Blue Dawn is a perennial grass that spreads by rhizomes and produces large quantities of viable seed when fertility is high and the sward open. Later little seed is produced when the stand thickens and nitrogen fertility runs down. It spreads by seed and expands by rhizomes ( underground stems ) and produces a turf or groundcover with an attractive and distinctive (bluish) colour.
Blue Dawn is established from seed and is suited to sandy and loamy soils in areas with good rainfall as in south-east Queensland and the north coast of New South Wales. it has proved to be the best adapted of all improved tropical grasses on the sandy soil around Stanthorpe. It has grown well and persisted under heavy grazing for many years at Grafton, Gympie, Stanthorpe and Toowoomba.
Blue Dawn is cold and drought tolerant and moderately frost tolerant. It browns off after heavy frost but greens up during warmer winter weather and recovers rapidly in spring and with good rainfall following dry periods. It is tolerant of moderate shade. It has the ability to suppress weeds such as blue helitrope.
Blue Dawn is very palatable to livestock and wildlife and is expected to become an important pasture grass on sandy and friable loamy surfaced soils in higher grazing situations. It has been successfully used as a groundcover on roadsides, in re-vegetating former Brisbane City Council tip sites and as a lawn on sandy and loamy surfaced soils.
Blue Dawn will grow to about 30 to 40 cm high.
Sowing rates:- Lawn 8 to 10 kg per hectare
Pasture 3 to 4 kg per hectare
