Spring Re-seeds – key to profitable home-grown forage

Spring focus should turn onto managing existing grassland and assessing which fields need to be re-seeded or over seeded.

If the existing sward has winter damaged or full of weed grasses, then it‘s likely that the quality and yield will be compromised. It will therefore be beneficial to consider a full reseed this spring to boost overall yield, D value, ME, protein and sugar content. This improved feed quality can help to maximise milk yield and increase live-weight gains – giving better returns for your enterprise from grass forage.

When it comes to reseeding, there are three top tips to consider:

1.  Ensure the old sward is successfully killed off with a product containing glyphosate before preparation of the seedbed begins
2.  Soil sample the fields to determine pH, P,K and Mg indices, then address any problems with Lime and fertiliser
3.  Prepare a firm, fine seedbed, making sure you ring roll after drilling to get maximum seed to soil contact

Spring focus should turn onto managing existing grassland and assessing which fields need to be re-seeded or over seeded.

If the existing sward has winter damaged or full of weed grasses, then it‘s likely that the quality and yield will be compromised. It will therefore be beneficial to consider a full reseed this spring to boost overall yield, D value, ME, protein and sugar content. This improved feed quality can help to maximise milk yield and increase live-weight gains – giving better returns for your enterprise from grass forage.

When it comes to reseeding, there are three top tips to consider:

1. Ensure the old sward is successfully killed off with a product containing glyphosate before preparation of the seedbed begins
2. Soil sample the fields to determine pH, P,K and Mg indices, then address any problems with Lime and fertiliser
3. Prepare a firm, fine seedbed, making sure you ring roll after drilling to get maximum seed to soil contact

Another important factor is to make sure you are selecting the right grass seed mixture to suit your grassland regime. Wynnstay has availability of a host of new grass and clover varieties which have recently been added to the Grass and Clover Recommended List. These varieties have been carefully selected to be included in our standard range to ensure that we offer the very best quality grass seed mixtures. We pick the best varieties from each breeder to capitalise on individual characteristics such as cutting and grazing yields, D value, ground cover scores, disease resistance and seasonal growth so that the mixes produce excellent all-round results.

Alternatively, Over seeding could be an option as it is a simple but effective way to rejuvenate old or damaged grass leys, without the cost implications associated with a complete reseed. Over seeding can also be more efficient and reduces the amount of time that home-grown grass forage is out of production. Timing is imperative with over seeding and the main aim is to minimise competition from the existing sward. The best time to over seed is March, April, July or September as the grasses are not growing as vigorously as they are in May and June. In addition to this, careful consideration needs to be given when choosing where to over seed, an open sward is needed, as a thick old “feggy” sward will be very hard to open out to allow the seeds to reach the soil so then a full reseed may be a better option.

Benefits of over-seeding with Wynnstay’s over seeding mixes:

• All Fully recommended varieties which will
• Improves DM yields
• Increases overall D value
• Improves crude protein, ME and sugar contents
• Improves disease resistance
• Improves ground cover

To ensure that you are using the correct grass seed mixture for your management system, get in touch with a Wynnstay specialist. The specialists offer bespoke advice on which grass mixes suit your requirements and, following the reseed, which grassland management programme you should put in place to help get maximum grass yields.