1st Choice Seeds Winter Hawk Annual Ryegrass

Winter Hawk Annual Ryegrass represents the best annual ryegrass for winter hardiness as measured at the Ohio State cover crop trials. This variety  breaks dormancy evenly in the spring and has shown to be a huge biomass builder and improve soil tilth. Winter Hawk Annual Ryegrass scavenges and holds nutrients through the fall and spring and is an excellent choice to help alleviate soil compaction.

Field Notes

  • Winter Hawk is a diploid annual ryegrass that is known for its versatility on fertile well drained soils as well as poorly drained soils. It is fast emerging and establishes itself in a variety of soil and growing conditions.
  • Winter Hawk breaks dormancy evenly in the spring. It is an excellent nitrogen (N) scavenger. Because of its large biomass it can also store significant amounts of other nutrients in addition to N.
  • This variety’s claim to fame is its excellent winter hardiness. This variety was number one in winter hardiness at The Ohio State cover crop trials.
  • Winter Hawk is deep rooted which makes it an excellent soil conditioning cover crop. Roots have been found
    over 40” deep. Keep in mind that root growth takes time and if your goal is to break soil compaction, plant at
    the earliest opportunity in the planting window to maximize this benefit.

Ratings

  • Ratings:
  • Below Average: 0-4
  • Average: 5
  • Good: 6
  • Very Good: 7
  • Excellent: 8
  • Superior: 9-10

Management Tips

  • Planting: Plant 3-10 weeks prior to the first killing frost.
  • Seeding Depth: ¼” Comparable Seed on Drill Chart; Tall Fescue (reduce by 20%), Crested Wheat Grass (reduce by 10%) or Annual Ryegrass
  • Seeding Rate:
    • Cover Crop by Drill (7.5” rows) 10-12 lbs./acre
    • Broadcast/Aerial Seeding: 15-18 lbs./acre
    • Forage by Drill or Broadcast: 20-24 lbs./acre
    • Precision Planting (15” with 1.5” in-row): 9-10 lbs./acre
  • Control:
    • Control is best accomplished when the plant is small, 6-9” in height, and before the first node has developed. Warm temperatures and actively growing plants are a must for control. Apply two quarts/acre of glyphosate before jointing. Best burndown is achieved by spraying on a warm day between 9am-4pm with water adjusted to 5.5 ph.