Detailed Explanation of the Key Points of Bahia Grass Cultivation and Management Techniques
Bahia grass is suitable for growing in tropical and subtropical regions with annual rainfall above 750 mm. Most areas of southern China, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei and Anhui, are suitable for planting it. It is not demanding about soil and still grows strongly on relatively dry sandy soil with low fertility. With many basal leaves, good tolerance to trampling, well-developed stolons, a high coverage rate and low maintenance requirements, it is an excellent plant in southern China for road slope protection, soil and water conservation and landscaping.
Cultivation Value
The stems and leaves of bahia grass are tender, nutritious, contain a complete range of amino acids with a high glutamic acid content, and have good palatability. It is a high-quality forage for cattle, sheep, pigs, rabbits, geese, fish and so on; for example, feeding it to pigs can save 10% of concentrated feed. Fresh grass yield is 40,000 to 75,000 kg per hectare per year. It is effective at improving soil and increasing fertility; according to surveys, after three to five years of planting, soil organic matter can increase by 2%. Bahia grass grows quickly, has good coverage performance, and significantly stabilises soil and conserves water, making it an excellent grass species for soil and water conservation. In addition, bahia grass has a long green period, abundant leaves, a thick grass layer and is especially tolerant of trampling, so it can be used as planting material for greening and landscaping.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Key points of cultivation techniques: Choose a suitable variety. For example, the small-leaf type is relatively cold-tolerant, and seedlings have strong reproductive capacity and grow rapidly, with a seed germination rate of 50%. The large-leaf type is less cold-tolerant and not suitable for propagation in winter, but it has a high grass yield and a very low seed germination rate, generally 20%, and is usually propagated by cuttings. Bahia grass is mainly propagated by division, using stolon cuttings. Because it roots at the nodes, it survives very easily, with a survival rate of up to 100%. Each 1—2 nodes of a stolon can serve as one cutting, and the annual propagation coefficient is as high as 50. Sowing and raising seedlings have stricter requirements: the seeds must be treated to loosen the glumes, and the germination rate is not high. The sowing rate is 112.5 kg per hectare. Planting bahia grass is best done from March to June, and autumn planting can also survive. Generally, 90,000—120,000 plants are planted per hectare. Before planting, deep plough 20 cm, and apply 375 kg of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus plus 3,000 to 4,200 kg of livestock manure per hectare as base fertiliser. After planting during the summer drought, water appropriately once or twice. Weeds should be removed promptly in the early planting stage, and after 2 to 3 months the ground can be completely covered. According to the growth situation, after cutting the green grass, promptly apply nitrogen fertiliser at 225 to 300 kg per hectare to promote tillering and growth of bahia grass, thereby increasing fresh grass yield.
2. Sowing: Bahia grass is best planted in spring or early summer. If there is not enough rainfall or good irrigation conditions, do not sow during the hottest part of summer, otherwise the emergence of seedlings will be very poor. If used as a lawn, the sowing rate of bahia grass is 15 g/m2, and the sowing depth is 1 cm. If used for soil and water conservation or as forage, the sowing rate can be appropriately reduced. Within 3 to 5 weeks after sowing, irrigate frequently in small amounts every day. After the seedlings emerge uniformly, reduce the number of irrigations but increase the amount of water each time to promote the development of the bahia grass root system. A successfully established bahia grass lawn has very strong drought resistance and does not need frequent irrigation. Because bahia grass seeds germinate and establish very slowly, they can be mixed and sown with about 10% perennial ryegrass or annual ryegrass as a transition to increase the speed of lawn formation and reduce weed damage. Variety: Pensacola. Compared with common varieties, it has stronger upright growth and medium-fine leaves. It has stout rhizomes and very strong invasiveness, and is suitable for soil and water conservation and ordinary green space construction. It grows well on poor sandy soil, and its mixed sowing effect with other grasses such as carpet grass and bermuda grass is very good.
3. Maintenance and management: Bahia grass has good drought tolerance, but grows best with regular irrigation or relatively even rainfall. In areas without frost in winter, bahia grass can remain evergreen all year round. In areas where winter temperatures are relatively low, bahia grass has a certain yellowing period, and annual or perennial ryegrass can be oversown to maintain the green colour of the lawn.
Disease and Pest Control
Bahia grass can be sown in spring or autumn. In South China, spring sowing is most suitable in March-May when the 10-day average temperature reaches above 15 degrees and the weather is humid; autumn sowing should be carried out before mid-September. It can be sown alone, and it can also be mixed-sown very well with strongly invasive bermuda grass and carpet grass, with a sowing rate of 10-15 kg per mu. After sowing, compact with a roller. When planting on land with a certain slope, hydroseeding is best, and the sowing rate for hydroseeding is 20-25 kg per mu. After sowing, irrigate once each morning and evening every day to keep the surface soil moist. Bahia grass grows relatively slowly during the seedling stage, the seedlings are weak, and their competitiveness against weeds is weak, so weed damage during the seedling stage is relatively serious. Therefore, special attention should be paid to weed control before and after sowing.