <br />be up to 4 to 8 inches long. Leaves are 4-8 mm wide <br />and green to blue-green in color and sometimes <br />drooping. The lemmas, paleas, and glumes are <br />smooth to pubescent. The glumes are acute to blunt, <br />generally five nerved, awnless to awn tipped. The <br />florets are usually fewer than seven. Intermediate <br />wheatgrass commercial seed often contains both <br />pubescent and glabrous forms. <br />Distribution: Intermediate <br />wheatgrass is a perennial grass <br />introduced in 1932 from <br />Europe and Asia. Included in <br />this group is a form that was <br />known as pubescent wheatgrass <br />(Agropyron trichophorum), <br />which was introduced in 1934 <br />from Europe and Asia and <br />considered slightly more <br />drought tolerant and winter <br />hardy. For current U.S. <br />distribution, please consult the <br />Plant Profile page for this <br />species on the PLANTS Web <br />site. <br />Hitchcock (1950) <br />Establishment <br />Adaptation: Intermediate wheatgrass is adapted to <br />areas with 12 to 13 inches of annual rainfall or <br />greater. The pubescent form can tolerate slightly <br />more droughty conditions of about 11 to 12 inches of <br />rainfall or greater. It performs best above 3500 and <br />up to 9000 feet elevation. It can be seeded at lower <br />elevations, but its moisture requirement is greater. It <br />is not as drought tolerant as 'Hycresf, Nordan', <br />'Ephraim', 'Douglas', 'Fairway' crested wheatgrasses <br />(Agropyron cristatum); 'P27', 'Vavilov' Siberian <br />wheatgrasses (Agropyron fragile); or'Bozoisky- <br />Select', 'Mankota' Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys <br />juncea). <br />Intermediate wheatgrass prefers well drained loamy <br />to clayey textured soils. The pubescent form <br />performs best on loamy to sandy to shallow soils. It <br />will tolerate slightly acidic to mildly saline <br />conditions, is cold tolerant, can withstand moderate <br />periodic flooding in the spring, and is very tolerant of <br />fire. The pubescent form can tolerate lower fertility, <br />more alkaline soils, higher elevations, and drier <br />conditions than glabrous form. It performs poorly on <br />wet, poorly drained, and moderately saline to alkaline <br />soils with prolonged inundation. <br />Planting: It should be seeded with a drill at a depth of <br />1/2 inch or less on medium to fine textured soils and <br />no more than I inch deep on coarse textured soils. <br />Recommended seeding rates are 10 to 12 pounds <br />Pure Live Seed (PLS) per acre or 21 to 25 PLS seeds <br />per square foot. A firm weed free seedbed enhances <br />stand establishment. It is compatible with other <br />species, particularly alfalfa (Medicago spp.). Stand <br />longevity and seeding with alfalfa can enhance <br />productivity. If used as a component of a mix, adjust <br />to percent of mix desired. The best dryland results <br />are obtained from seeding in very early spring on <br />heavy to medium textured soils and in late fall <br />(dormant) on medium to light textured soils. <br />Irrigated lands should be seeded in spring through <br />summer. Late summer (August - mid September) <br />seedings are not recommended unless irrigation is <br />available. <br />For mind lands, roadsides, and other harsh critical <br />areas, the seeding rate should be increased to 15 to 18 <br />pounds PLS per acre or 31 to 38 PLS seeds per <br />square foot. <br />Intermediate wheatgrass establishes fairly quickly, <br />more quickly than Regar' meadow brome or smooth <br />brome varieties. Seedling vigor is good to excellent. <br />Under favorable conditions intermediate wheatgrass <br />provides good noxious weed suppression. It makes <br />good spring growth, fair summer growth, and good <br />fall growth, if moisture is available. Light, frequent <br />irrigation is beneficial for stand establishment. <br />Protect a new seeding until it is fully established and <br />are able to withstand pulling by grazing animals <br />without being uprooted. It is desirable to cut at least <br />one hay crop prior to grazing. <br />Stands may require weed control measures during <br />establishment. Application of 2,4-D should not be <br />made until plants have reached the four to six leaf <br />stages. Mow weeds at or prior to their bloom stage. <br />Grasshoppers and other insects may also damage new <br />stands and pesticides may be needed.