Light Land Legume & Herb Rich Sward (GS4/SAM3)
Ref: MIXLIGHT
CSS/SFI Codes: GS4, SAM3
A deep rooting herbal ley, designed to stay green and produce forage on land that burns up in the summer, softer leaved, modern Cocksfoot and Tall Fescue varieties boost palatability.These mixes should be sown no deeper than 10mm and can be very shallow drilled or ideally broadcast onto a fine, but firm seedbed and rolled twice after sowing.
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| Contents per Acre | % | kg | |
 | certified cocksfoot | 12.5 | 1.250 |
| certified tall fescue | 11.4 | 1.140 |
| certified tetraploid perennial ryegrass | 10.0 | 1.000 |
| certified festulolium | 7.3 | 0.730 |
| certified perennial ryegrass | 6.0 | 0.600 |
| certified timothy | 5.0 | 0.500 |
| commercial Sainfoin | 22.0 | 2.200 |
| certified Red Clover blend | 4.5 | 0.450 |
| certified birdsfoot trefoil | 3.0 | 0.300 |
| certified alsike clover | 2.3 | 0.230 |
| certified white clover | 2.0 | 0.200 |
| certified lucerne | 3.1 | 0.310 |
| Burnet forage herb | 1.4 | 0.140 |
| certifed chicory blend | 4.0 | 0.400 |
| Ribgrass forage herb | 2.5 | 0.250 |
| Sheeps Parsley forage herb | 2.5 | 0.250 |
| Yarrow forage herb | 0.4 | 0.040 |
| Lesser Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) | 0.1 | 0.010 |
Alsike Clover
Alsike clover is a short term perennial that fixes nitrogen. It is a true clover, not a hybrid as the name suggests. Compared to many annual clovers it can be the slowest to flower after a spring sowing.
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Birdsfoot Trefoil is a legume, it grows from a basal crown, with numerous stems that can vary from prostrate to erect in growth habit. In some parts of the country it is called the 'eggs and bacon' plant.
Birdsfoot Trefoil Species Guide 
Buy Birdsfoot Trefoil Straight 
Burnet
Burnet is a forage herb, It is noted for having deep tap roots, which helps it remain green on thin, dry soils. It is also early to grow in the spring, contributing to forage in late March to April.
Chicory
Chicory is an eye catching, mineral rich forage herb that has a long taproot capable of penetrating to great depth, breaking through plough pans and leaving the soil aerated, aiding drainage and crop root development. It’s frequently used in combination with other species as a soil improving species and is commonly used as an addition to grazing leys due to its high protein content and its ability to fatten lambs. It is also a known anthelmintic species.
Cocksfoot
A densely tufted, bluish green species, it can grow up to 1 metre in height and can create tussocks. The dense one sided panicle is said to resemble the shape of a cocks foot.
Festulolium (Hybrid)
Festulolium is a natural hybridisation of ryegrass and fescue species, combining the stress resistant genes of fescue with the bulky yield of ryegrass. To provide a more resilient species, with a better tolerance of drought or water logged soils, while still providing high yielding, very palatable forage.
Festulolium (Hybrid) Species Guide Buy Festulolium (Hybrid) Straight
Lesser Knapweed
Lesser knapweed is also known as common black knapweed. It is a competitive wild flower found throughout the UK and parts of western Europe, in old meadows and roadsides. It may be known as 'hardheads'.
Lucerne
Also known as alfalfa in the states, lucerne benefits animal health and soil fertility. It is a high protein forage crop which is usually grown on its own and is very good on drought-prone soils. It establishes relatively slowly, producing significantly more biomass in the second and third years. Lucerne should only be grown on free-draining, alkaline soil. Lucerne requires the correct strain of rhizobia (known as an inoculant) to efficiently fix atmospheric nitrogen and get the most growth.
Medium Leaved White Clover
White clover is one of the most common legumes in the UK. This species can be recognised by its creeping growth habit. Its creeping stolons help to fill in gaps in the sward, putting down roots at each node. White clover varieties can be categorised into small, medium and large leaf sizes. Generally the smaller the leaf size, the more persistent and prostrate the plant will be, the small leaf type will tolerate closer grazing from sheep and tends to sit lower at the base of the sward, the small and medium leaf varieties are used for grazing mixtures. Using mixtures of white clover varieties helps to ensure that at least one can tolerate and contribute to what ever management regime is being imposed at a given time. The medium leaf varieties are very adaptable, generally they can be used for both grazing and cutting mixtures. They combine a good tolerance to cattle or sheep grazing and can contribute to cutting yields, while still being more persistent than the large leaf varieties. There are also variations, which can be classed as small to medium in terms of leaf size. Common medium leaf varieties are aberherald & aberdai, while the variety aberpearl is classed as small to medium leaf in terms of size.
Medium Leaved White Clover Species Guide Buy Medium Leaved White Clover Straight
Perennial Ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass is the most commonly grown productive grass in the UK, used particularly for livestock grazing and forage. It has been the subject of plant breeding for over 60 years, ensuring there are a wide range of perennial ryegrass varieties available commercially.
Perennial Ryegrass Species Guide Buy Perennial Ryegrass Straight
Red Clover
Red clover is one of the most popularly used true clovers in the UK. Once established it’s capable of rapid growth and shows reasonably good persistence up to three years, although ongoing breeding work is being carried out to increase plant persistence. The highest yielding strains of red clover are called 'double cut' varieties, normally providing quick regrowth after cutting and several flushes or cuts per season. The 'single cut' strains of red clover, notably the variety altaswede provide one large cut per season, flowering approximately 2-3 weeks later than the 'double cut' strains.
Ribgrass (plantain)
Ribgrass is a very popular perennial forage herb which is commonly mixed with sheep's parsley, yarrow and burnet to increase diversity and lift trace elements from deep within the soil profile. It can be mixed with regular grassland species to increase grazing quality, and with deep roots it is also popular in mixtures for lighter land. It is also known as Plantain or narrow leaf plantain.
Ribgrass (plantain) Species Guide Buy Ribgrass (plantain) Straight
Sainfoin
Sainfoin is extremely palatable to livestock and has very good nutritional balance. It can be grazed or fed as hay or silage. It suits the thin soils and limestone rich downlands found in some areas of the UK. Loosely translated sainfoin in French means 'Healthy Hay'.
Sheeps Parsley
Sheeps parsley is a common forage herb, usually mixed with ribgrass, yarrow and burnet to increase diversity and lift trace elements from deep within the soil profile. It can be mixed with regular grassland species to increase grazing diversity.
Tall Fescue
Tall fescue is found throughout the UK, it has similar features to meadow fescue, however it is distinguished by being taller, and coarser, with a rough upper leaf and margins. The well developed root system means it is tolerant of drought, damp and frost, which has created interest among plant breeders, looking to cross highly productive ryegrass and resilient fescue species as festuloliums. Recent thinking has altered the Latin so that the flat leaved fescues (meadow fescue and tall fescue) have been given their own genus, separate from the finer leaved fescues.
Yarrow
Yarrow is a small seeded forage herb which is commonly mixed with sheep's parsley, burnet and ribgrass to increase diversity and lift trace elements from deep within the soil profile, as a specific herbs mixture, or part of a diverse grass ley. It has been noted to improve circulation and blood flow in livestock.
Cotswold Grass Seeds, Cotswold Business Village, London Rd, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 0JQ
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