Blue couch
(Digitaria didactyla)
- fine-leafed creeping grass
- invades under heavy grazing prefers sandy soils
- not drought tolerant.
Blue couch invades speargrass pastures, especially those on sandy soils in south-eastern Queensland, under heavy grazing pressure.
It is shallow rooted and can quickly become droughted; conversely, it responds immediately to showers of rain.
Blue couch gives a good ground cover, and will combine with small native or naturalised legumes such as Desmodium triflorum, Zornia maculata and with lotononis to provide useful grazing for steers. However, it drops all leaf after being frosted and so provides little feed in dry winters.
Blue couch is favoured for lawns in south east Queensland, being planted with seed or more commonly as turf, especially on light soils of lower fertility.
