The illustrated growing guide
Sorghum-Sudangrass
Sorghum × drummondii
Family Poaceae
Grown as an annual
The heavy-lifter of warm-season cover crops — a fast grass hybrid that shoots up shoulder-high, smothers weeds, and (mowed once midseason) drives massive roots deep to shatter compaction and pump organic matter into tired soil. Sow when soil is hot; it winter-kills for easy spring planting. The fastest way to rebuild a depleted bed in a single summer.
Full Sun
Low water
Very Fast in heat growth
None winter chill
From the print shop
The closest print we make
We don’t print Sorghum × drummondii. The closest we have is Sorghum bicolor (“Sorghum”) in the Historic Crops collection — the same genus, Sorghum, not the same species.
16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed
I
Overview
Will sorghum-sudangrass suit your garden, and what goes wrong.
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what sorghum-sudangrass actually needs.
Life cycleAnnualSorghum-Sudangrass at a glance
Common sorghum-sudangrass problems
- Almost none
- Almost none
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Growing
Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.
How to grow sorghum-sudangrass: light, water & soil
How to plant & propagate sorghum-sudangrass
III
The year
What sorghum-sudangrass asks for, month by month.
The sorghum-sudangrass year, month by month
PruneWhat each band means
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
The sorghum-sudangrass year as text
- Jan pruning
- Feb pruning
- Mar quiet month
- Apr quiet month
- May quiet month
- Jun quiet month
- Jul quiet month
- Aug quiet month
- Sep quiet month
- Oct quiet month
- Nov quiet month
- Dec pruning
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
IV
Ecology & uses
What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.
Sorghum-Sudangrass in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer annual
What sorghum-sudangrass is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesYoung/stressed regrowth can contain prussic acid — a cover crop, not forage without care
Harvesting & storing sorghum-sudangrass
Cover crop — mow at 3-4 ft to force deep roots and huge biomass.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
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Cultivars
Named varieties of sorghum-sudangrass, ruled as a catalogue.
Best sorghum-sudangrass varieties & cultivars
'Sudex' and common sorghum-sudan hybrids
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Sources & plant ID
Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.
Research basis
Sources behind this profile
No extension citations are attached to sorghum-sudangrassyet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.
Plant ID
VII
Where to buy
Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.
Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.
Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.
VIII
Questions
Sorghum-Sudangrass questions, answered straight.
Is sorghum-sudangrass safe for kids and pets?
With care. Young/stressed regrowth can contain prussic acid — a cover crop, not forage without care Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
When do you harvest sorghum-sudangrass?
Cover crop — mow at 3-4 ft to force deep roots and huge biomass.
How do you propagate sorghum-sudangrass?
From seed.
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Elsewhere
Where sorghum-sudangrass sits in the library.
Cereal Rye (Winter Rye)
Siberian Pea Shrub
Tomato
Pepper