Low-growing, prostrate striate lespedeza varieties are most tolerant of grazing. For best results, annual lespedeza should be rotationally grazed when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall and grazed no closer than 2 inches. Lespedeza must not be overgrazed early in the season or regrowth potential will be decreased during summer. Pastures should be grazed lightly or rested in September, October and November to help ensure good reseeding. Marion' striate lespedeza has shown some ability to persist in Arkansas bermudagrass pastures, and sericea lespedeza has been successfully maintained in bahiagrass pastures in Mississippi.
Lespedeza is more compatible with cool-season bunchgrasses like tall fescue or orchardgrass.
When grown with these grasses, spring forage is likely to be mostly grass and summer forage will be mostly lespedeza. If lespedeza is crowded out by the grasses, it can be restored by disking the sod and overseeding with lespedeza every third year. Annual lespedeza is excellent feed for stocker cattle. Annual lespedeza is also a good forage for dairy heifers and horses. Sericea should not be allowed to become mature and coarse when pastured, or animals will not eat it readily.