Among the most common cereals growing in the territory
Russia, everyone knows from childhood the bushy grass, popularly called "arzhanets", "seedling", "sivukha" or "stick insect". This is nothing more than a grass of the bluegrass family - meadow timothy grass.
Description of the plant
Timothy stem grows in height from 25 centimeters to one and a half meters. It is cylindrical, hollow, erect, with rough to the touch, elongated, pointed at the ends leaf blades of green or gray-green color. The root system is creeping, with short rhizomes. Meadow timothy grass, photographs of which are presented in the article, has an inflorescence in the form of a complex spike (sultan), which is very similar to the foxtail inflorescence, but more rigid. It lacks bristles, and the anthers, in contrast to the yellow anthers of the foxtail, are purple. Timothy meadow is cross-pollinated, using the wind for this. At the base of the shoot, the plant has another distinctive feature - a thickening in the form of an onion. Timothy meadow blooms inearly summer. Seeds, crumbling, quickly germinate again, forming a lush carpet underfoot, which is resistant to trampling and retains its green color throughout the summer period and even after the onset of winter cold.
Origin of the name
Timofeevka meadow has spread throughout the non-chernozem territory of Russia. Its use as a cultivated plant sown in scorched areas is mentioned in the documents of the Vologda province dated to the end of the 17th-beginning of the 18th century. Peasants noted the unique features of this cereal plant, which does not require special care; easy harvesting of seeds stored for a long time in the inflorescence; love for timothy cattle, which willingly eats not only fresh grass, but also hay prepared for the winter. It is thanks to its agricultural properties that this cereal has spread to other territories, and has also been exported to another continent. According to one version, the enterprising American farmer Timothy Hanson brought the seeds of this plant to America, where it also became widespread as a fodder crop. Promoting its distribution, he achieved commercial success and began to officially import seeds into Europe. Thus, it again returned to the territory of its original growth, but under a new name - Timothy grass, or meadow timothy grass, perpetuating the name of the American.
Planting and care
Timothy grass meadowis a hay plant. It is durable, can grow in one place up to 10 years. Seeds germinate already at a temperature of 1-2 degrees Celsius, and at +5, the first germinated shoots appear. Timothy does not tolerate drought - it is a moisture-loving plant that can survive even flooding. Considering that this cereal does not withstand shading well, it is better to plant it with plants whose active growth period is shorter. So, timothy coexists perfectly with legumes and clover.
