Seed handled in this way can withstand surprisingly large amounts of rain without damage. In general, production practices for seed production of orchardgrass, timothy, bromegrass and redtop and reed canarygrass are similar to tall fescue, with the following exceptions. After harvest of the seed crop, bromegrass cannot be grazed as close as fescue. Clip after seed harvest, allow it to recover its growth and do not graze closer than 6 inches through the remainder of the growing season. Bromegrass has the capacity to use more nitrogen than fescue and should be topdressed with as much as 120 pounds of nitrogen per acre during the winter months for top seed production.
Old stands require more nitrogen than new ones.
Bromegrass does not shatter its seed as easily as other grasses and usually can be direct combined. If present, they should be removed by roguing before seed harvest. It is nearly impossible to remove these weed seeds from the bromegrass seed after harvest. After the seed harvest, the aftermath may be grazed moderately until growth stops in the fall. No more grazing should be done until after seed harvest the following summer.