Perennial ryegrass, and especially Array, is pretty clever - it basically replaces itself every year through daughter tillers.
With pasture management, there is no financial cost. However, some thinking and attention to detail is required. Significant benefits in income are on offer from utilising more of the feed you grow.
Beneath the shimmering green sea of spring pasture covers, are millions of new-born 'daughter' tillers. By early summer your pasture will comprise entirely of new daughter tillers. They will replace their 'mother' tillers which go to seed and die. The density of your pasture in summer depends on how many daughter tillers survive.
Up to three daughter tillers can grow from the base of a mother tiller, who initially provides them with water and nutrients. If, on average, two daughter tillers replace every mother tiller then your pasture will thicken up coming into summer. If less than one daughter tiller survives (for every mother tiller) your pasture will start to thin out.
We care about spring pasture management hugely in our new grass. At this time, the fate of millions of daughter tillers beneath the sea of green covers depends on you. Apart from the water and sugars they initially get from mum, they need two things to survive: sunlight and nutrients.
Daughter tillers will not survive weeks of darkness under high pasture covers. They will turn pale, and die. This is commonly seen after heavy silage crops.
Pasture residuals are white, thin and are slow to grow back because most of the daughter tillers have died.
There are three simple rules to follow to ensure your daughter tillers get enough light - and these are your take homes for today:
- Graze (or cut) at 2.5-3 leaf stage or at canopy closure (whichever occurs first).
- Graze down to consistent residuals (whether its 5 or 6cm - it needs to be consistent, year round).
- Repeat rules one and two.
Not only does this allow light into the base of the pasture and so survival of your daughter tillers. It also means high MS/ha production - as these 3 rules drive high pasture utilisation and pasture ME.
Another thing that can help daughter tillers to grow big and strong by summer is a little bit of strategic nitrogen in late spring. It is important that tillers are strong, to survive through summer. Nitrogen also reduces the incidence of rust in pasture.
Take care of your daughter tillers, they'll look after of you for the rest of their lives, and give you a great pasture.