Cenchrus Ciliaris, Buffel Grass - 0.5 kg Seeds

Cenchrus ciliaris, called Buffel Grass, Anjan or Dhaman grass, is a hardy perennial tufted pasture grass rather than a tree, forming dense clumps of fine leaves and bristly, purplish flowering spikes. It is one of the most important fodder and range grasses of the dry tropics.

It is grown chiefly for fodder and grazing, for reseeding degraded rangelands, and for soil and water conservation on dry, eroded land, where its deep roots bind the soil and resist drought and heavy grazing. It is widely sown in the arid and semi-arid tracts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and the Deccan, thriving on light, well-drained soils with minimal rainfall.

• Family: Poaceae
• Native region: Africa, the Middle East and arid India
• Mature height: 0.5-1 m
• Growth rate: Fast

The fluffy, bristly seed needs light to germinate and no chemical treatment. Mix it with sand for even spreading and surface-sow it onto a prepared, firmed seedbed, pressing in lightly without burying; sow with the first monsoon rains for best establishment. Germination occurs in about 7-14 days when the soil stays moist; the grass establishes quickly and needs no transplanting as it is direct-sown in the field.