New Shawnee Orchardgrass
Shawnee Orchardgrass (25# bag!) is a very palatable, late maturing orchardgrass with high yields and is an great choice for high quality hay.
Shawnee was developed in Canby, Oregon and is known for its forage quality and excellent disease resistance to leaf, stripe and stem rust. Shawnee is also resistant to Purple Eye Spot and Leaf Scald.
Shawnee can be planted on a wide range of soils and is salt tolerant.
OMRI Listed
No
Establishment
Plant 1/4″ depth in the spring or early fall.
Management
Orchardgrass takes a year or more to reach its full production potential. No-till is only recommended when a herbicide is used to sufficiently kill or retard the existing stand. A minimum pH of 6.0 is best. Profit Orchardgrass should initially be cut or grazed leaving a 4-6″ stand the first cutting, the first year, to insure better persistance and regowth. Because orchardgrass pastures are slower to establish than traditional ryegrass pastures, grazing management following sowing is crucial to successful establishment of the stand. Establishment under ideal growing conditions could be 6-7 weeks for a Spring sowing and 10-12 weeks for an Autumn sowing. In a pure Orchardgrass stand, the first grazing should be brief and preferably by young stock. An application of nitrogen, 25-30 units/acre 4-6 weeks after sowing promotes tillering without damage to the young stand. Once established, orchardgrass should be grazed or cut leaving a 3-4″