CHICORY
Excellent root system
Great for stock health/milk/meat production.
Suggested sowing rates 0.5-2 kg/ha in a pasture mix, or 7-8 kg/ha as a stand alone crop.
Can supply and mix any variety to your requirements please enquire
Please contact us for more information
Chicory is well-known for its exceptional drought tolerance and adaptability to various soil types. Chicory makes it an excellent choice for grazing in regions with challenging environmental conditions. Its deep taproot allows chicory to access water and nutrients from deeper soil layers, ensuring its availability even during dry periods. Chicory has a good summer yield but limited cool season growth, A summer active herb, chicory provides high yields of palatable feed from spring through to autumn and has a deep tap root which supports growth through dryer conditions. Livestock, including cattle, sheep, and goats, find chicory highly palatable. The plant's leaves are rich in nutrients such as protein, minerals like calcium and phosphorus, and vitamins. Grazing animals can enjoy not only improved overall health but also potential increases in milk production and weight gain due to the nutritional content of chicory. It is a popular summer feed option but rarely used as an 18-month option because of poor winter and early spring growth. There are two ways to grow chicory in a pasture mix, or as a special purpose crop. Chicory will last 1 year and sometimes more under dairy grazing.
Chicory shouldn’t be grazed earlier than the seven-leaf stage, when plants have seven fully grown leaves, This is normally around eight weeks after spring-sowing, This ensures plants have well-developed tap roots to improve survival through the growing season. Dairy cows will readily graze lower than 5cm and management strategies need to be in place to ensure this does not occur,
Chicory establishes best when sown into warm soils (12°C) at less than 10mm depth. Spring sowing is preferred as plants develop quickly and reproductive stems won’t grow until the following spring, Planning is important as sowing chicory too early means young plants may be damaged by frost while sowing too late runs the risk of dry conditions reducing plant establishment and survival, Sowing after cultivation using a roller drill is recommended. Pre-emergence insecticide and treated seed are also recommended. Chicory can be successfully established by direct drilling following herbicide application, however, careful attention is required to ensure sowing depth is no greater than 10mm and slug bait should be used, While broadcasting seed is the simplest and cheapest technique, it reduces chicory plant establishment, increasing weed invasion, and reducing yield. The increased cost of direct drilling compared with broadcasting is more than compensated for by the increased yield.
