Meadow foxtail

How to recognise it

Habit

Loose to fairly dense tuft of 30–100 cm, sometimes with short runners; stems upright or slightly curved at the base.

Leaf

Flat, dull green, 3–10 mm wide and fairly soft; the ligule (the small membrane where blade and sheath meet) is short and blunt.

Flower

Dense, soft, cylindrical spike-like panicle 3–10 cm long and 6–10 mm thick, from April to June. Each spikelet has a short, protruding awn, which makes the spike look soft and slightly hairy.

Stem

Smooth, round stems with a few nodes, upright or slightly bent at the base.

Fruit/Seed

The seed ripens in June–July and drops easily; the spike then turns greyish brown.

Confusion with

Timothy has a hard, rough spike with two short points on each spikelet and flowers later, from June to August. Marsh foxtail is lower, lies on the ground with kneed stems and grows on wet, bare patches. Black-grass has a slender, tapering spike and is an annual arable weed.

Flowering: April–June · Pruning: June and September

Why grow it?

• One of the first grasses to flower: by April–May it already gives height and structure to a damp meadow.
• A typical grass of moist, flower-rich hay meadows, alongside great burnet, cuckooflower and ragged-robin.
• Caterpillars of grassland butterflies, such as the meadow brown, and many grasshoppers feed on broad-leaved grasses like meadow foxtail.
• In summer its seed feeds seed-eating birds such as finches and sparrows.
• Its dense tufts shelter spiders, beetles and other small creatures all year round.
• An early, palatable fodder grass that farmers have long valued in hay and pasture.

Meadow foxtail: where does it grow best?

• In the wild: moist to wet hay meadows and pastures, floodplains, stream valleys, verges, dykes and ditch banks.
• Sun to light partial shade.
• Moist, fertile soil: clay, loam or sandy loam; tolerates winter flooding.
• In the garden: in a damp flower meadow, beside a pond or ditch, or in a rough strip on moist soil. On dry sand it stays small and soon disappears.

Goes well with

• Great burnet: Dark red flower heads in summer; together they define wet hay meadows.
• Cuckooflower: Lilac flowers in April, at the same time as the first spikes, and food plant of the orange-tip.
• Ragged-robin: Pink, ragged flowers in May–June on wet ground.
• Meadow buttercup: Glossy yellow among the soft spikes.
• Meadowsweet: Creamy, fragrant plumes in summer along the ditch bank.

Meadow foxtail: when and how to plant it?

1. Buy seed of native origin, ideally in a mix for moist hay meadows, from a nursery or seed supplier specialising in native plants.
2. Sow preferably in September–October: the grass itself needs no cold, but many wild flowers in the mix do. March–April also works.
3. Prepare a fine, weed-free seedbed, sow thinly, rake the seed in lightly and firm it down.
4. Keep the seedbed moist until germination, after 1–3 weeks.
5. For a small strip you can also plant plugs, 30–40 cm apart.
6. Never take turves or tufts from meadows, verges or nature reserves.

Care

Watering

Not needed once germinated. In a moist spot it copes even in dry summers.

Feeding

Not needed. On rich soil it soon takes over; without fertiliser there is room for flowers.

Mowing

Mow as a hay meadow: first from mid-June to early July, then again in September. Always remove the cuttings.

Spreading

If it becomes too dominant, mow in late May or early June for a few years and sow yellow rattle, which holds grasses back.

Self-seeding

If you want it to self-seed, do not mow before mid-June, when the seed is ripe.

Tip: In the first years, mow your damp meadow around mid-June and remove everything: this keeps meadow foxtail in check and gives the flowers a chance.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: June and September.

When: From mid-June to early July and again in September, like a hay meadow.

How:

• Mow at 5–10 cm with a scythe, brushcutter or reciprocating-blade mower.
• Let the hay dry for a few days so the seed can drop, then remove it.
• Leave a strip or corner uncut each time as a refuge for insects.
• Do not cut everything short in autumn: the tufts and old stems protect overwintering creatures.

Caution: Do not leave the cuttings lying or use a flail mower: the soil becomes richer and the flowers disappear from your meadow.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Ripens in June–July. Scatter it on bare soil in autumn; it also self-seeds.

Division

In March–April or September–October dig up a tuft, pull it apart and replant the pieces 30 cm apart.

Meadow foxtail: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• The leaves stay partly green; the old stems turn straw brown.
• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C, and tolerant of winter flooding.
• Caterpillars, beetles and spiders overwinter in the tufts: leave some standing.
• By February–March it is growing again, as one of the very first grasses.

Diseases and pests

• Too dominant: On fertilised, moist soil it crowds out flowers. Mowing twice a year and removing the cuttings lowers fertility.
• Hay fever: It flowers as early as April–May, and its pollen is among the first grass pollen of the year. Mow near the house before flowering if someone is sensitive.
• Drought: On dry sand it fades away. Choose a dry-soil grass there instead, such as red fescue.
• Rust: Small orange or brown spots on the leaves in summer. Usually harmless; mowing and removing the cuttings helps.

Through the year

• February: The first new leaves appear in mild weather.
• March: Dividing tufts or sowing a meadow is possible.
• April: The first soft spikes appear.
• May: Full flower. Sensitive people notice the pollen.
• June: Seed ripens. From mid-June, first cut; remove the hay.
• July: Regrowth after mowing.
• September: Second cut; leave a strip standing.
• October: Best month to sow a damp flower meadow.
• December: Dormant; insects overwinter in the tufts.

Did you know?

• Alopecurus comes from the Greek alopex (fox) and oura (tail): the soft spike looks like a fox’s tail.
• The European habitat type of lowland hay meadows carries meadow foxtail and great burnet in its scientific name.
• Because it grows early and livestock like it, it used to be sown deliberately in hay meadows.