Methods of sowing and sowing rates of perennial grass seeds. Radiant and fierce herbs

The plants of the North are distinguished by their modest colors, but we are well aware of the generosity of the flora of this region: an abundance of berries and mushrooms. The natural pharmacy is also quite rich. Just being in nature and communicating with it is already a healing factor. We know how a walk through the forest has a beneficial effect on a person’s well-being and mood. It is especially easy to breathe in a pine forest, where there is a lot of space and light, the air is filled with the aroma of pine - these are essential oils secreted by pine needles and have an antimicrobial effect. It is not for nothing that sanatoriums for the treatment of pulmonary diseases are built in pine forests. The pine tree itself is a small pharmacy that provides a variety of medicines: buds, pine-vitamin pastes, pine extracts, turpentine, etc. Birch is not inferior to it in terms of the range of medicinal raw materials: buds, birch charcoal, leaves, chaga, birch tar and etc.

How many different shrubs, shrubs, and herbs have healing properties? There are more than 300 species in the flora of Karelia alone, that is, every third species has therapeutic significance. Scientific medicine does not recognize all plants, but folk knowledge about the medicinal properties of plants is invaluable wisdom, accumulated over centuries, tested by experience. It is precisely this that constantly serves as a source for the search for new types of herbal remedies and new healing properties of previously known plants.

Since ancient times, many types of medicinal flora have been used as food and served as sources of vitamins for the peoples of the North. Others, on the contrary, are poisonous and treatment with them, instead of benefit, can cause irreparable harm. It follows from this that it is extremely important to know the plants by sight, so as not to confuse them when you go to collect them.

It is clear to everyone that by harvesting any type of plant material, you damage the plant; it loses vital organs (stems, leaves, roots). When procuring raw materials, care must be taken to ensure that this damage is minimal. The main rule that should be followed is to take only the desired fragment or part from the plant, without damaging the rest. So, when harvesting leaves, you do not need to damage the buds; when collecting flowers, do not touch the leaves and stems. It takes time for the plant to regenerate lost organs. The nature of the North is more vulnerable, wounds inflicted by humans heal more slowly. The regeneration period for plants is longer here than in more southern parts of the country.

For higher quality medicinal raw materials, it is very important when it is collected. Complying with collection times means storing medicinal herbs during a period when the maximum or sufficient amount of biologically active substances is concentrated in the desired part of the plant. Typically, the grass (leaves and stems along with flowers) is collected at the time the plants are in flower. Only evergreen shrubs bearberry and lingonberry shoots and leaves are harvested in early spring and autumn, and during flowering the content of therapeutically valuable substances in them decreases.

The time for harvesting buds, bark and juice is spring. Roots and shoots are dug up in early spring (before the parts that are above the ground grow) or late autumn (after the above-ground shoots die), since during this period all biologically active substances are concentrated in the underground fragment of the plant. The time required for the procurement of medicinal raw materials of all plants is indicated in the collection calendar.

What you need to know about harvesting and using plants

Procurement of medicinal raw materials requires a careful and reasonable approach. The collector should adhere to the rules, since untimely harvesting and improper drying can lead to the loss of the healing properties of plants. Collect herbs away from highways, smoky cities and workers' settlements. Raw materials must be as clean as possible. For harvesting, you need to choose dry weather. You can start collecting only after the morning dew has dried.

Only the necessary part of the plants is cut off (buds, leaves or stems with leaves), roots and shoots are dug out with spades and scoops. Fruits for drying (blueberries) are collected by hand.

Collected plants must be dried immediately. It should be remembered that the green parts of the plants should not be exposed to sunlight when drying. Therefore, well-ventilated sheds, attics, and sheds are suitable for drying. In damp weather, ovens should be used to dry herbs (drying temperature 50-60°C). The herbs are spread in a thin layer of 1-2 cm on paper, plywood, or matting. It is very good to hang them in small bunches on a rope in the attic or barn, and in damp weather dry them indoors. Dried plant parts should have a natural green color and be brittle when broken.

The buds are collected in early spring, during the period of swelling, when they have increased in size but have not yet blossomed. Dry the buds in a cool, well-ventilated area, stirring frequently.

