Now that spring is here

td5man

I was thinking of overseeding 15 acres of silage ground.
Has anyone any experience of doing this?
If it was seeded late march would i be able to cut for silage late may/early june?
What type of grass italian rye or hybrid?
Its a dry field,needs lime and was thinking of using a moore unidrill.

reilig

td5man wrote: »

I was thinking of overseeding 15 acres of silage ground.
Has anyone any experience of doing this?
If it was seeded late march would i be able to cut for silage late may/early june?
What type of grass italian rye or hybrid?
Its a dry field,needs lime and was thinking of using a moore unidrill.

Some people won't like my methods, but I am going to overseed about 10 acres of pasture this spring (March is spring around here). It was seriously poached last summer and had a lot of cow tracks holding water. Plan on letting the sheep eat it bare first - it seems to have gotten really green over winter. Then it will get 2 runs with the chain harrow. I'll spread the grass seed with a quad seed broadcaster at about half rate (an acre pack to 2 acres) and give it 2 bags of 18-6-12 to the acre as well as 2 bags of granulated lime. I'll top it off with a light coat of watery slurry. Then I'll run over it with the caimbridge roller. It should have a nice coat of grass by the first week in may. I'll be using Italian Rye - have it in stock from last year where it cost €58 per bag.

moy83

It sounds like a good plan , definitely cost effective . Would it be as well throw out the full bag of grass seed to the acre though or will the half bag give enough boost with the old grass ?
Does the cambridge roller leave it better than the flat roller ?

keep going

was thinking of overseeding silage ground after first cut and under slurry with no till,what do ye thinkwould i be better waiting until after second cut .whats grassseed making this year

reilig

moy83 wrote: »

It sounds like a good plan , definitely cost effective . Would it be as well throw out the full bag of grass seed to the acre though or will the half bag give enough boost with the old grass ?
Does the cambridge roller leave it better than the flat roller ?

In the past, I have found that a half bag of seed is loads for overseeding.
I don't know if the caimbridge roller will be better as I'm only buying it this week. A guy in our discussion group has one and he recons that it's the bizz for rolling out cow tracks and for rolling a reseed as opposed to a flat roller. I'm putting my trust in him!

mf240

reilig wrote: »

In the past, I have found that a half bag of seed is loads for overseeding.
I don't know if the caimbridge roller will be better as I'm only buying it this week. A guy in our discussion group has one and he recons that it's the bizz for rolling out cow tracks and for rolling a reseed as opposed to a flat roller. I'm putting my trust in him!

whats a caimbridge roller?

Manoffeeling

Cambridge roller= ring rauler

Rovi

mf240 wrote: »

whats a caimbridge roller?

Cambridge roller:



Or indeed:


:D:D

Tipp Man

reilig wrote: »

In the past, I have found that a half bag of seed is loads for overseeding.
I don't know if the caimbridge roller will be better as I'm only buying it this week. A guy in our discussion group has one and he recons that it's the bizz for rolling out cow tracks and for rolling a reseed as opposed to a flat roller. I'm putting my trust in him!

Used a ring roller on reseeded ground 2 years ago (after a 1 pass, not ploughed or overseed) and we wouldn't use it again

The flat roller is way better for reseeding imo - a much firmer bed and much better consoldidation

bogman_bass

Since spring is here? its the first week of January!

td5man

bogman_bass wrote: »

Since spring is here? its the firat week of January!

The sun is shining it could be the only time we see it this year.

Muckit

td5man wrote: »

The sun is shining it could be the only time we see it this year.

I'd swear we're getting brighter days now than we were last 'summer' !!!! ('Don't mention the war')

JohnBoy

yeah but it was dryish for a few days, and the sun shone at one stage too. that's spring isnt it

Timmaay

Walked the fields yday, some nice and dry but alot of fields with large very wet patches, worst than in Dec. Winter isn't over for us just yet!

redzerologhlen

bogman_bass wrote: »

Since spring is here? its the first week of January!

Its amazing the optimism which 2 fine days in a row can cause!! Long may it last i say

whelan1

there is a stretch in the evenings:D always swore when i was young that i would never say that

bogman_bass

Now that spring is here hey?:rolleyes:

Bodacious

bogman_bass wrote: »

Now that spring is here hey?:rolleyes:

Good man bog, it's completely saturated here and it's still letting it down !

bogman_bass

I was woken twice last night by the rain and it takes a fair bit to wake me up!:D

Manoffeeling

With all the rain we have had, the land must be very hungry for P and K. Or am I over reacting? I took soil samples last November but still haven't got them back.

red bull

One more week of this we have to think of forestry ......... breaks my heart

mf240

Ya foresty, then open a cocktail bar in the costa del sol and fcuk the begrudgers.

delaval

We have a really dry farm here but am beginning to despair. I've seen water lying in fields around unseen for many years
Soil temp 2 weeks ago was 7.9 today 5.5. Still asking my self why I bothered taking temp today it's not that you'd be tempted to spread urea or anything!!!!!!

caseman

Lads it's only the middle of jan,not paddys day yet.

simx

caseman wrote: »

Lads it's only the middle of jan,not paddys day yet.

i hope the cattle are out on paddys day

delaval

simx wrote: »

i hope the cattle are out on paddys day

Paddy's day looking more like paddy fields:P:P

hoseman

caseman wrote: »

Lads it's only the middle of jan,not paddys day yet.

Agree with you,

td5man

I hope that one nice day when i started this post wasnt the only one we see for a while.

simx

td5man wrote: »

I hope that one nice day when i started this post wasnt the only one we see for a while.

your not the only one:D

freedominacup

delaval wrote: »

We have a really dry farm here but am beginning to despair. I've seen water lying in fields around unseen for many years
Soil temp 2 weeks ago was 7.9 today 5.5. Still asking my self why I bothered taking temp today it's not that you'd be tempted to spread urea or anything!!!!!!

