Horse - Choice Pasture Seed Mix

Professional's Choice horse pasture mixture consists of orchardgrass, timothy, endophyte-free tall fescue, and Italian ryegrass. While designed primarily for horse pasture, this mixture is often used for other livestock pastures where legumes are not desired.

When you put orchardgrass, timothy, fescue, and Italian ryegrass together you have a winning pasture combination with high production for years to come. Works well in any region of the United States except the deep South unless fall overseeding.

Approximate Percentages:

• 30% Climax Timothy
• 25% Cowgirl Brand Tall Fescue
• 25% Tetila Italian Ryegrass
• 20% Cambria Orchardgrass

Climax Timothy is a winter-hardy bunchgrass that is easy to establish, and is well known for premium horse hay. Adapted to fertile, moist, medium heavy soils around the country. Responds rapidly to fertilization. Timothy mixes well in combination with other grasses and legumes. Timothy is easy to establish new pastures, and to overseed old pastures that need rejuventated.

The parents of Cowgirl were collected in Western North Carolina under the severe drought conditions of October of 2000. The aim of this collection was to obtain plants with genes for drought tolerance and pest resistance. After crossing the plants at Pure Seed Testing, the seeds were sent to Oregon to establish a nursery in 2001. After several cycles of selection, it was determined that Cowgirl had superior forage characteristics, drought tolerance, and stem rust resistance. It is also one of the few tall fescues in the "soft leaved" class.

Cowgirl can be used for grazing, green chop or hay production. Cowgirl makes an excellent component in pastures with orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, festulolium, forage bluegrass and clover.

Tetila is a tetraploid Italian ryegrass. Italian ryegrasses are generally longer lived than common annual and westerwold types and tend to be bi-annual in nature. They are quick to establish, high yielding and being tetraploid, they are highly digestible. They are very suitable for silage, hay production and grazing. Tetila has shown improved resistance to most major diseases, including rust. Heading dates are usually late in May. Benefits include increased animal production, increased yields, palatability & intake, quick utilizaton of forage. Tetila does well in soils with a wide pH range from 5 - 8.

Orchardgrass is a rapid growing bunchgrass which has the ability to grow on relatively poor soils. Orchardgrass is generally the earliest maturing cool season grass. It is usually one week earlier in maturity than tall fescue and two weeks earlier than smooth bromegrass. When selecting a variety consider finding a cultivar that is later in maturity and has resistance to rust. Cambria has been grown for many years and is a top yielder. If adequately fertilized, production is distributed well through the growing season. Withstands both heat and drought. Needs lime on acidic soils.

40 to 50 lbs/acre.