A relatively inexpensive and highly versatile cover crop either sown alone or as a companion to other species.
It is ideal for early cover and although killed off by frost, the fallen woody stems will create shelter for the birds below. This is especially useful when sown with seed producing species which alone would provide no cover.
An eligible crop for inclusion in EFA catch and cover crop mixtures
Sow 2.5-5kg/acre or broadcast 5-7kg/acre.
Available in 5kg or 25kg packs.
A traditional mixture of species specially selected for their feed and cover qualities.
This mixture is designed for a full season of cover that will provide holding, feed and cover for all game birds. The sunflowers add an attractive splash of colour. Due to the variance in seed size, broadcast to achieve optimum establishment and ensure that treated seed is covered by harrowing and rolling.
Contains the following ingredients;
17.5% White Millet
15% Game Maize
15% Red Millet
14% Buckwheat
9.5% Kale
7.5% Sunflower
2.5% White Mustard
2.5% Forage Rape
1% Gold of Pleasure
0.5% Phacelia
Quinoa is capable of producing a plentiful amount of seed and therefore is a popular choice of crop for holding partridge and pheasants.
Many species of seed-eating song-birds are also attracted to the crop. Commonly grown with kale, quinoa provides cover and feed until it begins to collapse in the first frosts with the kale providing more permanent cover.
A biennial plant which can persist for several years due to its self-regenerating properties.
Owing to its sweet smell and copious production of nectar it is highly attractive to insects, which in turn attract game birds and wildlife. Sowing with kale will help to provide cover in the first year, with the tall, woody-stemmed clover taking over in the second year. Yellow blossom sweet clover can thrive in the poorest of soils and being leguminous and deep rooting it is invaluable for improving soil structure and fertility.
Sow 2.5kg/acre or broadcast 2.5kg+/acre.
Available in 2kg pack.
A prolific seeder, very fast to establish and a good weed suppressant.
It produces a mass of sweet smelling purple flowers providing a good source of nectar and seeds beneficial to a large variety of insects. It is not winter hardy and therefore for game cover it is best sown as part of a mixture. Phacelia is likely to set seed and reseed itself for many years to come
An eligible crop for inclusion in EFA catch and cover crop mixtures
Crimson Clover tollerates well in a wide range of soils but thrives in sandy, loamy, free draining soils. It has a deep rooted system which makes it drought tolerant.
It is fast to establish and is excellent at smothering weeds.
Crimson Clover is usually an annual as it is not very winter hardy
Forage Rape is particularly useful in that it can be used as a rescue or catch crop, continuing until the New Year when it flowers and goes to seed.
A well grown crop with adequate spacing between rows will provide good cover for holding, driving and feeding. It is largely unaffected by frost and wet weather.
Sow 2.5kg/acre or broadcast 4kg/acre.
Available in 5kg or 25kg packs.
Canary Grass provides excellent medium to long term nesting cover for pheasant and partridge and can be used to both hold and drive birds.
It is useful in areas where annual planting is not an option, either because it is uneconomic or too difficult and is a good choice to use between tree rows in newly established woods. Care must be taken to drill in wide enough rows to prevent the canary grass becoming too dense and therefore impassable for the birds. Annual management should be undertaken to keep the rows clear and topping is beneficial if the grass becomes too tall, with the debris being removed
Sow 2.5kg/acre.
Available in 2.5kg pack.
VAT Payable.
White Millet is best suited to more southerly regions of the UK as it is a sunshine loving plant and is not frost hardy.
It provides warmth, shelter and feed for game birds and will attract wild seed-eating birds such as finches. White millet is particularly attractive to grey and red-legged partridges and if sown alone can be used for early holding cover. When required to last longer into the season it performs well if sown with maize but will combine well with a variety of other game cover crops.
Ambush Millet Mix is a combination of white, red and Japanese reed millet.
The reed millet being a stronger plant and more winter hardy provides cover while the white and red millet produces plentiful seed to hold the birds in the cover. It is an ideal mixture for use as a wind-proof belt on the outside of a block of maize or as a flushing point at the end of maize.
