Pocket BotanistPlant guide
Barley.
Hordeum vulgare
Pronounced HOR-dee-um vul-GARE-ee
Also known as Common Barley, Domestic Barley, Domesticated Barley, Four-rowed Barley
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Barley is a hardy cereal grain that has been grown for thousands of years. It is a versatile grass that thrives in cooler climates and is widely used for food, livestock feed, and brewing. You will find it is quite resilient if given the right conditions.
At a glance
- Care level
- Easy
- Plant type
- Annual grass
- Light
- Full sun
- Indoor light
- Direct sun
- Water
- Every 3 to 7 days
- Mature size
- 2 to 4 feet
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Hardiness
- USDA 3 to 9
- Bloom time
- Late spring to early summer
Care
Plant your seeds in well draining soil during the cooler months to encourage strong growth. Keep an eye out for yellowing leaves which can indicate poor drainage or nutrient deficiency. It is a straightforward plant that mostly just needs plenty of sun.
- Watering
- Keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged during the active growing season.
- Feeding
- Apply a balanced fertilizer once a month to support rapid development.
- Pruning
- Pruning is generally not needed unless you are harvesting the grain or removing dead stalks.
- Repotting
- As an annual crop, barley is typically grown from seed and harvested rather than repotted.
- Soil
- Well draining loamy soil
- Soil pH
- 6.0 to 7.5
- Temperature
- -10 to 30°C
- Humidity
- 40 to 70%
- Drought tolerance
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- Annual, typically 4 to 8 months.
- Deer and rabbits
- Moderate
Signs it needs repotting
- Roots growing out of the drainage holes.
- Stunted growth despite regular feeding.
Safety
- People
- The plant is generally non-toxic, but the awns on the seed heads can cause mechanical irritation.
- Children
- The sharp awns on the mature seed heads can poke or scratch small children if handled carelessly.
- Contact allergens
- The rough awns on the seed heads can cause skin irritation upon contact.
- Airborne allergens
- Barley pollen can trigger seasonal allergies in sensitive individuals.
- Edibility
- Barley contains gluten and is not suitable for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
How to identify it
- Tall slender grass stalks
- Long bristly seed heads
- Narrow flat green leaves
- Fibrous root system
- Height
- 0.6 to 1.2m
- Spread
- 0.15 to 0.3m
- Leaves
- green, blue-green, deciduous
- Flowers
- green, yellow, 5 to 15cm
- Fruit
- tan, golden, Summer
Problems to watch for
Check your barley from a photo
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Growing it
- Propagation
- seed
- When to plant
- Spring, Autumn
- Overwintering
- In mild climates, winter barley is sown in autumn to overwinter as a small plant. In colder regions, it is grown as a spring annual.
- In containers
- It grows well in containers at least 30 cm deep to accommodate the root system.
Direct Sowing
- Prepare a sunny spot with well draining soil.
- Sow seeds 2 to 3 cm deep in rows.
- Keep the soil consistently moist until germination.
- Thin seedlings to about 10 cm apart.
Planting nitrogen fixing legumes alongside barley can significantly improve soil fertility for the crop.
Grows well with
Similar species
Science
- Family
- Poaceae
- Genus
- Hordeum
- Order
- Poales
- Class
- Liliopsida
- Native range
- Fertile Crescent and parts of Western Asia.
- Conservation
- Not of conservation concern as it is a widely cultivated crop.
It thrives in open, sunny fields and is highly efficient at utilizing soil nutrients.
- Value to wildlife
- provides cover for small birds, seeds feed songbirds
- Pollinators
- bees
- Uses
- cereal grain, malting for brewing, animal fodder, cover crop
Through the year
Ecological indicators
- Salinity
- 4/9
- Soil reaction
- 7/9
- Light
- 8/9
- Temperature
- 5/9
- Moisture
- 4/9
- Nutrients
- 6/9
Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.
Questions people ask
- Can I grow barley in a container?
- Yes, it grows well in deep containers if given plenty of sunlight.
- When should I harvest barley?
- Harvest when the grain heads turn golden and the stems begin to dry out.
Where the name comes from
The name Hordeum is the ancient Latin term for barley, while vulgare means common.
Good to know
- Barley was used as a form of currency in ancient Mesopotamia.
- It is a primary ingredient in the production of whiskey and beer.
- The plant is highly adaptable to various soil types and climates.
- Barley straw is often used as a natural way to clarify pond water.
Keep your barley growing
This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.
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This guide was generated with AI on and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.