It is important for lovers of green pharmacy to know how to properly use medicinal plants at home. The method of preparing various drugs depends on the composition of the biologically active substances they contain. At home, you can prepare those preparations that do not require special complex equipment: infusions, tinctures, decoctions, teas, powders, ointments.

First of all, the harvested plant material must be thoroughly crushed. The smaller the plant particles you get, the faster you can extract useful substances, the less time it will take for heat treatment. All preparations must be prepared in glass or porcelain containers, or with an enamel surface.

Tinctures are prepared by processing medicinal raw materials in a water bath. To do this, take 1 part of the crushed raw material and add 10 or 20 parts of boiled water. The prepared mixture is placed in a small bowl, covered with a lid and left for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. After this, the infusion is cooled at room temperature for an hour, then filter through several layers of gauze and add as much boiled water as has boiled away. Now the infusion is ready.

Decoctions are most often prepared from bark, roots, rhizomes, and leathery leaves. These plant parts require longer processing. The mixture is prepared in the same proportion as for infusions. It is then placed in a boiling water bath for 30-40 minutes, cooled for 10 minutes and strained. You can simmer the broth over low heat for 30 minutes and strain after 10 minutes.

Infusions and decoctions quickly deteriorate, so it is better to prepare them immediately before use or store them in the refrigerator for no more than three days.

Tinctures are extracts from biologically active substances obtained with 70% alcohol or vodka. Crushed plant materials must be placed in a container in a ratio of 1:5, that is, 20 g of raw materials are poured into 100 g of alcohol. After this, the mixture must be tightly closed and kept at room temperature for 7 days. Next, the resulting tincture is filtered using, the remains of the plants are squeezed out. This drug can be stored for years.

Powders are prepared by grinding individual parts of plants. This can be done in an ordinary mortar or coffee grinder. The powder is used to powder wounds and ulcers, but it can also be mixed with petroleum jelly, butter, fat or some other vegetable oils, thereby obtaining various ointments.

Often they use preparations prepared from several plants, obtaining a mixture. This kind of mixture is traditionally called medicinal mixtures or teas. It is not recommended to create these mixtures yourself. It is best to use ready-made recipes. Infusions or decoctions are usually prepared from the resulting collections, sometimes brewed like ordinary tea.

Sowing methods and seeding rates for perennial grass seeds are determined biological features species, natural conditions, soil fertility, agricultural culture, provision of farms with the necessary equipment.

In this case, two methods of sowing are used: coverless or under the cover of other crops. Sowing of coverless crops is carried out in spring, and in summer and autumn - under cover (in autumn together with winter crops). To obtain full seed yields from grass stands of the 1st year of use, alfalfa, eastern goat's rue, awnless brome and cocksfoot should be sown without cover. Clover, timothy grass, wheatgrass, meadow fescue and perennial ryegrass tolerate well under cover crops, providing good seed yields for the following year.

For sowing, seeds of zoned local and promising varieties are used, which according to the main indicators meet the OS and ES categories. national standard Russian Federation. Seeds of perennial grasses are sown for fodder purposes in a crop rotation system, to establish natural forage lands and create long-term cultivated pastures. The presence of seeds of quarantine weeds is not allowed in the seed material.

Seeds are sown simultaneously with the cover crop or immediately after it is sown across the rows on rolled soil. On weed-free fields with a sufficient supply of moisture, the best time for undercover sowing is in the spring on well-prepared soil.

With cover crops, grass seed yields are 10...15% less than with coverless crops. To reduce the negative impact of the cover crop, its seeding rate is reduced by 20...30%; nitrogen fertilizers are not applied to it. Winter, early and late spring crops are used as cover crops, as well as annual legume-cereal grass mixtures, harvested early for feed. To reduce the suppression of sown grasses, the varieties of grain crops used must be resistant to lodging.

The best time for coverless sowing is from May 15 to June 10. When sowing after June 15, grasses, especially legumes, do not have time to complete the branching phase. The result is low seed yields. In clogged areas, sowing should be postponed to summer. In this case, the field is treated using pure steam to destroy weeds and accumulate moisture in the soil. Summer sowing of grasses must be carried out in moist soil after precipitation.

Eastern goat's rue requires at least 120 days to form root shoots and overwintering buds, so spring sowing is advisable for it.