Depends on whether you had any in the yard or not:rolleyes:. Some fellas money burns a hole in their pocket other guys fert burns a hole in the........whatever? and they feel it must go out because it's there.

Jack180570

td5man wrote: »

I was thinking of overseeding 15 acres of silage ground.
Has anyone any experience of doing this?
If it was seeded late march would i be able to cut for silage late may/early june?
What type of grass italian rye or hybrid?
Its a dry field,needs lime and was thinking of using a moore unidrill.

Reseeded 20 ac last year. 5 different methods.
Plough
Gutter
Rip+disc+chainharrow
Disc+chainharrow
Chainharrow
Found chainharrow only better than ploughing.
Will be doing another 20 ac this year n won't be ploughing.

Land Reseeded was goodish... planted wet land a few years ago. All the ground had been sprayed off with glyphosate. Seed was prg and clover. Lime n p n k had been sorted. Additional 2 t of lime spread at seeding time.

Guttler was done in spring n rest in mid august. .. only fertiliser any of it got was 1.5 bags ac of 18:6:12. Greenest field on farm is one Reseeded in spring. Takes a while for clover to get going n spreading N is worse thing u can do. Tight grazing alone with no N is best.

Jack180570

red bull wrote: »

One more week of this we have to think of forestry ......... breaks my heart

Look on the bright side. .. least forestry is still available. .. 173e an acre an full single farm payment. .. plus tree growth of maybe 200 an acre a year. .. sure as hell beats most farming systems. .. ih did I mention the no work bit n tax free. ..

moll3

my first sign of it

Conor556

I think this thread should be closed and see what the weather does then!

td5man

Conor556 wrote: »

I think this thread should be closed and see what the weather does then!

Where have you been all spring, summer arrived here today!!!

grange mac

Conor556 wrote: »

I think this thread should be closed and see what the weather does then!

Going to get prices on a banana boat as they the only way to travel ground wheather floods or droughts....

whelan1

td5man wrote: »

Where have you been all spring, summer arrived here today!!!

where were you today

Tipp Man

td5man wrote: »

Where have you been all spring, summer arrived here today!!!

You had to start this bloody thread didn't ya

I firmly blame you entirely for the crap weather of the past 2 weeks

I think you should be banned from ever starting weather related threads or even mentioning weather, the seasons or anything remotely to do with the earth's athmosphere ever again

iverjohnston

I was too busy drawing water to the cows to post on this thread before now.......................:rolleyes:

td5man

whelan1 wrote: »

where were you today

In the shed building an ark!!

kevthegaff

td5man wrote: »

In the shed building an ark!!

are those tractors on tracks any good, im not takin the piss either!

just do it

Jack180570 wrote: »

Reseeded 20 ac last year. 5 different methods.
Plough
Gutter
Rip+disc+chainharrow
Disc+chainharrow
Chainharrow
Found chainharrow only better than ploughing.
Will be doing another 20 ac this year n won't be ploughing.

Land Reseeded was goodish... planted wet land a few years ago. All the ground had been sprayed off with glyphosate. Seed was prg and clover. Lime n p n k had been sorted. Additional 2 t of lime spread at seeding time.

Guttler was done in spring n rest in mid august. .. only fertiliser any of it got was 1.5 bags ac of 18:6:12. Greenest field on farm is one Reseeded in spring. Takes a while for clover to get going n spreading N is worse thing u can do. Tight grazing alone with no N is best.

So based on your experience reseed in Spring. Sort lime and PK before seeding. Spray. Spread seed and clover mix. Spread lime. Chain harrow.

Roll?

Jack180570

just do it wrote: »

So based on your experience reseed in Spring. Sort lime and PK before seeding. Spray. Spread seed and clover mix. Spread lime. Chain harrow.

Roll?

Worth noting my objectives before giving my advice. .. in a sheep system. .. bringing farm back into production after 15 years of extensive 'farming'.. system is loc cost mid season lamb on 70 ac goodish lowland and 230 an hill... fragmented holding. . Two blocks 50 mls apart. Aim to reseed all lowland with high clover prg mix and top seed clover on 20%-25% of area each year thereafter.

Yes spring reseed. .. use selective herbicides in year or two before reseeding to deal with weeds, especially docks as even 10 lph of glyphosate will not kill them in one application pre reseeding.

I am outwintering sheep on the ground I plan to reseed next spring. This will make it easier to till using chain harrow only.

Spray off sward in spring with 6-8 lph glyphosate. Graze tight with sheep after a week.
Only attempt to till in fine weather.
If ground poached and weather dry then several runs with chain Harrow should give you a good seedbed. If not then two or three light runs with disk Harrow may b required. Another good combination is a chain Harrow tied on to a landleveller. You will have to use your own judgement as it progresses.

Then apply required amount of p and k plus about 30 units of n.... apply 2 t lime... apply seeds n clover. .. roll...

Graze when seeds have firm root.
Graze tightly.
if trying to establish high clover sward DO NOT APPLY ANY N FOR REST OF THE YEAR.
warning. .. your newly reseeded field will begin to look yellow and hungry for up to three months while the clover is beginning to work. If you want to establish a high clover sward you need to be prepared for this. It will pass. Teagasc have a superb 100 plus page publication on this.

Hope this is helpful

just do it

Jack180570 wrote: »

Hope this is helpful

It sure is and sounds a lot like what reilig has being doing with good results. Interesting about the field being off colour for a few months until the clover kicks in. Sheep and clover - what appear to be the ideal combination!