Best grasses for geese ?

[mominoz]

I live in NW ga. and my new property has what seems to be centipede (short thick blades that spreads by creeping) (not bermuda I know bermuda and fescues), turns brown in winter. Fall & winter they lose any grass for winter. There is some crab grass, fescue and a bit of clover I seeded. But I am thinking the centipede is taking over and the geese don't get much value out of it. Any ideas?

 

[Cottage Rose]

Grass or weeds are most nutritious when young before they flower and go to seed.
Legumes like alfalfa and clover are higher protein content.
We have alot of Quack Grass and the geese do well on that
because we mow it to keep it from getting tall and old.
It's hard when an undesirable weed starts to take over.
You almost have to resort to digging it up if the land is used for grazing.
Personally I wouldn't use an herbicide, but some people just spray
Round-up and then re-seed.
You can also kill off undesirable weeds quickly by covering them with black plastic
then re-seeding the ground with what you want to grow there.
Good luck!

 

[DaveK]

I can't give any advice about specific grasses for your area of the country but with geese it's easy. Think LAWN. They won't care if it's cut twice a week to keep it extremely tidy but the cutting will help keep fresh new growth coming and that is what's best. You might talk to landscapers, the local golf courses, the ag extension services and just look around and see what is doing well as lawn grasses in your area. I would plant a variety of grasses as well as any clovers or other legumes that might tolerate mowing. It doesn't have to be a low setting either. Some people scalp as though the mower ought to be a rotatiller. A mixture will allow for the fact that some varieties green up earlier, some last into the summer better, and some might do better or worse than others in your own situation. In this way your bases are covered as far as hopefully having planted several different things that might do well and different types of grasses etc. is more of a variety of nutrients for your birds.