Weeping lovegrass
Weeping lovegrass is a long-lived perennial bunchgrass adapted to summer rainfall. In critical rainfall areas occasional prolonged droughts may kill well established stands, but sufficient grazing to prevent excessive transpiration due to excess leaf buildup can lessen the danger of drought loss. Areas with less than 15 inches of annual precipitation would be hazardous for weeping lovegrass. Nevertheless, it is very tolerant of drought and responds rapidly to precipitation after a drought. The first accession of weeping lovegrass was brought to the U.S. in 1928 from a collection made in 1927 in north-central Tanganyika (Tanzania). It is indigenous to south and east Africa where it occupies the successional stage just before climax. It was widely used for erosion control in the southwest and south central U.S. from 1936 to 1945. Weeping lovegrass acreage slowly increased up to the late 1950s with rapid increases in Oklahoma and Texas in the 1960s.Weeping lovegrass grows and produces well on a wide variety of soils. It does well on clay loam soils if in high rainfall areas such as southeastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas. It is best adapted to sandy loam soils and does well on deep sands in semiarid west Texas. Soil pH affects weeping lovegrass relatively little as it does well on acid soils of the southeastern U.S. and on highly basic soils. However, it is not adapted to severely alkaline soils and although it grows well on soils of pH 8, severe chlorosis usually occurs as the growing season progresses and if soils are high in sodium the plants may die. It prefers well drained soils and it cannot tolerate standing water. Ungrazed weeping lovegrass becomes decadent, very weak, and low in vigor. Despite the fact that weeping lovegrass grows well on low fertility soils, it does best on fertile soils. As pointed out by Noble Foundation personnel, "No grass can take out soil nutrients that are not there and produce luxuriant nutritious forage. Weeping lovegrass forage is very nutritious and palatable when fertilized properly regardless of the inherent fertility of the soil." Burning just before spring green up is a first step in renovating decadent lovegrass. Geographically, weeping lovegrass is best adapted to Texas and Oklahoma in the U.S. where rainfall exceeds 15 inches annually. Although it is more winter hardy than other lovegrasses, cold temperatures limit its northern spread to about the northern boundary of Oklahoma. Winter injury is more likely with a rapid temperature drop in fall when the grass is growing and during severe cold coupled with dry soil. Fall growth initiated by rainfall, irrigation, fertilization, or grazing seems to predispose weeping lovegrass to freeze damage. Hence, fall grazing is discouraged until after full winter dormancy. Although adapted throughout the southeastern U.S., it is little used except for conservation purposes. In the arid southwest its use is restricted to irrigation, favorable local situations such as swales, and where annual rainfall exceeds about 15 inches. 
