Ockie and his wife, Gezina, manages a wholesale and retail nursery in the Brits area, North West. Ockie visited our Sakata Farmer’s Open day in February 2020 where our grass varieties and trials were on show. At the time, Ockie had three open fields at the nursery and decided to give LM grass a shot. He planted his first MayFord LM Grass seed in seedling trays and after two months, on the 1st of April 2020, transplanted the seedlings to his field.
Ockie prefers making seedlings of LM grass instead of sowing the seeds directly into the ground of his field. The reason for this is because a deeper root system is formed in a seedling tray than in the ground itself. Where the seedling plug was transplanted, even after you cut out grass rolls, the grass will grow again from the plug itself. Another reason is that you use less seed when making seedlings as you would have if you sowed seeds directly into the ground. Ockie used less than a kilogram of MayFord LM seed to get his fields started!
It takes about six to eight weeks for the seeds to germinate and grow to seedlings ready for transplanting. In Ockie’s words “It takes longer, but it’s worth it!”.
After Ockie transplanted the LM seedlings, he lets it grow for about two to three months. Thereafter, he mows the grass once every week. This prevents the grass from bolting and producing seed again. Ockie turns on his sprinkler system two to three times a week for about two hours. Subsequently, the grass receives approximately 50 mm water each week in total.
What are the challenges, you’ll be wondering? There is none! Ockie rarely uses chemicals. He uses organic worm tea as a fertiliser. It gives LM grass a healthy, bright green colour and glow.
With regards to yield per square meter, Ockie produces about 50 rolls per 25 m2! After cutting, regrowth takes about 7 months.
Today, Ockie is one of the largest producers of LM grass in his area. Ockie supplies to landscapers, wholesalers, other nurseries and simply anyone who walks in. Be sure to visit Palm & Plant City Nursery for top quality LM grass cuts, or follow this link to their website: www.palmcity.co.za
Thank you for choosing MayFord Seeds, Ockie. We wish you abundant success!