A Detailed Guide to Where to Buy Winter Forage Grass Seeds and How to Grow Seedlings

Farmers who specialize in livestock breeding all know about winter forage grass, that is, forage grass that can overwinter. It generally has drought-resistant and cold-resistant characteristics and strong vitality. So where are winter forage grass seeds sold? What are the seedling-growing methods? Friends who want to know should read on!

1. Where are winter forage grass seeds sold?

Generally speaking, there are quite a few channels for buying winter forage grass seeds: in modern times with advanced technology, online shopping is the first choice. Without leaving home, countless large and small shops on JD.com, Taobao and others are available for you to choose from; if you want peace of mind, local flower and bird markets and other flower and plant sales outlets can also sell them; however, you can also choose our Nongxun Network.

2. Seedling-growing methods for winter forage grass

1. Land preparation before sowing

Forage grass, like crops, can only achieve high yields with intensive cultivation. Most forage grass seeds are very small, have weak soil-emergence ability, and grow slowly at the seedling stage. Land preparation before sowing is the key to good emergence and uniform emergence. The main measures for land preparation before sowing are plowing, harrowing and compacting. Under normal circumstances, previously cultivated land can be directly sown after breaking the stubble and forming ridges with a plow, while virgin land or compacted soil plots must be deeply plowed 20-25 cm with a tractor. It is even better if well-rotted farmyard manure and slow-release phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are applied.

After plowing, harrowing and compacting must be carried out (with a disc harrow and a roller), breaking up large clods of soil, making the surface soil firm and the soil layer level, which helps preserve soil moisture and creates good soil conditions for sowing, emergence, growth and development of forage grass.

2. Sowing period

In years with good spring moisture conditions or on plots with irrigation conditions, spring sowing can be carried out; otherwise, sowing is generally done when the summer rains arrive, but no later than early July, so as to help the seedlings overwinter safely. Overall, it should be determined based on comprehensive factors such as forage grass variety, soil and moisture.

3. Seed treatment

Leguminous forage grass seeds have a high hard-seed rate, so the seeds need to be treated before sowing to increase the germination rate, and rhizobium inoculation should also be carried out; grass-family seeds need awn removal treatment. Hard seeds are generally treated by rubbing the seeds with a rice mill or stone roller to scratch the seed coat, which helps water absorption; awn removal can be done by rolling with an awn-removing machine or a roller. Rhizobium seed dressing refers to forage grass with root nodules on the roots. If leguminous forage grass is sown on land where leguminous forage grass has never been grown, rhizobium inoculation of the seeds before sowing should be carried out, which helps the seedlings form root nodules early and develop nitrogen-fixing ability as soon as possible.

The method is to buy rhizobium agent and mix it with the seeds, or collect root nodules of the same kind of forage grass, air-dry them, crush them and mix them into the seeds. It should be noted that leguminous forage grass rhizobia are divided into eight groups that can inoculate each other, and inoculation between different groups of forage grass is ineffective.

4. Sowing methods

Drilling, hole sowing, broadcasting and seedling transplanting can be used. Drilling has a faster sowing speed, uniform sowing depth, neat emergence, and is convenient for intertillage, weeding, fertilization and other field management. On hillside land with engineering measures, hole sowing can be used, such as planting grass in bamboo-joint trenches and fish-scale pits, and it is also suitable for planting grass on steeper slopes. Broadcasting is used when the grass-planting area is relatively large, using a reseeder or aircraft. Seedling transplanting is generally suitable for taller forage grass varieties and can be used when the planting area is small or manpower is sufficient.

5. Sowing rate

It should be determined according to factors such as the biological characteristics of the forage grass, use (for grass harvest or seed collection), seed size, quality, soil fertility, land preparation quality, sowing period and climatic conditions at sowing.

6. Sowing depth

The seeds should be made to contact moist soil, and after covering with soil, moisture should not evaporate. Because most grass seeds are small and have weak soil-emergence ability, the cover should not be too deep; generally 2-3 cm is appropriate. The following principles can be followed: large seeds should be sown deeper, small seeds shallower; loose soil deeper, heavy clay soil shallower; when the soil is dry deeper, when wet shallower; in spring drought deeper, in summer rainy season shallower. When conditions are suitable, shallow sowing is better, which can ensure neat emergence.

Alright, that is all for what the editor wants to share with everyone today. If you also have ideas about planting winter forage grass, you can go to a specialized flower and bird market to buy seeds, or you can purchase them on Nongxun Network. In addition, the editor has also shared some related seedling-growing methods, hoping to help everyone.

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