Late Season Silage Options - Barley
Now that we are getting on in the season we have had a lot of enquiry into what options are there for growing Whole Crop Cereal Silage. Barley in my opinion is the easiest of all the cereal options to grow. Quick to establish, cheap to grow with a reasonable yield. Barley can be sown in most areas right up until mid/late November and still provide a high yield of high quality silage. One of the keys to achieving a high quality barley WCS crop is its head to stem ratio that is tipped in the favour of the heads, the better the grain yield the better the quality of WCS.
A good trick we have often done with barley WCS is too drill the barley and then on the same day drill the paddock into your preferred permanent pasture seed mix. This means once you harvest your WCS barley your permanent pasture is ready to go and you are 6-8 weeks ahead of time.
As with most seeds there is a wide range of suitable barleys to select from. The Foundation for Arable research trials most of them throughout most regions in New Zealand so feel free to contact us for which is best suited to your region.
We also have a very good
growing guide on growing and harvesting Whole Crop Cereal Silage please click below to download this.
Download Link: Click here to download our
Whole Crop Cereal Growers Guide.
Website Link: Click here to go to our
Forage Cereals website page.
Contact Link: Please
click here to contact Specialty Seeds today about your Whole Crop Cereal Silage needs.
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FodderBeet Preparation Reminder
Don't forget now is the time to get your fodder beet seed organised, as it will need to be drilled in the next month or so, so please have a think about the following for a successful Fodder beet sow down.
Make sure you have selected free draining paddocks that are able to be prepared to a good standard. Avoid paddocks where previous crops have had residual chemicals applied. Soil test early and make sure the soil pH is above 6.0, ideally 6.2. Ensure soil temperatures are warm and rising to give a quick even establishment. Don't skimp on glyphosate prior to emergence, use a double spray programme if necessary, as in-crop herbicides for beet are expensive.
If you are interested in growing some fodder beet this year and require any further information please click here to download our
Fodder Beet Growing and Grazing Guide.
Website Link: Please
click here to go to our
Fodderbeet page on our Specialty Seeds website.
Contact Link: Please
click here to contact Specialty Seeds today about your Fodderbeet needs.
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Sowing or Renovating New Lawns
Spring is also great time to either sow or renovate your lawn. We have a range of different seed mixes to suit both larger lawns typically found in country areas, right down to smaller situations such as your small backyard city lawn.
Our biggest selling lawn seed is our "
Legacy Lawn Seed Mix". A blend of 80% premium Turf Perennial Ryegrass and 20% Chewings Fescue that will give you a quick establishing, dark green and easy care lawn. Our clients find the
Legacy Premium Lawn Blend hard wearing and grow well in most regions throughout New Zealand.
If you have an area that may be different from the norm please feel free to
contact us as we have had many years of experience in the turf business and we are backed up with a wide range of top quality lawn seeds and fertilisers that can help.
Nothing beats a nice looking lawn and using cultivars that require low maintenance is a real bonus
click here for information on our
lawn products and
how to grow a special lawn.
We also have many industry contacts so if you need help with your lawn project please feel free to
contact us.
Contact Link: Please
click here to contact Specialty Seeds today for more information on the perfect lawn for you.
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