How to Grow Canary Grass

Canaries' favorite food is named after them.

Cultivated as birdfeed, annual canarygrass seed is the primary food of canaries. Three of its varieties, 'Keet,' 'Elias' and 'Alden,' were developed in the 1970s and 1980s at the University of Minnesota, a state that's a major birdfeed grower in the United States. Bird owners buy the florets holding the seeds for their birds to pick at and remove the hulls. To get the highest yield, sow this cool-season grass seed as early as possible in spring. Be ready to get them to the seedbed as soon as the ground thaws.

Things You'll Need

• Pickax
• Shovel
• Rototiller (optional)
• Compost
• Rake
• Hoe
• 40 seeds canarygrass per sq. ft.
• Soaker hose
• Water
• Shears

Instructions

1. Till the seedbed to loosen the soil, remove debris and eliminate weeds. In large commercial productions of canarygrass, it's more efficient to use a moldboard plow, which is a tractor-mounted curved metal blade that turns the ground over.

2. Incorporate 2 inches of compost into the soil to fertilize it and to help with water absorption. Canarygrass does poorly in sand and other soils that don't retain moisture. It isn't necessary to add nitrogen to the soil if the ground has organic matter. Rake to make a smooth surface when you finish amending the seedbed.

3. Make furrows 1 inch deep and sow your seeds at the rate of 40 canarygrass seeds per square foot. Back fill the furrows with topsoil. Separate rows by 4 to 7 inches.

4. Lay a soaker hose along the seeded area and irrigate the bed right after sowing. Moisten the top 4 inches of soil surface to give the seeds a humid environment in which to germinate. Keep the seedbed moist to that depth until germination. Continue to give the developing plants ample moisture.

5. Cultivate the seedbed to remove weeds as soon as they sprout. According to Purdue University, there's no herbicide for use on canarygrass growing in the United States.

6. Harvest the seed heads about 105 days after planting the seeds. Wait for the seeds to harden and for the florets to become pale. Commercial growers use a combine to harvest large fields. Use a pair of sharp shears to cut the floretsin your home garden, or leave them on the stalk for the wild birds.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension: Uncommon Crops
• Purdue University--Alternative Field Crops Manual: Annual Canarygrass
• Tiny Farm Blog: Breaking New Ground