Aussie Finch Forum

I am cultivating some seeding grasses with the aim of providing a supply throughout the year.
Spring is generally not a problem with lots of grasses seeding and during the summer I have a patch of crab grass that seeds prolifically and responds well to harvesting. I am collecting the excess and freezing what I can.
Are there any grasses that are likely to seed during Perth's winter?

On a separate note my green panic has recently seeded, but the head is very sparse.

Is this a cultivation issue, time of year or perhaps it is just not getting enough sun.
Sorry about the poor photo
Any horticultural assistance would be appreciated.

Cheers
Brett

Looks to me like some local wild birds have beaten you to it.

SamDavis wrote:Looks to me like some local wild birds have beaten you to it.

As Sam said,but it looks like it is flowering,my birds eat it long before the seed sets,just after it breaks out of the sheath?I also give it a good feed of seasol before it starts to seed and keep the water up to it and keep it in full sun. Craig

Winter grass usually does well in Perth's winter.

Or the wind and hot weather as of late may have had some effect on the plant. Keep the water up as it can dry out ,some of my bigger pots have dish under neath to keep the moister up , but not enough to cause root rot from over watering, the other thing I do is a big bucket of water to soak pot over night with seasol added every couple of weeks . A liquid fert closer to winter will help as well.. But watch the ground around the pot as you may get your next crop popping up just like my walk way...

There was some johnson grass on the side of thomas road recently if interested, it will need to be contained thou as it can get away on you........Pete

Thank you for the replies

The birds may have attacked the green panic, but the heads were sparse like this from the beginning.
I will try it with some more sun and a bit of fertiliser and see if things improve.

I have used "winter grass" in the past but never tried to cultivate it. There are probably lots of plants that go by that name, but the one I am familiar with is a very small annual grass. Does it handle "harvesting" or die once the seed heads have been picked?

Cheers
Brett

The Winter grass here in Vic grows in my lawn,and is picked quite often until the better half chucks a wammy for me to mow the lawn but it comes back into seed very quickly.It grows to about 200mm high and the local sparrows seem to go it so it must be a good source of green food. Craig

Wintergrass freezes well and keeps for months, as do most green grass seeds.
Saves time picking grass on winter mornings and hassle on frosty/wet days, and keeps up constant supply when there's not much growing.

Talking to a bloke the other day who reckons the red-eared firetails love the wintergrass when they're feeding chicks.

Brett your panic needs nitrates and the better product to give it a boot is charlie carp and a good feed of dynamic lifter .
It depends on what soil you are growing in also .
A professional grade potting mix does nicely as it contains all the essentials .
Keep the nutrient intake up as the panic will suck the life out of soil in a pot !
On the subject of our "winter grass" I find that shallow pots packed full of the little tussocks are devoured at speed .
In winter I usually just pick as many tussocks out of the lawn as I can be bothered with , chuck them in about 7 pots and cycle them thru on a daily basis . They rejuvenate quite quickly and can be repeatedly harvested over the winter months , again , agood feed of Charlie carp gives it a helping hand .
Hope you find this helpful since winter is upon us .

In winter I usually just pick as many tussocks out of the lawn as I can be bothered with , chuck them in about 7 pots and cycle them thru on a daily basis . They rejuvenate quite quickly and can be repeatedly harvested over the winter months

Thanks Bmac, that sounds like a good idea.

As for the green panic, I have placed it where it gets more sun and it has improved. I am sure you are right and it would benefit from some additional liquid fertiliser. It is still seeding, is this likely to continue much longer or does it have a dormant period over winter.
Crab grass is still growing strongly, so no shortage of seeding grasses currently.

Cheers
Brett