Rocket Fuel is a mix of chicory, white clover and red clover with excellent animal performance potential. It produces a leafy, high quality feed over spring, summer and autumn when traditional pastures can decrease in quality. Rocket Fuel is a very versatile mix and it can be sown as a specialist finishing crop or a high protein milking option. Rocket Fuel can be used as a 6 month or
2 year crop depending on the farm system and or grazing management approach. The clover in the mix will provide nitrogen to feed the crop, also filling space not occupied
by chicory. The red clover component, alongside chicory, will provide high quality feed through a dry season, helping to reduce risk in summer dry areas.
Rocket Fuel is a blend of Puna II chicory, Superstrike (S/S) Legacy white clover, S/S Bounty white clover and S/S Sensation red clover.
Rocket Fuel is sold in 13 kg bags to sow 1 ha and should be sown no deeper than 10 mm. Seed may be broadcast or direct drilled under favourable conditions.
Soil temperatures of 12 degrees celsius for spring sowings are recommended, however, early autumn sowing is possible, as long as the Rocket Fuel has established before the chicory goes dormant in the cool season.
Grazing should be delayed until plants are resistant to being pulled out (around 56+ days after planting). Rocket Fuel grows rapidly from October to the end of April and should be rotationally grazed for best performance and persistence. Grazing in the first year should be quick and light to avoid overgrazing any young regrowth. Chicory can be dormant in winter and grazing of companion species during this period must be done carefully to avoid damage to chicory s crown, especially when wet. To ensure high dry matter yield and fast regrowth graze between 25 cm and down to 6 cm.