When seeding reed canarygrass in a mixture, decrease the seeding rate to 6-8 lb. per acre for reed canarygrass. Reed Canarygrass Harvest Management Reed canarygrass can be used for pasture, hay or silage. Recovery following defoliation is excellent in the spring and early summer and is fair to good in late summer and early fall. However, it is frost-sensitive and will turn brown quickly after early fall frosts. Reed canarygrass is high yielding when cut for hay or silage.
Highest yield is obtained when harvested at heading.
In contrast, highest quality is obtained before seed heads begin to appear and declines rapidly thereafter. This change in quality is primarily due to increases in portions of the stem relative to the leaf. There is not a close relationship between time of first harvest and stand persistence. Regrowth after harvesting reed canarygrass will be leafy with stem elongation but no seed heads will be produced. When using reed canarygrass for pasture, excessive forage growth must be avoided to maintain quality and palatability.