Greensleeves Conference

Neil Pettican MSc

What is grass

» Poaceae is the biological classification of the grass family

» There are over 10,000 species of grass » Grasses include rice, wheat, maize and

bamboo » There are less than 30 species which are of

major importance to turf.

Who are Barenbrug

» Private Company » Over 100 years old » Turnover €150 million » Volume of 70,000 tonnes grass seed » Over 500 employees » Specialist in grass

Barenbrug Worldwide Holland – Head Office

Belgium

Poland

France

Luxembourg

United Kingdom

Romania

USA (east coast)

USA (west coast)

China

New Zealand

Australia

Argentina

»  Annual meadow grass »  Smooth stalked meadow grass »  Rough stalked meadow grass »  Perennial ryegrass »  Annual ryegrass »  Creeping bent »  Browntop bent »  Velvet bent »  Highland bent »  Yorkshire fog

Main Species Found in Turf Situations

»  Strong creeping red fescue »  Slender creeping red fescue »  Chewings fescue »  Tall fescue »  Hard fescue »  Sheeps fescue »  Crested hairgrass »  Tufted hairgrass »  Crested dogstail »  Timothy

Barenbrug Research & Development

» It takes 15 years to develop a new cultivar » 10 research stations worldwide in various climate

zones » Cropvale Research – Barenbrug UK trial site » STRI – BSPB trials and Barenbrug independent trials

Selecting Seed

» What should we look for when selecting a grass seed mixture?

» Select the correct grass species and cultivars for the area of use – soil type, sport to be played, on-going maintenance etc.

What is a cultivar? » A cultivar is a type of grass species which has

been bred by a breeder to improve its attributes e.g. fineness of leaf, disease tolerance etc.

» Genus - Agrostis (bent grass)

• Species - capillaris (browntop) – Cultivar - BarKing

Annual meadowgrass (Poa annua) »! Annual plant, has a short lifespan »! Very common, indigenous species »! Tufted growth habit »! Seeds at very low heights »! Poor aesthetics – colour »! Poor wear tolerance »! Medium leaf width »! High nitrogen requirement »! Poor disease tolerance, drought

tolerance »! Medium thatch production

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

»! Tufted »! Fast establishment »! Excellent wear tolerance »! Large variance between cultivars »! Germination down to 6-7°C soil

temperature »! Optimum pH range 5.8-7.4 »! Large seed – 700 per gram »! Reasonable salt tolerance »! High N inputs, medium water

requirements, minimal thatch production

Red Fescues (Festuca rubra sp.) »  Tufted/rhizomatous »  Very fine, needle like leaves »  Medium establishment »  Germination down to ~10°C soil

temperature »  Optimum pH range 5.4-6.8 »  Largish seed – 1000 per gram »  Variable salt tolerance »  Susceptible to red thread »  Low N inputs, low water

requirements, medium-high thatch production

Red thread

Bent grass (Agrostis sp.) »  Rhizomatous/stoloniferous »  Medium/fine leaf width »  Medium establishment »  Germination down to ~14°C soil

temperature »  Optimum pH range 5.6-7.0 »  Very small seed – 14,000 per gram »  Susceptible to take all patch »  Medium N inputs, medium-high

water requirements, high-very high thatch production

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) »  Tufted & rhizomatous »  Medium-slow establishment –

temp! »  Germination down to ~10°C soil

temperature »  Optimum pH range 5.5-7.0 »  Large seed – 400 per gram »  Good salt tolerance »  Medium N inputs, very low

water requirements, low thatch production

Smooth–stalked meadow grass (Poa pratensis)

»! Strongly rhizomatous »! Slow establishment – temp! »! Germination down to ~12°C soil

temperature »! Optimum pH range 5.8-7.5 »! Small seed – 3,300 per gram »! Poor salt tolerance »! High N inputs, medium water

requirements, medium thatch production

Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus)

»  Tufted, perennial grass »  Native on lawns »  Occurs over a wide range of

soil types » Well adapted to growing in wet

conditions »  Broad, pale grey/green leaves »  Moderate drought »  Optimal pH range 5.0-7.5 »  Poor wear tolerance

What do Barenbrug mean by Total Quality?

» The quality of the characteristics of cultivars plays a vital part in the decision making process

» But there are additional key factors influencing total quality and potential performance which are often overlooked

Why Total Quality?

