How to plant forage grass for raising sheep? Complete guide to planting techniques

For sheep farmers, growing forage grass themselves is a good way to save costs. Planting forage grass is like planting other crops: achieving high yields also requires certain techniques. How do you plant forage grass for raising sheep? Let's take a look at the complete guide to forage grass planting techniques.

1. Select seeds according to the location

The normal growth of forage grass is closely related to suitable climatic conditions and the soil it depends on for survival. Any forage grass has certain requirements for environmental conditions, and even for the same forage grass, different varieties do not have exactly the same requirements for environmental conditions. Therefore, each place should select suitable forage grass varieties according to the local climatic characteristics. In cold regions, it is advisable to plant cold-tolerant alfalfa (purple-flowered alfalfa), Wintergrazer 70 rye, cup plant, and sand milkvetch, etc.; in arid regions, it is advisable to plant drought-tolerant alfalfa, Sudan grass, and grain amaranth, etc.; in hot regions, it is advisable to plant cup plant, Sudan grass, and bitter lettuce, etc.; in warm and humid regions, it is advisable to plant ryegrass, Sudan grass, forage corn, and bitter lettuce, etc.; alkaline soil is suitable for planting alkali-tolerant alfalfa, Wintergrazer 70 rye, cup plant, and Leymus chinensis, etc.; acidic soil is suitable for planting acid-tolerant cup plant and white clover, etc.; poor soil is suitable for planting poor-soil-tolerant sand milkvetch, alfalfa, and smooth brome, etc.; in areas with high soil moisture, it is advisable to plant white clover, red clover, and Elymus dahuricus, etc.

2. Appropriate scale

The scale of sheep raising should be appropriate, and the sheep should match the field. Generally, the raising scale should not be too large; each mu of forage grass can raise 10-15 sheep.

3. Scientific intercropping and relay intercropping

Try to use orchards, forest land, and mulberry fields to plant shade-tolerant forage grass, improve three-dimensional development and utilization, and reduce the planting area in open fields; or use tidal flats to plant salt-tolerant, high-yield forage grass and develop sheep raising on tidal flats, so as to improve the economic benefits of planting grass to raise sheep.

4. Sow at the right time:

As far as possible, plant forage grass crops on sunny slopes in non-high-temperature seasons to avoid the adverse effects of high temperature and low light.

5. Combined planting

When planting forage grass, choose forage grass varieties according to the type and number of meat sheep being raised, and according to the principle of combining long and short terms and reasonable year-round supply. Make reasonable combinations and mixed sowing according to different seasons and the growth characteristics of different forage grass varieties, so as to ensure that the total supply of forage grass in each month of the year can meet the needs of livestock and poultry. In warm spring, ryegrass, red clover, and alfalfa can be planted; in hot summer, cup plant and bitter lettuce can be planted; in cold winter, Wintergrazer 70 rye can be planted, with silage and dried hay as supplements to the forage grass. Forage grass planting can use mixed sowing of grasses and legumes. Because these two types of forage grass have different root systems and leaf distributions, and the nutrients they absorb also differ, grass forage can also use the nitrogen provided by the rhizobia of legume forage, therefore, the yield of forage grass can be significantly increased. In addition, when raising ruminant livestock such as meat sheep, prevent rumen bloating caused by eating a single legume forage. Generally commonly used forage grass combinations include: tall fescue plus white clover or alfalfa, smooth brome plus alfalfa, alfalfa plus ryegrass, etc.

6. Harvest at the right time

The determination of the harvest time of forage grass for raising sheep should consider yield and quality. For example, the best harvest time for ryegrass is from the heading stage to the milk-ripe stage, for barley is the booting stage, for oats is from booting to the beginning of heading, for peas and black beans is from flowering to the beginning of podding, for corn is from milk-ripe to dough stage, and for alfalfa is the beginning of flowering. If harvested too late, the stems of forage grass crops age, nutrients decline, and palatability becomes worse.