Seeds are sown in well-leveled and rolled soil, which ensures their uniform placement to the optimal depth, increases field germination by 10...15% and creates conditions for friendly, simultaneous emergence of seedlings.

The width of the row spacing used (15, 30, 45 or 60 cm) is set depending on the moisture supply and soil fertility: the drier the conditions and the poorer the arable layer in nutrients, the more appropriate it is to increase the row spacing. The seed productivity of plants such as alfalfa, eastern goat's rue and awnless brome is higher in wide-row crops.

For sowing grass seeds, seeders SZT-3.6 are used; CO-4.2; SPU-3; SPU-4; SPU-6, as well as SST-12B and SUPN-8, equipped with sowing devices for small-seeded crops.

The seed sowing rate for each crop is set depending on the sowing method, and the depth of seeding depends on the granulometric composition of the soil.

Seeds of goat's rue, clover and alfalfa often have reduced field germination due to their hardness. If a seed batch contains more than 15% of hard stone seeds, in order to improve germination, the seal of the shell is broken by applying microscratches in scarifiers SS-0.5, SKS-30, SKS-1, STS-2 or clover grinders K-ZYuA and K-0, 5 1...1.5 months before sowing, since scarified seeds quickly lose their viability. Difficult-to-flow seeds of perennial grasses can also be scarified to increase flowability, but this operation is performed immediately before sowing.

To stimulate the development of nodule bacteria, seeds are treated with nitragin or rhizotrophin on the day of sowing. This is especially effective in areas where seeds are sown for the first time.

Treatment of seeds with disinfectants and bacterial fertilizers is carried out with PSSh-5 treaters.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Practice has proven the feasibility of mixed legume-cereal crops. By expanding the botanical composition of grasses, which affects the nutritional and palatability of the feed, a higher yield of grasses and hay is obtained than from sowing pure single-species grasses.

Fields with grass mixtures are usually less clogged with weeds and more resistant to unfavorable conditions. weather conditions. Grass mixtures can be double when they consist of one legume and one cereal grass.

But it is more expedient and more effective to sow from a triple mixture - two cereal grasses and one legume, and vice versa.

In the forest-meadow zone, red clover is often sown in a mixture with timothy or meadow fescue. Legume-cereal grass mixtures make it possible to obtain consistently high yields for 2-3 years. On well-cultivated fertilized soils, a triple grass mixture is sown, which can consist of clover, alfalfa and timothy. In this case, no matter what summer it is in a given year, a high harvest is guaranteed.

For steppe zones, the most appropriate grass mixtures are from alfalfa, sainfoin and one of the cereals, or from a triple mixture: from alfalfa with wheatgrass and awnless brome. As already mentioned, seeds of the best landraces and breeding varieties should be used to sow perennial grasses.

Perennial grasses are sown under the cover of spring grain crops. When sowing grass mixtures for winter crops, it is better to sow perennial cereal grasses in the fall in the first days of sowing winter crops. Legume grasses for winter crops are sown in the spring in the earliest and shortest possible time, scattered on frozen ground, immediately after the snow melts.

Perennial herbs For spring grain crops, they are sown at the same time at the earliest possible time within 3-5 days. When sowing is late, unfriendly shoots are obtained. In steppe zones, alfalfa is sown both in pure form and in a mixture without cover in the spring or early summer with mandatory preliminary cultivation. In steppe zones with sufficient moisture, sainfoin and alfalfa are sown under the cover of spring wheat or barley.

Experts believe the best way subsurface sowing of perennial grasses is a method of coupling two seeders, the front of which sows the grain crop, and the second, in the inter-rows of the first, sows grass seeds. This method ensures the best quality of the grass stand.

Seeds are sown to a depth of 1-2 cm on heavy soils and 2-3 cm on light and loose soils. In arid zones, when the soil surface dries quickly, grass seeds are buried to 4-5 cm. When sowing seeds of a cover grain crop and grasses together with one seeder from one coulter, sowing is carried out very early with a planting depth of no deeper than 3-4 cm.

