Gateway Grass Seed Mixture

If you didn’t look at reseeding last spring, this autumn could be an ideal time to invest in your forage quantity and quality.

Reseeding an existing ley can lead to a signifi cant return on investment. Within several years ‘weed grasses’ will ingress into a sward – particularly if the field has experienced poaching or after a hard winter. These ‘weed grasses’ have poor quality characteristics compared to ryegrass varieties from the Recommended List. These include poor digestibility and a poorer response to fertiliser, as well as not converting to meat and milk as efficiently as ryegrass.

Destroy the old sward using a product containing glyphosate. Ensure there is sufficient new growth for the chemical to be taken up and that an appropriate rate is applied under correct conditions. Whilst this treatment will control actively growing plants it will not kill dormant seed in the soil.

Timing is imperative with overseeding 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.