Ecotain® environmental plantain establishment
Ecotain® environmental plantain can be used in a variety of ways - from new pasture, undersown to pure sward and mixed with other cultivars. Understanding your fertility status early on is critical. Learn more about soil structure and fertility here.
Key points
- Adding Ecotain to a new pasture is the most reliable establishment method for maximising Ecotain content in a mixed pasture
- Environmental effectiveness of young pastures is very high
- It will take time to get Ecotain across a farm system as it is limited by farm pasture renewal rate (industry average is 8-14% of farm per annum)
Establishment process
- Manage all hard-to-kill weeds prior to sowing
- Establish pasture mixes with Ecotain the same as you would a ryegrass/white clover pasture
- As with best practice establishment for white clover, sow at 10 – 15mm in depth
- Apply establishment fertiliser – nitrogen (N) for rapid establishment and phosphate for long term production (DAP is generally applied at a rate of 200-250 kg/ha at establishment)
- First graze at six weeks following sowing and apply nitrogen after each grazing
Deployment
Direct drill 4-8 kg/ha of Ecotain into kikuyu-dominant, damaged or open pasture with or without perennial or Italian ryegrass
Key points
- Best practice for extending the life of pastures
- Complementary to current undersowing practices
- Can also be added to perennial ryegrass or Italian ryegrass and clovers for undersowing
- Increase summer forage quality
Establishment process
- Select paddocks and then graze or mulch prior to undersowing
- Manage all hard-to-kill weeds prior to undersowing
- Some environments may require slug bait and/or treated seed
- Drill at 10 – 15mm in depth
Deployment
Broadcast 4 – 8 kg/ha Ecotain into damaged or open pasture
Key points
- Success is based on openness of pasture (proportion of open ground)
- Ideal quick fix for winter and spring damaged pastures to extend their life
- Useful addition when applying fertiliser
- Increase summer forage quality
- Seed soil contact essential for success
Establishment process
- Select open paddocks and then graze prior to broadcasting
- Manage all hard-to-kill weeds prior to broadcasting
- To avoid banding across the paddock, use Prillcote® treated seed
Deployment
Include 3-4 kg/ha of Ecotain in your perennial pasture mix
Include 6-8 kg/ha of Ecotain in your Italian or hybrid pasture mix
Key points
- Adding Ecotain to a new pasture is the most reliable establishment method for maximising content in a mixed pasture
- Environmental effectiveness of young pastures is very high
Establishment process
- Manage all hard-to-kill weeds prior to sowing
- Establish pasture mixes with Ecotain the same as you would a ryegrass/white clover pasture
- As with best practice establishment for white clover, sow at 10-15 mm in depth
- Apply establishment fertiliser – nitrogen (N) for rapid establishment and phosphate for long-term production (DAP is generally applied at a rate of 200-250 kg/ha at establishment)
- First graze at six weeks following sowing and apply nitrogen after grazing when required
- First year Ecotain retains high leaf quality through summer relative to unirrigated ryegrass
Deployment
Sow 10-12 kg/ha of Ecotain
Key points
- Provides high and consistent levels of plantain
- Fits very well as a short rotation pasture as a break crop in a pasture renovation programme (similar in use to Italian or hybrid pastures)
- Ideal tool to break grass weed lifecycles with use of grass-specific herbicides
Establishment process
- Plan to plant pasture when soils are 10-12oC and rising
- Spray out existing pasture
- Apply establishment fertiliser – nitrogen (N) for rapid establishment and phosphate for long-term production (DAP is generally applied at a rate of 200-250 kg/ha at establishment)
- Monitor weeds and if found contact your local retail representative. Clean the tank thoroughly before adding water/chemical, and maintain agitation while spraying. If grass seedlings are also present (e.g. summer grasses), a grass-specific herbicide should be added to the mix
- Apply nitrogen 3-4 weeks after planting, then after grazing when required
- First grazing of the whole paddock should occur when plants have seven true leaves (the crop will be about 25 cm high), and aim to leave a 3-5 cm residual
Ecotain Dominant with Clover
Deployment
Sow 12 kg/ha of Ecotain and 4 kg/ha of white clover
Key Points
- Increases productivity over Ecotain dominant stands but decreased weed control options
- High per head and per ha performance vs conventional pasture
- Ideal for 2-3 year lactation feeding or an inter-crop restorative phase
- High mineral content and good shoulder season growth
- Suppression of weeds naturally when fertility and establishment optimised
- Ideal tool to break grass weed lifecycles with use of grass specific herbicides
- Less reliance on applied nitrogen and lower kg/DM costs vs Ecotain dominant option
Establishment Process
- Plan to plant pasture when soils are 10-12o C and rising
- Spray out existing pasture
- Apply establishment fertiliser – nitrogen (N) for rapid establishment and phosphate for long-term production (DAP is generally applied at a rate of 200-250 kg/ha at establishment)
- Monitor weeds and if found contact your local retail representative. Clean the tank thoroughly before adding water/chemical, and maintain agitation while spraying. If grass seedlings are also present (e.g. summer grasses), a grass-specific herbicide should be added to the mix
- Apply nitrogen 3-4 weeks after planting, then after each grazing
- First grazing of the whole paddock should occur when plants have seven true leaves (the crop will be about 25 cm high), and aim to leave a 3-5 cm residual
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