During the planting year, grasses grow slowly, so after harvesting the cover crops, the grasses are fed with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Per 1 hectare, 2 quintals of superphosphate and 1 quintal of potassium fertilizers are applied. In the early spring of next year, the grass crops are harrowed. To better care for grass crops, the cover crop is mowed at a height of 15-20 cm, which will ensure better snow retention in the coming winter. It is undesirable for cattle to graze over the harvested stubble of a grass field due to possible disruption of the grass root system.

Perennial herbs They are harvested for hay in the budding phase and the beginning of flowering of leguminous grasses or in the heading phase and the beginning of flowering of cereal grasses. After each mowing, for better regrowth of the grass, immediately fertilize the legume grass with phosphates and potassium fertilizers, and with nitrogen fertilizers on the cereal grass, after which the field is harrowed. Subsequent watering will have a good effect on the condition of the grass. The last grass cutting of the year is done in such a time that they have time to grow before winter and get stronger before overwintering.

Having your own feed supply for a small farm is an economically advantageous thing: all experts say that buying hay “outside” is unprofitable, and you never know the characteristics of the feed, its composition and quality of drying. Each farm must develop its own way of effectively growing perennial grasses. We were puzzled by this question.

In Russia there are practically no problems with quality and quantity fertile land, so peasants, and today farmers, historically grew their own grass for fodder. True, this technologically complex process was actually crushed and forgotten under the influence of the acute crisis of the industry in the 90s of the 20th century. In Yuryevsky, the only farm in the Pervomaisky district, where sheep farming is professionally developed, the technology for creating highly productive, long-term grasses in the field has been restored.

The work took several years, because a small farm does not have extensive material and technical resources and a whole team of people dedicated exclusively to hay. But even in such conditions it is possible to do a lot.

Soil preparation

So, it all started with a field where reclamation work was carried out in 2013–2015, and then sowing and planting of plants that enriched the soil with organic matter and nutrition. In professional language, they are called green manure, noting that such herbs are an excellent replacement for manure.

View of the field

Next, we began pre-sowing preparations in the early spring of 2016. Harrowing took place in two tracks (that is, each pass of the machine - the AT2.7R disk drive - was carried out at a different angle to level the field topography). Harrowing should be planned as the soil ripens, approximately in the third decade of April, in order to preserve moisture reserves in the ground and destroy the seedlings of weeds and shrubs. After this work, the surface is leveled using a long-base leveler. We used a couple of heavy tooth harrows as a planner. Finally, in the second ten days of May, the soil was fertilized with nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer 15:15:1:15. The NO 14/6 spreader helped to cope with the task.

Primary seeding

Perennial grasses cannot be sown immediately in a prepared area: it will be difficult for them to germinate and gain strength due to weeds. Therefore, a cover crop is first sown to protect the seeds from the negative influence of the environment.

We sowed treated seeds - a mixture of annuals at the following rate: vetch - 0.70 c/ha + oats - 1.05 c/ha. We used a pneumatic seeder SPU-4D. The cover crop kept the weeds from growing wildly and also provided good fresh feed for the sheep. The excess grass went into compost.

Sowing perennials

Growth period of perennial grass under cover crop

On May 1–3, it’s time to sow future perennial grasses. We selected zoned seeds of higher reproduction from the following calculation: meadow clover (Smolensky 29) 8 kg/ha + alfalfa (Nakhodka) 10 kg/ha + meadow timothy grass (Leningradskaya 204 and Pskovskaya local 50 to 50) 4 kg/ha + meadow fescue (Shokinskaya ) 8 kg/ha. Using a pneumatic seeder, the same one used to sow annuals, the seeds were sown at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the rows of cover grasses. That is, annuals were sown across, and perennials were sown along.

Cover crop harvesting

Perennial grasses under cover that has not yet been mowed

Annual grasses should be removed approximately 60 days after emergence to lighten the perennials and not interfere with their intensive development. If the cover is removed early and the weather is favorable, the forage grass crops will grow quickly. Overgrown grasses must be mowed at the level of the remaining cover (stubble) no later than 30 days before their growth and development ceases. This should be done around the end of August to mid-September.

View of the field after harvesting the cover crop

If the deadlines are missed, the grass will have to be harvested in the third ten days of October, after the cessation of seasonal development and growth. Moreover, if you get to work earlier, at the end of September or beginning of October, the grass will use up reserve nutrients for regrowth, but will not have time to accumulate them for a successful wintering. Mowing down perennials means ensuring a good wintering, avoiding damping off of the plants, and reducing the likelihood of disease.