» Identifying these factors will enable you to assess the total quality value of your mixture selection » Purity » Germination » Vigour

» This will ensure a faster establishment and a cleaner, stronger, more competitive sward

Quality Standards

Species Min purity EU

Min purity HVS Min germ

Perennial ryegrass 96% 98% 80%

Red fescue 90% 95% 75%

Smooth stalked meadowgrass 85% 90% 75%

Bent 90% 90% 75%

Sheeps / hard fescue 85% 85% 75%

» Barenbrug UK has its own policy standard which aims to surpass the HVS standards

» A minimum 99% purity » Germination in excess of 90%

Barenbrug Quality Standards

Pure Live seed (Bent) – BAR v EC

BAR EC

Why BAR Extreme?

Why BAR Extreme?

» Very fast establishing » Extremely fine-leafed for the species » Superior wear tolerance » Good year round colour » High shoot density » Cleanness of cut

Seeding preparation

» Good preparation of the area to be sown is essential for successful results

» Attention should be paid to ensure the seed is in good contact with the soil and to allow water and air infiltration

» Thatch particularly inhibits oversowing establishment and this should be minimized prior to seeding.

Sowing Grass Seed

» There are 2 main application methods of sowing grass seed » New sowings » Oversowing / overseeding

» Remember one seed = one shoot, the more seeds the more shoots

» Larger seeds need to be sown at higher rates

New sowing » A new sowing is seeding an area of bare soil with no

existing grass or weed cover (construction) » New sowings need to be sown at a higher seeding

rate to ensure significant grass cover » Care must be taken to ensure that any cultivation of

the soil does not disturb the seed bank, which can cause weed seeds to germinate – creating competition and looking unsightly.

» BAR Extreme new sowing 25-35 grams per m2

Overseeding »  Overseeding is sowing grass seed into an existing

cover of grass, sometimes known as renovation »  Overseeding is done to increase the density and

quality of the overall grass cover »  There are 2 main types of overseeding »  Seeding to replace the grass cover of bare areas »  To improve the species content of the grass cover

known as “species exchange” »  Species exchange will improve the quality of the

grass e.g. better wear tolerance, fineness of leaf, disease tolerance and aesthetics

»  BAR Extreme oversow 15-25 grams per m2

Species Exchange

Sowing depth » Sowing depth is a vital factor in the success of

germination and establishment » Sowing depth can influence speed of establishment, visual

appearance and botanical composition of the sward, which could in turn influence the potential performance capability

» Generally the larger the seed the deeper it should be sown (below thatch)

»  BAR Extreme, 12-15mm depth

Sowing depth

4 weeks after sowing Left 8-10mm Right 12-15mm

BAR 10 RTF

Germinating Grass Seed »  Germination of grass seed begins when

sufficient temperatures are present and adequate moisture is available for absorption

»  Sufficient water is vital to the germination process, which only begins when water is absorbed by the seed.

»  This triggers a process within the seed which breaks down the embryo

»  First the root will emerge followed by the primary shoot.

»  As the shoot emerges the photosynthetic process will begin to provide energy for the successful establishment of the emerging plant.

Water Requirements » After sowing, the soil should be kept MOIST but not too

wet in the zone in which the seed is placed. » Too much can be as bad as too little, it can preclude vital

air from the pore space, and air is essential for germination.

» Do not allow the seed or seedlings to dry out until germination has occurred – little and often

» Following germination, it is essential that newly emerged seedlings continue to receive sufficient irrigation/rainfall for successful establishment

» Once a healthy root system is established a regular maintenance programme can be resumed.

Soil Temperatures »  The temperature of a soil is an extremely important influencer

on the germination process. »  There are significant differences in temperature germination

response not only between species, but also between specific cultivars within a species.

»  For the optimum results seed should be sown when temperatures are consistent for the relevant mixture.

»  Perennial ryegrass (BAR Extreme) 7-15 days with soil temperature of 7°C +

»  Red fescue - 10-21 days with soil temperature of 10°C + »  Browntop bent - 10-21 days with a soil temperature of 12°C +

Summary

» Select the correct grass species. » Select the highest quality seed » Good preparation = successful results » Think about the time of year you are seeding,

soil temperature, seeding rate and depth » MOISTURE!

Barenbrug website

Barenbrug UK Ltd 33 Perkins Road, Rougham Industrial Estate, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9ND Tel: 01359 272000 Fax: 01359 272001 Email: info@baruk.co.uk www.barenbrug.co.uk

Thank you for your time

Any questions?