Armory

Endophyte Free Tall Fescue

Drought tolerant
Endophyte free
High yielding
Early maturing
Suited for areas with 11-18" of rain
Well adapted to the Transition Zone and Northwest

The newest release of endophyte free, early maturing tall fescue, Armory was tested in the South Central US and selected for its exceptional drought and heat tolerance.
It performs well under low nitrogen input conditions and is a high yielding variety. It is the best choice over orchardgrass in the transition zone where orchardgrass has poor persistence. It is well suited for areas with 11-18 inches of rain, but is able to tolerate up to 60 inches. Armory performs well in the Transition Zone and the North- western United States.

Technical Information

Establishment

The recommended seeding rate is 25lbs/acre into a well-prepared seed bed.
Brillion seeders or broadcasting the seed followed by a cultipacker works best. If
a regular drill is used, we suggest crossing the field twice, at an angle or seed at 6 inch row spacing,. Armory is well suited for both intensive grazing and cutting for hay or grass-silage. When used for pasture, plant 25 pounds of Armory per acre. After establishment of Armory, red and/or white clover can be added to the stand (3-4 pounds per acre of white clover such as AliceTM or RegalGrazeTM, 8-10 pounds
per acre of red clover such as BarduroTM or Freedom!TM). For dedicated harvested forage applications, 10 pounds per acre of Armory can be planted with 15 pounds of AlfaBar per acre.

Management

Good stand management is essential for long term productivity. A single shoot is produced from a single seed. As this shoot is bitten or clipped off, the plant seeds up new shoots, or tillers, from buds at the base of the plant. As these new tillers
are cut or grazed off, more tillers are formed creating an increasing larger bunch.
This process continues until the spaces are filled, producing a dense, leafy stand.
To maximize tiller growth during the first year, the height of the pasture should be maintained in the 3 to 6 inch range to allow maximum sunlight penetration. Once the newly seeded plants are firmly rooted, they should be lightly grazed or machine mowed several times before heavy use to promote tillering. Under good growing conditions, this could be 6-7 weeks after a spring sowing or 10-12 weeks for an early autumn sowing. Defer making hay until late in the season of the first year. Once established, Armory should be grazed starting at the 6-7 inch height, leaving a 3 inch residual, or machine harvested for hay or silage in the pre-boot stage. Graze or mow to keep the stand leafy and vegetative. Management should be aimed at maintaining a dense, leafy pasture cover.