# What forage to plant in wet ground areas?



## Ramon (Nov 6, 2003)

I have some low marshy ground that is pretty much mud 70% of the year and I would like to find something that I could plant there that would both serve as forage as well as perhaps dry it up a bit so I could walk there without sinking into mud and losing my boots. I looked at Reed Canary Grass and it looked like it perfectly fit the bill EXCEPT that it is totally invasive and could potentially take over the whole area and more. Do I have any other options?


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

Ramon,

I have a wet area (spring) that runs down through the middle of my property, it has Reed Canary grass in it. It only spreads out 25 feet on each side until it starts to hit drier ground. Mine is not a variety, so it is not the best. I would suggest looking into a good Reed Canary grass variety. You could also check with your county extension agent and see what else might work. You may want to also check smooth brome grass.

Bobg


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## JeffNY (Dec 13, 2004)

I had reed canary growing in one spot of a field, it hasn't spread, grows thicker than heck, not sure how it got there. I also heard it will spread, but im sure it could be controlled somehow. It would work well in that wet ground, it has more fiber than other plants. Not sure how wet it actually is, but timothy likes moist ground, not saturated, but moist.


Jeff


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Years ago a lot of rice was grown in NC


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

The problem using native or unimproved canarygrass is the high level of alkaloids. Most cattle will not eat it and it decreases the quality. My Longhorns will eat it if that is the only grass that is in a pasture, but if they have their choice of grass it will be the last standing. I use electric fence to section of my pasture for intensive grazing so I can control their selection of the better grasses.

Bobg


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## leaping leon (Jun 10, 2004)

Ramon, our land is "reclaimed" swamp, so I've been looking for some kind of pasture that will grow in wet land just like you are. One plant I am interested in is "big trefoil", and the address for seeds is: www.bigtrefoil.com

Of course, someone who is selling something always makes it look good, so I'm skeptical...but I also don't want to pass up something that might work. I think it also has blooms that feed honeybees...

I did some searching just now and came up with this site: http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi?earl=plant_profile.cgi&symbol=LOPE80

Hmmm...this site looks like a good place for plant research...


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