Game Cover

Artichokes

Produce good early cover and provide birds with excellent food throughout the winter. Drill with a potato planter in ridged rows. This product is perishable and must be drilled as soon as possible upon receipt of the tubers.

• Drill March/April @ 500 kgs/acre in 75-90 cm rows.
• Height: 5’ – 6’ / 150 – 180 cm
• NB Minimum order 250 kilos

Buckwheat

This game crop matures quickly to supply continuous food and cover throughout the Autumn. A good ingredient for mixtures.

• Drill May/June @ 50 kgs per acre/125kgs per hectare in 12-18 cm rows.
• Height 2’ – 3’ / 60 – 90 cm

Canary Grass

Hardy perennial which can last up to ten years. Once established it provides excellent warm cover breaks holding in birds. Recommended by Game Conservancy for its excellent holding ability in the warm dense foliage that it produces.

• Drill March/May @ 2 kgs per acre/5kgs per hectare in 60-75 cm rows.
• Height 3’ – 4’ / 90 – 120 cm

Canary Seed

Dense annual crop providing low cover and valuable food during winter months. Canary seed is often used as an ingredient in mixtures as it creates a bushy plant similar to grass with lots of seed heads.

• Drill March/April @ 15 kgs per acre/37kgs per hectare in 20cm rows.
• Height 2’ – 3’ / 60 – 90 cm

Dwarf Sorghum

This is a dense leafy cover crop offering good feeding value. It is a single cross hybrid, which is early to mature, and has a high grain potential. The variety we offer has large leaves and very good standing power. It stands about 2/3rds the height of Giant Sorghum and remains standing to provide warm cover as well as height to lift the birds.

• Drill Mid-May to Mid-July @ 8 kgs per acre/20kgs per hectare in 20-30cm rows.
• Height 3’-4’ / 90 – 120 cm

Linseed

Produces valuable food in autumn making it a very useful ingredient in game cover mixtures.

• Drill April/May @ 25 kgs per acre/62kgs per hectare
• Height 1’ – 2’ / 30 – 60 cm

Kale

Traditionally this has always been the most popular game cover crop. It stands well throughout the season and its broad leafy plant with thick stems provides the perfect game cover. Underneath the plants is a bare floor, which is ideal for pheasants especially when hand fed. Thousand Head is popular due to the large number of broad leaves and Marrow Stem’s thick stalk creates an effective umbrella type canopy.

Maize

A very popular choice, which will produce an excellent canopy that will last well into the winter. Cobs filled with grain also have feed value giving an excellent cover crop to hold the birds.

• Drill Late April – Early June in 50-60cm rows 45,000 seeds per 1 acre packs.
• Height 6’ / 180 cm

Quinoa

Food crop producing large volumes of seed that ripens and sheds continuously for many months.

• Drill April/May @ 4 kgs per acre/10kgs per hectare in 30-40cm rows or broadcast.
• Height 4’ / 120 cm

Giant Sorghum

This is a huge plant which creates a canopy of shelter. Our variety Susu is hardy, vigorous and can grow up to 7’ (210 cm), but if drilled slightly later, the more desirable height of 5’ – 6’ can be achieved.

• Drill Mid-May to Mid-July @ 12.5 kgs per acre in 1 acre packs in 30-40cm rows.
• Height 5’-7’ 180 – 210 cm

Millet

Sunflower

Very tall crop which provides plenty of food in autumn and is also good in mixtures.

• Drill May/June @ 5 kgs per acre/12kgs per hectare in 50cm rows.
• Height 5’ / 150 cm

Texsel Greens

This plant is a member of the rape family and looks similar initially, but when left to mature they make a good game cover crop. They are very quick to produce seed and can mature to full plant by the end of October even when planted in July. No other brassica crop grows as fast, and no other crop provides a microclimate of insect life for game birds in such a short time period.

• Drill late June – early September @ 2.5 kgs per acre/ 6kgs per hectare in 12 – 15cm rows or broadcast.
• Height 4’-5’ / 120-150 cm

Triticale

A hybrid cross of wheat and rye. Excellent for use in winter bird food mixtures. Provides good cover and feed in low fertility areas.

• Drill April-June @ 75kgs per acre / 187.5kgs per hectare
• Height 3’-4’ / 90-120cm

Fodder Radish

When planted early, this bushy plant can grow up to 5’ tall. It can also be sown as late as September and is often used in emergencies.

• Drill May-September @ 5 kgs per acre/12kgs per hectare in 25-35 cm rows or broadcast.
• Height 4’-5’ / 120 – 150 cm

Mustard

A very good cover. Often used as a standby if other game crops fail as it can be drilled up to mid-September and grown on very poor soils. Our variety Tilney is one of the most winter hardy varieties available.

• Drill June-September @ 6 kgs per acre/15kgs per hectare in 20-30 cm rows or broadcast at 9kgs per acre/22kgs per hectare
• Height 2’ / 60 cm

Phacelia

Provides a quick, thick, dense cover which blankets weeds.

• Drill June-August, broadcast @4 kgs per acre/10kgs per hectare.
• Height 1’ – 2’ / 30 – 60 cm

Stubble Turnips

Can be broadcast or drilled on stubble to produce effective large-leaved cover.

• Drill July/Early September @4kgs per acre/10kgs per hectare in 20-30cm rows or broadcast.
• Height 1’ / 30 cm

Red & White Millet Mix

This millet mixture produces an abundance of food, as the red millet matures earlier than the white, extending the feeding period, so the mix creates a fantastic reliable cover crop.

10kgs per acre/25kgs per hectare

Red, White & Japanese Reed Millet Mix

As above, with Japanese Reed millet included.

12kgs per acre/30kgs per hectare

Quinoa Kale Mix

Quinoa is a tall colourful plant producing a mass of seed heads up the full length of the stem. This very popular mixture combines the holding qualities of kale and the fantastic feed production of quinoa, to provide an excellent game cover crop. The kale and quinoa are supplied separately.

3kgs per acre/7.5kgs per hectare

Mustard Fodder Radish Mix

Mustard and Fodder Radish are extremely vigorous in their growth habit. Mustard establishes very quickly and Fodder Radish grows into a 4’ bushy plant. For patching up in bare areas of game cover or when a game crop has failed completely, this is an ideal mix because it can be drilled as late as September to create some cover.

6kgs per acre/15kgs per hectare

Church Game Cover

By mixing crops it is possible to combine the best feed with the best cover. This mixture thrives under most soil and temperature conditions and needs very little attention. This is an excellent hardy general-purpose mixture that is widely used all over the country.

9.5 kgs per acre/24kgs per hectare