30% certified timothy
30% certified cocksfoot
20% certified red fescue
20% certified meadow fescue
Ref.
MIXBB
These strips are known as ‘beetle banks’ when sown across larger
arable fields and can also be sown along field boundaries. This mixture will
provide a dense tussocky sward and this becomes more evident as the years
go by. They may be cut two or three times in the first year for annual weed
control but once established are cut only to prevent the encroachment of woody
and suckering weeds.
Sow between March and early May or August to September at a depth of no more
than 1cm. Minimum sowing rate of 25 kg per hectare.
Beetle
Bank
& Tussocky Grass Margin
Beneficial
Tussocky Grasses
For over 15 years we have been using Beetle Bank seed mixtures to provide
insect habitat in larger arable fields. A minimum strip of 2 metres across
the field is required. Tussocky grasses are established on a ridge which has
been ploughed back-to-back.
Beetle Banks can attract beneficial predatory insects and arable farmers who
have created these strips do not usually have to spray cereals with a summer
insecticide. Once established these areas are rarely cut and provide good
habitat for nesting birds and small mammals
This option is ideal for large arable fields in excess of 15 ha. A maximum
of 25 metres can be left at the ends of the strip for machinery.
The Beetle Bank mixture can also provide a tussocky grass margin alongside
hedges, woods and watercourses. On fertile soils there can be excessive growth
and it may be necessary to use a finer grass mixture such as our Buffer Strip
Grass Margin in our Buffer Strip & Field Margin Section.
