Irrigation Mix

We recommend our Irrigation Mix, which blends Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass, Achieve Diploid Italian Ryegrass, Hypa Hybrid Ryegrass and Haifa White Clover. It gives excellent production for dairy and livestock enterprises needing extended seasonal feed under irrigation. It suits sandy to heavy soils with pH 5+.

We recommend managing grazing in late spring and summer to limit seed head development. For our Irrigation Mix, rotational grazing and grazing at 6 to 8cm increases tiller density and keeps the pasture leafy. Topping may also help where stock can't keep up. Leafy pasture holds its feed quality far better than pasture that has run to head.

Haifa White Clover is known for tolerance of waterlogging and low pH, and has small to medium leaves with high winter and early spring activity. It is the legume in our Irrigation Mix, where it fixes nitrogen and lifts feed quality alongside the ryegrasses. Haifa is also available on its own if you want to add it to an existing pasture.

Our Irrigation Mix includes Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass, which is persistent under heavy grazing, Achieve Diploid Italian Ryegrass, which has excellent rust resistance late in the season, and Hypa Hybrid Ryegrass, selected for persistence and rust tolerance. Together they suit intensive irrigated grazing, and Haifa White Clover adds nitrogen and feed quality to the sward.

For our Irrigation Mix we recommend 25 to 30 kg/ha. It suits sandy to heavy soils with pH 5+. Sow into a clean, well-prepared seedbed, and inoculate the white clover with the correct rhizobia so it fixes nitrogen. Keep the seed shallow, because white clover seed is very small.

Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass is ideal for periodic winter waterlogging and is a key part of our Irrigation Mix. Haifa White Clover in the mix also tolerates waterlogging. Combined with Achieve Diploid Italian Ryegrass and Hypa Hybrid Ryegrass, the blend provides extended production under irrigation. Good drainage still helps, as prolonged flooding can set back any pasture.

A hybrid ryegrass crosses Italian and perennial types to combine fast growth with persistence. Hypa Hybrid Ryegrass, in our Irrigation Mix, is bred about 75% perennial and 25% Italian, is mid to late maturing, and has good persistence and rust tolerance. We also stock Hypa on its own.

Irrigation Mix is designed for extended seasonal production under irrigation, but it can also suit high rainfall areas of 500mm+. Without summer water, the ryegrasses and white clover will slow or stop over summer. For dryland, we recommend SouWest Pasture Mix or IH Dairy Select Mix.

Irrigation Mix is the better fit for irrigated country. It is built for extended production under irrigation, combining Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass, Achieve Diploid Italian Ryegrass, Hypa Hybrid Ryegrass and Haifa White Clover. Western Annual Mix is a single-season blend of Abundant Tetraploid Annual Ryegrass and Dargo Diploid Italian Ryegrass for 450mm+ rainfall areas.

Irrigation Mix flowers at roughly August to November, with Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass, Achieve Diploid Italian Ryegrass and Hypa Hybrid Ryegrass being mid to late heading types. We recommend managing late spring and summer grazing to limit seed heads so the pasture stays leafy and high quality. Rotational grazing at 6 to 8cm also helps increase tiller density through the season.