How to Grow Hordeum Plants in your Garden
Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Barley and Squirrel-tail Grass
Plants of the Hordeum genus are hardy annual grasses.
They flower from late spring through the start of summer with silverly grey inflorescences atop 60 cm (2 feet) long stems.
Some of the common names for Hordeum include Barley, Squirreltail Barley, Squirrel-tail Grass, and Fox tail barley.
Hordeum vulgare – Barley by Dag Endresen; creative commons.
Hordeum vulgare – Barley Field by Cliff1066™; creative commons.
Hordeum Plant Growing and Care Guide
Common Names: Barley, Squirrel-tail Grass. Barley: Common; Little; Wild; Sea; Wall; Hare;,Squirrel Tail; Arizona; Meadow; Dwarf.
Family: Poaceae.
Life Cycle: Hardy annual.
Height: 20 to 36 inches (50 to 90 cm).
Native: Temperate regions of the Americas, Europe, Asia and Southern Africa.
Growing Region: Zones 3 to 10.
Flower Details: Inflorescences may be green, silvery, reddish-green, purplish and range from one to four inches (3 to 10 cm) in length. Spikelets.
Foliage: Sword-like.
Sow Inside: No
Requirements: Full sunlight. Good drainage. Dry soil. Limy soil. Sheltered location.
How to Grow Barley and Squirreltail (Hordeum)
It is best to grow Squirreltail & Barley outdoors from the off.
The seeds of Hordeum Plants should be sown at a depth of 3 mm (1/8 inch) at the beginning of spring, before the last frost has occurred, or at the end of autumn.
For location, they like to grow in a sunny area that has good drainage and a limy soil.
Germination should take from three to seven weeks at about 21 degrees centigrade (70°F).
Caring for Hordeum Plants in the Garden
Once growing, the Hordeum seedlings should be thinned so as to be about 30 cm (12 inches) apart.
It is important to control the spread of Squirreltail Barley, as the plant can easily take over the garden.
I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Hordeum plants. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Arundo donax, Allium plant, and Melica plants.
If you enjoy the information on this site, then you'll love my book: The Gardener's HQ Plant Growing Guide. Available for Kindle (MOBI), iPad (ePub) and as a PDF.
Genus Index H
