When to sow ryegrass as sheep feed? Plant it this way for higher yields

Ryegrass is a forage variety with very high nutritional value, and sheep farmers often plant it as feed for their flocks. So when should ryegrass be sown? How should it be planted to achieve high yields and a bumper harvest?

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There are two types of ryegrass, annual ryegrass and perennial ryegrass. Annual ryegrass means sowing once a year, while perennial ryegrass means sowing once every 5-6 years. Generally, ryegrass is sown more often in autumn. Ryegrass can yield 5000-10000 kg per mu.

Ryegrass planting

Sowing

Ryegrass prefers a warm and humid climate. The suitable temperature for seed germination is above 13°C, and seedlings can grow well above 10°C. Therefore, the sowing period for ryegrass is relatively long, and it can be sown either in autumn or in spring. Autumn sowing can generally be done from mid to late September to early November, mainly depending on the previous crop. If the land is used exclusively for forage, it can be sown early so as to make full use of the favorable weather in September and October and strive to increase ryegrass yield.

►Sowing rate

Within a certain area, the less seed sown, the better the individual development. However, reasonable close planting can fully tap the individual and population production potential of ryegrass, and only then can the yield per unit area be increased. A sowing rate of 1-1.5 kg per mu is most suitable. In production, the specific sowing rate should be determined according to the sowing period, soil conditions, seed quality, seedling establishment rate, and planting purpose. Generally, for autumn-sown seed production fields, there should be about 350,000-400,000 basic seedlings per mu, requiring about 1 kg of seed. When used as forage and when early-stage yield needs to be increased, more can be sown, at 2.5-3 kg per mu.

►Sowing method

Ryegrass seeds are small and require shallow sowing. Rice stubble fields have high soil moisture content and heavy clay texture, and autumn sowing is often accompanied by continuous rainy weather, or labor is tight during the autumn harvest season.

In order to make ryegrass emerge quickly and uniformly, where conditions permit, 10 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer per mu and 20 kg of fine soil per mu can be mixed with the seeds before sowing. In this way, the seeds can be protected from the influence of wind, and because rice grows luxuriantly, it is avoided that the small ryegrass seeds do not easily fall to the ground, ensuring uniform sowing. For direct sowing on rice stubble, after sowing, open a drainage ditch every 2-4 meters, break up the soil in the ditch, and cover it on the bed surface to cover the seeds.

Increasing fertilizer application

Ryegrass is a grass-family crop and has no nitrogen-fixing ability. Therefore, increasing nitrogen fertilizer is a key measure to fully tap the production potential of ryegrass. Especially when used as forage, nitrogen fertilizer needs to be applied after each cutting, generally 5 kg of urea per mu, thereby extending the forage use period. As the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied increases, the total fresh grass yield increases, the daily grass yield also increases, and the grass quality improves markedly, being tender, rich in crude protein, and good in palatability. To some extent, fresh ryegrass production is not afraid of too much fertilizer; the more fertilizer, the more luxuriant the growth, and the more times it can be repeatedly harvested. It is required to apply 25-30 kg of superphosphate per mu of ryegrass field as base fertilizer. Seed production fields generally should not apply nitrogen fertilizer; if the seedlings grow especially poorly, a little nitrogen fertilizer should be appropriately supplemented.

Harvesting

Ryegrass has strong regeneration ability and can be harvested repeatedly. Therefore, when ryegrass is used as feed, it should be harvested at the right time. The number of ryegrass harvests is mainly affected by the sowing period, the temperature during the growth period, and the level of fertilization. Autumn-sown ryegrass grows well and can be harvested multiple times.

In addition, with a high level of fertilization, ryegrass grows quickly and can be harvested earlier, while also increasing the number of harvests; on the contrary, with poor fertility, ryegrass also grows poorly, cannot reach a certain biomass in a short time, and therefore cannot be harvested and used. Timely harvesting means harvesting when ryegrass grows to more than 25 cm; if the plants are too short, the fresh grass yield is not high, and harvesting operations are also difficult. Each time when harvesting, the stubble height should be left at about 5 cm to facilitate the regeneration of ryegrass stubble.

When ryegrass grows to 35-40 cm high, cut it, leaving 2-3 cm, and cut it in rotation 4-5 times before the end of June the following year. The yield per mu can reach 5000-10000 kg. After each cutting, 10 kg of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer should be applied and watered on once. Ryegrass is rich in nutrients. Fresh grass contains 2.6% protein, and the crude protein yield per mu is 175 kg. It is good feed for livestock and poultry.