Grass Identification Flashcards
Why is it useful to know how long grass takes to grow?
Grass has annual regrowth.
Identifying how long it takes to grow means we now how long to rest it for and how long it will take to naturally repair (e.g. stress caused by weather conditions).
What are some common dangerous weeds?
Yew, bog asphodel/St Johns wort, buttercups, acorns, ragwort, sycamore
Describe yew
- can live hundreds of years - often found in church yards
- both the leaves and bark are poisonous, especially to horses, even when wilted and dried
Symptoms of poison: - elevated heart rate - muscle tremors - convulsions - heart failure These symptoms often occur very quickly so the first sign that the horse has been poisoned is often their death.
Describe Bog Asphodel/St Johns Wort
- grows wild in many pastures
- causes photosensitisation if ingested
Symptoms of poison:
- severe sunburn across white areas of the face and sometimes the body and limbs too
- affected areas become inflamed and scabby
- these areas may ooze and start to bleed and swell
Treatment:
Topical ( applied directly) and oral corticosteroids (these lower inflammation in the body). Horse should be removed from infected paddock and out of direct sun.
Describe buttercups
- horses will eat if there is little left in the pasture
- contains a powerful irritant
- will out compete grass in acidic soil or too wet soil
Symptoms of poison:
- mouth ulcers and increased salivation
- mouth ulcers are often easy to spot
Treatment:
The ulcers will heal on their own and the horse just needs to be removed from the infected paddocks for a while. Buttercups should be removed when spotted also - pH testing and good drainage of ground too
Describe acorns
- highly toxic to horses
Symptoms of poison:
- once ingested they can cause colic, diarrhoea and kidney failure
Preventative measures:
Fencing off area of paddocks that contain oak trees.
Describe ragwort
- exact cause of damage is not clear, eve in post postmortems
- often a small amount very often ingested is what causes illness - usually dried and in forage
Symptoms of poison:
- causes fatal liver damage by inhibiting the livers natural ability to heal itself
Preventative measures:
- remove ragwort from field when seen
- gloves must be used as also poisonous to humans
Describe sycamore
- affects young horses or those with poor body condition
- only around a quarter of infected horses are expected to survive
- management is difficult
- seeds, leaves and seedlings are equally as poisonous
Symptoms of poison:
- atypical myopathy
- widespread muscle destruction
- high levels of pain that leads to collapse and kidney failure in many cases
Preventative measures:
Fencing off the areas of infected paddock, providing hard feed and hay where the pasture is sparse. Feeding hay from the floor around sycamore trees should be avoided
What are the features of ryegrasses?
Perennial ryegrass:
- very leafy with very little stem.
- It is good for grazing
- good for hay production as it very upright
- last around 5 years
Italian ryegrass:
- very good for silage and hay production
- lasts around 2 years
- upright, high yielding and very quick to establish
Hybrids are IGxPG - give a 3/4 year grass with high yields and reasonable persistence
What are some parts of the grass plant?
Stolon, culm, rhizome, tillers, sheath, spikelet, floret, glume
Define a STOLON
Also known as runners. They are horizontal connections between different grass plants.
Define a CULM
A culm is the aerial stem of the grass plant
Define a RHIZOME
A rhizome is a plant stem that is situated either at the soil or underground, where roots and shoots originate.
Define TILLERS
Tillers are additonal stems that grow after the initial parent shoot. They are short lived and new tillers are constantly being produced
Define the SHEATH
The sheath closes around the stem of the plant
