Plant · P-1166

Reed Canary Grass

Phalaris arundinacea

Reed Canary Grass is a cool-season wetland grass that gets going before almost anything else in spring, then slows down when summer turns dry. It tolerates weeks of standing water and takes heavy nitrogen feeding to perform, which is why it is the grass most often planted to filter nutrients out of wastewater and livestock effluent. Grazing management matters: forage quality falls fast once it heads out, and some seed lines carry alkaloids that can cause staggers in cattle, so growers plant low-alkaloid cultivars instead. Left alone it spreads by rhizome, seed and rooting stems all at once, forming a permanent stand that easily overtakes a wet bank or ditch.