AVANEX® Jackal is a moderately dark green and moderately dense turf tall fescue with good establishment vigour and tolerance of low maintenance.
AVANEX® Jackal Tall Fescue is a dark green and dense turf tall fescue with good establishment vigour and tolerance of low maintenance. It forms an attractive dark turf and has a semi-upright growth habit which makes it suitable for higher mowing heights (100-200 mm or 2-4 inches) practiced in low maintenance situations. It requires less mowing than forage cultivars. In mild winter climates it retains a green colour longer into winter than more common continental turf cultivars.
AVANEX® Jackal Tall Fescue was bred from four parent genotypes of tall fescue cultivars. It was selected for dark colour and improved winter performance. AVANEX® Jackal Tall Fescue contains AR601 unique endophyte for improved insect feeding deterrence and herbivore grazing deterrence by, for example, Canada geese. These factors have been shown to help reduce bird numbers on airport grass and to reduce goose numbers on turf surfaces.
AVANEX® Jackal Tall Fescue is adapted to many climates within the Koppen sub tropical climate zones and certain drier zones.
Tall fescue is a bunch type grass with a large seed, so a high enough seeding rate is needed to produce a uniform turf.
AVANEX® Jackal Tall Fescue should be sown at a rate of 30-40 g/m2 (300-400 kg/ha). Seed can be direct drilled in multiple passes or broadcast and harrowed into a well prepared seedbed.
Tall fescue must not be surface sown without proper incorporation. It needs to be adequately raked or harrowed into a prepared surface. Direct drilling is an excellent method of sowing tall fescue that plants the seed the required depth in the ground, but multiple passes using a slitting type turf drill are needed. Dimple seeding is not suitable. It can be successfully hydromulched using thermally refined wood fibre mulches.
Adequate seedbed nitrogen and phosphorous fertility is needed for rapid establishment.
AVANEX® Jackal Tall Fescue requires warm weather to establish, with daytime tempuratures above 15 degrees, provided there is enough moisture. It is best sown alone and not mixed with other grass species. Where a mixture with perennial ryegrass is required, perennial ryegrass should not make up more than 20% of the mixture by weight.