Contains the following ingredients;
40% White Millet
40% Red Millet
20% Japanese Reed Millet
A fast growing cover crop, its prime usefulness being where brassica sickness is a problem due to its immunity to the disease.
Other qualities are its speed of establishment which aids weed suppression, and its use as a green manure crop. It is useful as a catch crop in northern regions if sown in July as it will be ready to provide cover within six to eight weeks, just as birds are losing cover from the cereals being combined. Due to its fast growth it is valuable as a replacement for failed crops, and will continue to provide cover right through the season. In addition, it holds its seed in pods which shed in late winter/early spring, thus providing feed during that all important ‘hungry gap’.
Sow 2.5kg/acre or broadcast 2.5-3.5kg/acre.
Available in 5kg pack.
Giant Sorghum is a sorghum x sudan grass hybrid standing approximately 2 metres tall and therefore is extremely useful as a windbreak to protect more vulnerable crops.
Its deep rooting system enables it to withstand drought conditions. Useful as a flushing crop even though it is prone to lodging later in the season.
A rapidly growing short term crop highly attractive to pheasants, partridge and deer both as cover and feed.
The large amount of nectar produced attracts bees and other beneficial insects which in turn provide added interest for game birds. It is a useful component to add to mixtures due to its bulkiness and its ability to continue to provide holding cover and feed after the first frosts when the crop has fallen. Buckwheat thrives best in sunny rather than shaded areas.
Sow 20kg/acre or broadcast 20kg+/acre.
Available in 5kg pack.
All Season maize blend + Redigo M is a unique blend of three maize varieties of varying maturity producing special benefits that cannot be achieved by growing a single variety.
Shooting cover requirements differ greatly and much depends on the specific job the crop is grown to do.
Growing maize provides birds with the availability of grain to feed on throughout the season, plus cover due to the ability of the maize to stand to the end of the season.
“All Season” is able in good or bad seasons to produce grain because of the range of maturities within the blend, which is described below.
Redigo M is a fungicide treatment so the maize should be drilled when the soil temperature has reached a minimum of 10° C for at least three consecutive days to allow the seed a rapid establishment.
In addition it is better to drill the seed a bit deeper than normal at round 7 – 8cm. By doing this the rooks find it much more difficult to find and eat the seed.
Early Variety
In a good or bad season grain is produced of a satisfactory maturity to provide feed.
The plants brackle over to make cobs available to the birds.
Medium Variety
In a good season this will give good grain yields later than the earlier variety, spreading the feeding season and holding the birds.
Late Variety
Produces very large strong plants for all season cover with good resistance to lodging because of its very high fusarium disease resistance.
Northern Star Game mixture is ideal for use in colder, more exposed areas.
This mixture will provide cover and feed as well as being a haven for wildlife throughout the season. The triticale in the mixture is beneficial where rabbit damage is a potential problem. It is advisable to sow in wide rows to enable birds to have free access.
Contains the following ingredients;
50% Spring Triticale
38% Spring Beans
5% Forage Rape
5% Kale
2% Yellow Blossom Clover
A wheat/rye hybrid cereal providing good cover and feed in marginal low fertility areas where it will thrive with little input.
Useful in situations where maize and millet are not options and where brassica sickness is a problem. Further important advantages are its ability to withstand rabbit attack, its winter hardiness and good disease resistance. When sowing in the spring, a true spring type must be used which does not require a period of vernalisation, otherwise the plant will not produce grain.
A green manure crop with biofumigation properties, i.e. it suppresses soil-borne pests and diseases.
It is an easy to establish 50 - 70 day crop that can be sown between April and September and, unlike white mustard, it is winter hardy. It will improve the health of the soil by increasing organic matter and acts as an excellent weed suppressant. It is also especially useful as over-wintering green cover after maize, potatoes and sugar beet crops, reducing soil erosion, fertiliser leaching and water run-off.
Creates tall, dense cover, bolting in its second year to create a 6 - 7ft flowering hedge, useful where a perimeter barrier is required.
It has good tolerance to drought, acid soils and major pests (but does not like very wet ground) and has a high mineral content including Zinc, Potassium and Copper.
Sow 2kg/acre or broadcast 2kg+/acre.
Available in 2kg pack.
added view basket
