Herbs

Cultivar listings coming soon!

Plantain
Plantain n - A plant with a rosette of broad leaves and a slender spike of small greenish flowers

Plantain is a perennial herb that performs well in a range of pastures, particularly less fertile and more open pastures. The well known weed plant has been developed into two more vigorous and erect growing cultivars. They are highly palatable to animals, establish rapidly, are drought and pest tolerant and have a high mineral content. Plantain can be included in pasture mixtures on less fertile soils, especially in dryland regions. In such situations, plantain content rarely exceeds 20% of the pasture.

For cultivar details click here.

Chicory
Chicory n - Leafy herb with a deep tap root

Chicory is a moderately persistent leafy herb with a deep tap root, an exposed crown and rosette of large prostrate leaves. As soil temperatures increase in spring, many erect leaves are produced from the crown. Chicory has a tendency to bolt rapidly to flower during spring, and this can result in tall plants, often 2 metres or higher. Stands will persist until the crown dies, usually between 2 and 5 years.

Chicory is a summer active species, producing high yields of palatable feed from spring through to autumn, but is usually formant in winter. Research has demonstrated excellent production in cattle, lambs and deer from grazing chicory. Chicory is best suited to fertile, free draining soils and thrives best under rotational grazing or cutting for silage. Its forage is digested much more rapidly than normal pasture, and this helps to account for high liveweight gains from chicory pastures - and also helps animals to maintain good health.

For cultivar details click here.

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