Annual Rye?

[cowman]

Anyone ever grow it? A guy told me it was the real thing. Yields like crazy, cattle like it. The only drawback,he said, is the swaths are so heavy it's hard to get dry!

[bthomas]

In regards to your query about annual ryegrass; the maritimes have a long histry of growing annual ryegrass. It is very fast to establish. Given enough moisture and fertility it can be grazed 6 to 8 weeks after seeding. The only time we see failures is when moisture or fertility is limiting. We recommend using the Italian types for grazing and the Westerwolds for stored feed. Seeding rate is also. The recommended seeding rate is 25 kg/ha for dipliods and 35 kg/ha for tetraploids. Lastly if possible incorporate ample manure before seeding. This crop is a heavy user of nitrogen.

Best regards

[cowman]

Thankyou BThomas. I think I'll try some.

[hutton]

Just as follow up to the question on annual ryegrass, the main limitation to its use is moisture. Areas receiving high levels of summer rainfall or irrigation are best suited to this crop. It dosen't do well under dry growing conditions. Another precaution is that if you use the westerwold type (annual) you need to make sure you get the crop off prior to seed set. This type of ryegrass will set seed in the year of seeding and can shatter seed out which can cause problems in the following crop rotations. If grazing is the main objective then Italian types are the best option since they tend to remain vegetative during the seeding year.