Our first experience turned out to be difficult, although in terms of manufacturability we worked well. The weather was not good, there were not enough people and equipment, and the time of harvesting the cover crop coincided with the time of intensive hay harvesting. Therefore, the cover grasses were not removed in a timely manner, but in order to properly grow perennial grasses, it is worth listening to the instructions stated above. We still hope for the planned result - to get a powerful grass stand from the sown perennials next year.

Perennial grass growing after mowing

Thus, it is not necessary to buy hay at exorbitant prices every year. Subject to following simple instructions, a small farming capable of growing perennial grasses for mowing for hay.

Field two weeks after harvesting the cover crop

Field three weeks after cover crop harvested

View of the field at the end of October 2016

This is how the grass goes into winter

View of the field in early May 2017

Harrowing the field

The field was harrowed to remove crop residues and improve aeration of the grass root system.

Border of treated area with untreated area

Good predecessors for perennial grasses are winter and spring grains, fallow, row crops, except beets, and annual forage grasses. It is economically advantageous to place the testes in pairs.

SOIL TILLAGE

Most types of perennial grasses develop a powerful root system from 1 to 3 meters, so the main tillage is done in the fall to a depth of 25-30 cm, moldboard or non-moldboard. Plowing with preliminary stubble cultivation after stubble predecessors is of better quality.

With no-moldboard cultivation, higher stubble (15-18 cm) will contribute to greater snow accumulation. Early spring harrowing is necessary to conserve moisture in the spring. Shallow (3-4 cm) cultivation before sowing must be carried out with cultivators with flat-cutting tines, as they create a dense base, cut weeds well, and do not turn the moistened layer of soil to the surface.

Perennial grasses have very small seeds, so the soil must be well leveled. Pre-sowing cultivation is combined with harrowing and rolling. It is better to perform all these operations with combined units in one step.

SOWING

Perennial forage crops are often sown under the cover of annual crops, this is due to the fact that perennial grasses develop slowly and have low productivity in the year of sowing. In the first year, the cover crop produces a full harvest, and perennial grasses - starting in the second year.

Another advantage of cover sowing is that slow-growing grasses are not able to resist weeds, and under the cover they are less clogged. Cover crop stubble retains snow better. But from the point of view of developmental biology, grasses under cover do not have enough light, water, and nutrients, so in the spring of next year they grow worse and are more sparse compared to coverless crops.

To minimize these negative effects of cover cropping, you need to choose the right cover crop to provide minimal shade to the perennial grasses. In this sense, winter grains are worse than spring grains, since they bush more strongly, often lie down, and greatly shade the grasses.

Among spring crops, oats as a cover crop may be somewhat worse than wheat and barley, since oats bush more, oat leaves die later, and in wet autumn it can regrow.

The cover crop must be harvested early so that the grasses, having emerged from the cover, have time to develop sufficiently and accumulate nutrients for successful overwintering. These can be legume-oat mixtures for green mass - for early sowings, and millet crops for green mass (fodder millet, Sudan grass) - for late sowings.

The method of sowing perennial grasses is of great importance. It is important that the grass seeds do not fall into the same row with the cover crop seeds, so it is better to sow inter-row using grain-grass seeders (SZT - 3.6), in which the cover crop and perennial crop are sown from different boxes and coulters when alternating rows of the cover crop and herbs after 7.5 cm.

In the absence of such seeders, you can sow crosswise: first, a cover crop to a depth of 6-7 cm, and then, on the rolled soil, grass to a depth of 1-2 cm. When overseeding grasses for winter crops in the spring, disc seeders are used across the winter crops, then harrowing is carried out.

FERTILIZERS

Perennial grasses respond very well to fertilizers. Under good conditions for nitrogen fixation, legumes respond less to nitrogen fertilizers and are more demanding of phosphorus and potassium.

Phosphorus and potassium are applied for basic soil cultivation in the fall, 60 kg of a.m./ha for each element. When sowing in a row, it is effective to apply phosphorus fertilizers at 10-15 kg a.m./ha. If fertilizers have not been added to the reserve, then fertilizing in the second and subsequent years in early spring is effective.

