Chicory

[Cowski]

How do people get on growing chicory as a summer crop for milkers? We are currently using a rape and Italian mix direct drilled around magic day which gives some very welcome feed for July/August, its flexible on grazing dates (unlike turnips) and the Italian gives us some good autumn and early spring grazing for last/first round. We then do a spring re-seed the following year back to a long term ley.

Does Chicory work for a single year or would it need to be in for 2 years? Does it work well as a mix with grass or as a stand alone crop? I would be reluctant to grow it on its own as I think it's slow to get going in spring when we really need the feed. What is the best way to establish it?

 

[sidjon]

I have grown it with grass and it doesn't work terrible well as you end up eating the grass to quickly as the chicory can need eating every 15 days to stop it going to flower , but it does work well with clover and the best crops I have seen are treated as a annual crop, can get 3 years out of it but in the second season if you have damaged the crown of the plants, weeds will appear very quickly. Tonic plantain with clover could be another option.

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

@Great In Grass

 

[Great In Grass]

If you are thinking about planting Chicory then to get it's full potential I'd suggest sowing it with Red & White clover.

These combined will give a greater amount of high quality feed over the summer with an easier grazing management.

You's sow slightly later in the spring when soil temps reach 10dC and are beginning to rise.

Chicory can be difficult to establish with high rates of perennial ryegrass.

 

[ollie989898]

As above, it's not very competitive initially and won't stick being surrounded by angry grasses, you need to design a mixture around it. I've played with several rates of inclusion but I don't know enough to say how low you can go. I think it depends on the season myself.

I would not try to sow clover, or chicory unless 10 degree as above either. They don't like it.

I prefer hybrid rape/kale IE redstart drilled in spring as opposed to plain forage rape as you can get several bites at it. There is also a winky weed control option as well if needs be.

Jury is out for me on how long it lives. Please don't sow it into dirty weed infested land to begin with as you can do nothing about them if chicory is included. And no roundup is not enough.

 

[Kevtherev]

@neilo