The idea of multi-species is that it varies the root systems in the ground, it picks up a lot of vitamins and minerals because some of the species are deeper rooted than others. This is also advantageous in dry weather conditions as some species can draw moisture from deeper in the soil. We have perennial ryegrass, we have fescue grass, we have red and white clover, and chicory and plantain. The chicory and plantain are the more obvious species and are the tallest in the sward. I am very happy with the results. It works very well for grazing and also for baling. It makes an extremely high quality bale that is higher in protein than a normal ryegrass bale, so it will give me extra live weight gain through the winter.
Growing this type of grass has meant that I can cut down on the amount of artificial fertilizer used on the farm. It needs little or no nitrogen because the clovers ‘fix’ nitrogen from the air and so help to promote high growth rates, while really fending for themselves. I see this as being a far more sustainable option and its evolving year on year, so that in the future I hope the farm will have no need for spreading any additional nitrogen at all.