It is better to feed leguminous grasses with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers at 30-40 kg a.m./ha, but not in a scattered manner, but by cutting them into the grass turf with flat-cutting fertilizers.

Cereals can be fed either with complete mineral or nitrogen fertilizer, also at 30-40 kg a.m./ha. It is necessary to fertilize grass mixtures, taking into account the proportion of components. If the legume component predominates (more than 50%), then in order not to suppress the nitrogen-fixing activity of nodule bacteria, apply fertilizers as for leguminous grasses. If the cereal component predominates, fertilize it like cereal grasses.

CROWD CARE

Rolling before and after sowing. Destruction of the soil crust by rotating organs. Pre-emergence harrowing with light harrows. Timely harvesting of the cover crop at a high cut (15-20 cm). When harvesting for grain, the straw must be removed immediately. Fertilizing and harrowing after mowing.

CLEANING AND PREPARATION OF FEED

The optimal mowing height for fodder purposes is 5-6 cm, and for high-stemmed plants (for example, sweet clover) - 12-14 cm. A higher cut of 8-10 cm is recommended in the first year of life, and also if the grass is to be removed next year for seeds.

When harvesting for hay, perennial grasses are mowed in the budding phase - flowering, cereals - heading. Their harvesting should be completed at the beginning of flowering. In addition, during the flowering phase, the proportion of stems increases, the proportion of leaves decreases, while leaves contain 2-3 times more protein. Nutrients flow more into the flowers, and they fall off more during harvesting than leaves.

Closer to flowering, plants become more susceptible to diseases (powdery mildew, leaf rust), and the quality of food deteriorates. If the first mowing is delayed, the plants then grow worse, and the yield from the 2nd mowing is significantly reduced.

The development phases of forage crops change rapidly. Therefore, harvesting grasses for hay should begin at the optimal time and be completed within 8-10 days. Delays in harvesting lead to a large shortage of the most valuable nutrients. Grass mixtures are mowed no later than the beginning of flowering of the predominant component.

It is better to mow grass with a high yield of green mass using mowers such as KS-2.1, KDP-4, rotary KRN-2.1, etc.

The technology for wilting herbs should ensure a reduction in plant humidity to a level of 45-50%, at which biochemical processes are sharply inhibited and nutrient losses are reduced. This can be accelerated by stirring the mass.

To turn the grass in swaths, raking it into windrows, wrapping and spreading the windrows, you should use the GBK-6.0 rake. Tedding of mown grass is especially necessary in high-yield areas, where it lies in an uneven dense layer.

The first tedding should be carried out simultaneously or immediately after mowing, while the mass dries better, is blown by the wind, and drying occurs evenly and faster. Subsequent tedding is carried out as the top layers dry. After this, the mass is raked and dried to the required level in windrows without tedding, depending on the preparation technology (loose, crushed, pressed)

A more advanced technology is the preparation of compressed hay. This technology reduces labor costs, reduces losses by 2-2.5 times, and uses storage more efficiently than when harvesting loose hay.

When preparing compressed hay process wilting herbs on the field is the same as when harvesting loose hay, however, the moisture content of the mass during pressing should be higher (within 22%). The drier the grass, the higher the mechanical losses.

When the humidity of the mass is above 24%, there is a threat of self-heating and molding of the hay, and its quality sharply decreases.

To press hay from windrows, PSB-1.6 balers are used. PS-1.6.K-422, K-453 with bales tied with twine. In favorable weather, bales are left in the field for 2-3 days for drying. To do this, the bales are placed in a pyramid so that four lie edgewise on the ground and two on top. The pyramid of bales is well ventilated, and the hay dries quickly.

Hay bales with a moisture content of up to 20% can be immediately loaded onto a trailer with a baler and transported to a storage location.

An important condition for obtaining high-quality compressed hay is the use of homogeneous plant mass with equal moisture content. Otherwise, the feed inside the bale may become warm and moldy.

Compressed hay more high quality, since leaves and flowers are better preserved in it, transportation is simplified, and labor costs are reduced by 2-3 times. It is better to make all types of hay from legume-cereal grass mixtures or from cereal grasses.