The fertility of the soil and the amount of rain you receive ... must be perfect! I remember Sudan Grass from my childhood in the late 50s ... and it never looked like this!
Sorghum-sudangrass hybrids are unrivaled in adding organic matter to eroded soils. These tall, fast-growing, heat-loving summer annual grasses can drown weeds, suppress some species of nematodes, and penetrate compacted subsoil once mown. Seed cost is modest. Following a legume cover crop, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids are the best choice for regeneration of over-farmed or compacted fields.
Crossbreeds are crosses between forage type sorghums and sundangrass. Compared to corn, they have less leaf area, more secondary roots, and a brighter leaf surface, properties that help them withstand drought (361). Like corn, they need good fertility - and often supplemental nitrogen - for optimal growth. Compared to Sudangrass, these hybrids are taller, coarser, and more productive.
Forage sorghum plants are larger, more leafy and mature later than grain sorghum plants. Compared to sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, these are shorter, less drought tolerant and do not regrow. Still, forage sorghums and most forms of sudangrass can be used, as is the same cover trimming roles as sorghum-sudangrass hybrids. All species related to sorghum and sudangrass produce compounds that inhibit certain plants and nematodes. They are not frost resistant and should be planted in spring at least six weeks before the first frost or after the soil warms in the summer.
