Keeping animals fed during the warmer months is fairly easy. You just have to know what kind of grass to plant in the fields to keep your animals full and healthy. If you live in the Gulf Coast region, there are a number of grass varieties that grow thick, tall and luscious fields of grass, perfect for grazing livestock. You can start with just seeding the fields in the cooler months and rotating your livestock around to give the grass a chance to grow, or you can purchase sod that would take root quickly and feed your animals within a couple of weeks. Here are some grass varieties that fare quite well in the Gulf Coast, Southeastern and Southwestern coastal regions and will be excellent food for your animals.
St Augustine Grass
St Augustine grass is a very thick, lush type of grass that thrives in hot and humid climates. It was originally planted on islands south of Florida's coast, but made its way up into the states with farmers that settled here. It grows rapidly and has no problem with growing in marshy wet areas either. Thanks to the efforts of agriculturalists and horticulturalists, there are more than a dozen sub-varieties of this grass that can grow in just about any type of soil.
Kentucky Bluegrass
Also known as "meadow grass," this grass can grow to nearly three feet, providing a substantial meal for your livestock. (When it reaches its full height, the tips of the grass turn blue, which is where the moniker "bluegrass" comes from.) It has to be planted in well-drained soil, but it will grow every bit as thick and lush as St Augustine grass if given adequate time. It is drought and heat resistant, and unlike St Augustine grass, it will still grow in partial shade.
Bermuda Grass
So named for its broad leaves and tropical origins, Bermuda grass is similar in appearance and growing nature to St Augustine grass but has its differences. Bermuda grass tends to grow like a weed grass—fast, short and spreading quickly. If you need to fill one or more of your fields with grass to feed your livestock and you need to do it in the shortest amount of time possible, bypass growing the Bermuda grass from seeds (which is still quicker than the previously mentioned types of grass) and put down Bermuda grass sod. Your animals can happily graze on it in about a week, give or take a few sunny, high temp days.
For more information on different grass types, check out websites like https://californiasodcenter.com/.
