Gibtuck Limpograss Planting Material Distribution Day – July 16

Limpograss (Hemarthria altissima) has a longer season of growth than Bahiagrass or Bermudagrass, so it can help cattle ranchers and dairy farmers bridge the gap between summer perennial grasses and winter annual forages. Limpograss can also be stockpiled, and strip grazed to reduce the need for hay feeding from October through mid-January. Limpograss is also more tolerant of poorly drained soils than either of our traditional summer perennial grasses. One of the key challenges with Limpograss, however, is that it must be planted from fertilized mature stems and not from seed.

In 2014, two new breeding lines of Limpograss were released by the University of Florida.  After multiple years of on-farm testing, Limpograss #10 was selected for distribution to Florida ranchers.  Limpograss #10 was named Gibtuck in honor of Gilbert Tucker, who graduated from the University of Florida, among his positions, was a rancher in Brevard County, and an animal husbandry expert at the UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center, in Ona Florida.  “Gibtuck provides increased grazing tolerance, greater productivity, and nutritive value compared to previously released cultivars.” (Wallau et al., 2015).

UF/IFAS scientists developed a limpograss cultivar called Gibtuck for use by Florida cattlemen. In this photo, cattle graze experimental plots during cultivar testing at the UF/IFAS Beef Teaching Unit, near Gainesville, Florida. Photo credit: Lynn Solleberger, UF/IFAS

The staff at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center’s Beef Unit, near Marianna, Florida have organized a distribution day to share Gibtuck Limpograss planting material with local forage producers on July 16, 2025. The event will be held on the north side of the highway, at the Beef Research Unit – 4925 Highway 162, Greenwood Florida. With $50 advanced registration (plus $5.20 service fee), farms will be provided approximately 1,500 pounds of freshly baled cuttings for planting a 1-acre nursery on local farms. During registration, producers can choose either 24 square bales or 4 small round bales for distribution on their farm.  Planting material for distribution is limited to the first 30 farms that register online, so use the following link to reserve materials for your farm without delay.

Register for planting material:  https://LimpograssNursery2025.eventbrite.com

–

Farms will be scheduled by the research center staff for 30-minute appointments after registration is completed, between 9:00 AM and Noon Central time to prevent long waits for materials. Please bring a flatbed or open utility trailer for mechanical loading (not a closed livestock trailer). These bales will contain live planting material that should be planted as soon as possible after pickup, so make sure plots are well prepared and adequate labor and equipment are ready and available for even distribution and planting as soon as you return with planting materials.

–

How to prepare and establish a 1-Acre Limpograss nursery

Watch the following video and download the production guide for specific details on Limpograss nursery establishment.  A 1-acre nursery of well-fertilized limpograss grass should provide enough planting material to plant 10 acres each time is it mature enough to harvest. If all goes well. you should be able to start planting 10-acre blocks in late spring or early summer of 2026 with adequate soil moisture.

Download the printer friendly fact sheet:  2025 Limpograss Nursery Establishment Guide

–