Grass Seeds

NEW PRODUCT – Quinns Premium Sward

Grass reseeding is by far the best investment you can make on your farm. Old, poor performing swards are costing farmers up to €300/ha in lost production and although reseeding is a significant cost at €750/ha ; Teagasc research has shown that the investment will pay for itself in full in 2 growing seasons. Grass reseeding has a major effect on DM production and ultimately profitability.

Quinns Premium Sward is a blend of the highest quality and best performing varieties from the Pasture Profit Index and DAFM recommended lists. It is an excellent mix for a graze-cut- graze scenario as it contains the top performing varieties for both situations. It will give excellent early season growth and also produce excellent quality silage. It has an average heading date of June 4th * so it is an ideal mix for silage the last week of May. It will recover quickly after silage and provide excellent growth right through to autumn.

Kg/Acre

Variety

Type

Heading Date*

3.0 Kg

AberChoice

Perennial Ryegrass (D)

09th June

2.5 Kg

AberMagic

Perennial Ryegrass (D)

29th May

2.5 Kg

AstonEnergy

Perennial Ryegrass (T)

04th June

3.0 Kg

Kintyre

Perennial Ryegrass (T)

07th June

0.5 Kg

Coated White Clover

11.5 Kg

(T)= Tetraploid     (D)= Diploid

Aberchoice: The highest ranked late diploid variety on the Teagasc PPI at €194 per ha/year. AberChoice, has excellent performance across the most important traits including seasonal yield, quality, total yield and ground score.

Abermagic: The highest ranked intermediate diploid variety on the Teagasc PPI at €217 per ha/year and the second highest variety overall. With a heading date of 29th May, AberMagic will ensure the highest possible quality silage for systems targeting a first cut towards the end of May. Excellent total and silage yield figures and the highest intermediate diploid for autumn growth and quality.

AstonEnergy: an excellent proven variety which ranks joint 2nd for overall quality on Teagasc’s PPI list. In Teagasc trials AstonEnergy has consistently produced the best ‘graze out’ figures of all varieties and for this reason is often sown as a straight variety on Pasture Base farms.

Kintyre: A high performing late tetraploid variety on the Teagasc PPI at €156 per ha/year. Kintyre is a proven tetraploid variety with excellent seasonal growth and quality values making it very suitable in a dual purpose mix.

Quinns 10 Step Guide to Reseeding:

1.             Identify the fields that have poor production and a high proportion of weed grasses.

2.             Soil sample – Test for P+K and pH levels (a pH of 6.3-6.5 is ideal).

3.             Spray off field with glyphosphate, have a reasonable cover of grass so that the spray is taken in by the leaves and transferred to the roots. Roundup Flex @ 4.5 Ltr/Ha is an excellent option.

4.             Allow 7 – 14 days for the spray to work.

5.             For even better weed control try double spraying the field, after the first spray and cultivation allow another 2 – 3 weeks and spray again with quarter rate glyphosphate which will kill all the new emerging weeds.

6.             Choose the most suitable seed mixture that is compatible to your needs.

7.             Choose your cultivation method – conventional ploughing or minimum cultivation. Aim to have a firm seed bed. Do not bury the seed and also roll after sowing. Fertiliser and lime should be applied as per your soil test results. Example:  3 bags of 10-10-20 per acre.

8.             Pest control – After the seed emerges keep a close eye for pest damage ie frit fly, slugs etc.

9.             Management of new sward – first graze of the new reseed is very important. Graze the sward lightly to encourage tillering and increased vigour in the grass.

10.           Weed control – 4- 6 weeks after establishment, spray to eliminate weeds that have germinated within the sward. Weed control in new reseed is hugely important. Timing and product choice is key.

 

 

 

Teagasc’s Pasture Profit Index (PPI) ranks ryegrass varieties based on their potential to influence farm profitability.

–          Each variety tested is assigned its PPI based on traits of economic importance for a grass based dairy farm and needs to be matched to good farming practices.

–          The traits of importance are: spring, summer & autumn growth, quality, silage yields and persistency.

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For any sheep, cattle or dairy farmer, the biggest percentage of the total animal diet is without a doubt grass, either from grazing or in hay or silage form. Grass forage is the cheapest form of feeding a farmer can provide for their stock.

Any sward under intensive grazing or cutting will normally run out after an average of five years, yet statistics show that only a small fraction of grassland is reseeded after five years

Not maximising grass production leads to expensive substitutions with other feeding stuffs and also relatively poor returns for expensive fertilisers applied. Probably one of the most important decisions to be made concerns the choice of grass varieties included in the mix.

Consideration before choosing the most suitable grass seed mixture for your particular situation includes:

  1. Types of soil
  2. Intended use
  3. Aspect-height above sea levels etc
  4. Type of management etc
  5. Fertiliser use
  6. Palatability of grasses included
  7. Soil Fertility

No one should ever consider reseeding an unproductive lea without first having, a comprensive soil test carried out and any limiting deficiencies with respect to lime, major or minor deficiencies being addressed in an appropriate manner. Your Quinns Technical Agri Advisor can recommend a suitable laboratory/testing company for all your testing needs.

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Quinns are stockists of both MoreGrass range of seed as well as Germinal’s Top5 Extend range.

Germinal’s Top 5 Extend Range

Watch the Germinal Top5 Extend 2015 Video .

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I milk 200 cows and I re-seeded 20 acres at the end of August 2013. It was last grazed on 10th November, 2013. My cows will go back out to grass before 20th Februrary 2014. I used MOREGRASS MG60, supplied from my local Agri Merchant, Quinns of Baltinglass. The MOREGRASS brand has given me a wide range of options on my farm of early, mid and late season grazing on the shoulders of the year. Without these options it would be hard to survive in dairy farming.

Donal Kavanagh, Carrigeen, Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow

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  • The brand is fully supported by Freudenberger (Germany), PGG Wrightson (New Zealand), RAGT (France)
  • Mixtures are specifically designed for Irish conditions
  • Varieties are chosen for yield, digestibility persistence and disease resistance
  • All seed is tested and certified to the highest standard

Benefits of reseeding

  • Provide more grass in the shoulder periods (early Spring and late Autumn)
  • New pastures are more responsive to nitrogen compared to old permanent pastures
  • Higher feeding quality
  • Faster re-growth
  • Supports higher stocking rates & improves animal production

Soil Fertility

Poor soil fertility is one of the main reasons why ryegrass will disappear from pasture. Reseeding is an expensive and time consuming job and reseeds will not perform to their full potential if soil fertility is not correct.

Lime/Gran lime

Lime is an essential element in the soil as a soil conditioner to achieve the desired pH. There has been a huge decline in lime application over the last number of years. Different forms of lime have different suitable times of year for application and reseeding presents an ideal opportunity to start correcting any deficiencies.

Importance of Phosphorus

Phosphorus is essential in the soil for root development. Grass reseeds have a high demand for available phosphorus for successful and timely establishment.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are often overlooked but are extremely important in soil fertility even on grassland. The most important of these are:

  • Magnesium
  • Calcium
  • Manganese
  • Copper
  • Zinc

Goulding Products to suit different requirements

Gouldings manufacture a wide range of different products to suit different farming requirements. Over the last number of years Gouldings have been innovators in the fertiliser market bringing many new exciting and rewarding products and solutions to the Irish market. Gouldings have a wide range of solutions to meet farmer and soil needs. Your local Quinns technical agri advisor will be able to discuss the most suitable for your needs.