Reseeded grass failing to grow

papa john

Hi all
We reseeded 5 acres of ground 3 weeks ago with grass and rapeseed.The ground was ploughed,manured,limed and rolled.Everything was done right. The rape is up about 2-3 inches now but the grass is not coming with it.The ground has not got much rain in the last few weeks and it is cracking.Any ideas on how to get the grass seed up?

mf240

It won't come till me get rain I'm afraid. Nothing you can do.

papa john

Will the grass seed not fail then,why would the rapeseed come and not the grass.I dont think there will be rain for 10 days.How about watering it with a slurry tanker?

Sam Kade

papa john wrote: »

Will the grass seed not fail then,why would the rapeseed come and not the grass.I dont think there will be rain for 10 days.How about watering it with a slurry tanker?

When you say rapeseed do you mean forage rape?

mf240

Grass seed will be fine.

Dont know anything about rape but it obviously grows in drier condition than grass.

Slurry tank would only keep the dust down. An inch of rain is a 100 thousand gallons per acre.

GreeBo

don't water it until this dry spell breaks.
if the seed germinate and then dries it does.
it can stay dry for weeks and be fine

papa john

Sam Kade wrote: »

When you say rapeseed do you mean forage rape?

The rapeseed is for lambs to graze to fatten them.

papa john

GreeBo wrote: »

don't water it until this dry spell breaks.
if the seed germinate and then dries it does.
it can stay dry for weeks and be fine

Ok thanks, some of it has come but very little.Do you think its cause the ground is too dry? It was ploughed and left one day to dry before reseeding,i felt it needed another day of drying but the contractor said it was ok to reseed it.This would hardly be the cause though since the rape has come.

Damo810

mf240 wrote: »

Slurry tank would only keep the dust down. An inch of rain is a 100 thousand gallons per acre.

"according to the USGS, 1" of rain per acre = 27,154 gallons"

Source

freedominacup

Damo810 wrote: »

"according to the USGS, 1" of rain per acre = 27,154 gallons"

Source

US gallons, 22,000 gals imperial. 1000gals is just over 1mm per acre. They buy water by the acre-foot in California. My parents werein Essex last week visiting my sister and they were irrigating wheat which i thought was a bit mad TBH but he was adamant that it was wheat they were irrigating.

tmboy95

Well the few factors needed for seed germination are water, warmth, air and sunlight. Good lash of rain and I'd say you'll be flying it! Though I heard were to get very dry weather sometime during this summer, dangerously dry nearly. Don't take my word for it but possible droughts in areas.

blue5000

mf240 wrote: »

Grass seed will be fine.

Dont know anything about rape but it obviously grows in drier condition than grass.

Slurry tank would only keep the dust down. An inch of rain is a 100 thousand gallons per acre.

I think it's an inch of rain = 100 tons of water per acre.

freedominacup

blue5000 wrote: »

I think it's an inch of rain = 100 tons of water per acre.

220 gals to the tonne.

Viewtodiefor

freedominacup wrote: »

220 gals to the tonne.

I'd have some shxte made of the field spreading that!

papa john

Thanks all for your help,its hard to know what to do.There is no rain promised for 10 days id say.Just worried the seed will have failed in that time and will habe to do it all again.Its a very expensive job not to go right.

just do it

papa john wrote: »

Thanks all for your help,its hard to know what to do.There is no rain promised for 10 days id say.Just worried the seed will have failed in that time and will habe to do it all again.Its a very expensive job not to go right.

Once the seed has remained dry it will be no different than if it was still in the bag in the shed. The best thing you can do is nothing.

On the rapeseed/ grass mix, how does that work?

freedominacup

just do it wrote: »

Once the seed has remained dry it will be no different than if it was still in the bag in the shed. The best thing you can do is nothing.

On the rapeseed/ grass mix, how does that work?

Teagasc advisor rang me today to tell me to keep a close eye on wholecrop as crops he's seen in the past few days are coming in quickly. The ground our wholecrop was sown into was laid out as for re-seeding with the intention to direct drill grass seeds as soon as it is harvested. He told me to hold off on sowing as he is afraid of it getting a small amount of rain and germinating into another prolonged dry period. If that happened he felt that the losses in the newly germinated seed would be too high.

Sam Kade

I reseeded a field 10 days ago. I walked it tonight the weeds are after germinating nicely but no sign of grass seed germinating

delaval

Sam Kade wrote: »

I reseeded a field 10 days ago. I walked it tonight the weeds are after germinating nicely but no sign of grass seed germinating

You would be better off if they don't germinate till rain comes as hot days would be very severe on the seedlings

bob charles

freedominacup wrote: »

Teagasc advisor rang me today to tell me to keep a close eye on wholecrop as crops he's seen in the past few days are coming in quickly. The ground our wholecrop was sown into was laid out as for re-seeding with the intention to direct drill grass seeds as soon as it is harvested. He told me to hold off on sowing as he is afraid of it getting a small amount of rain and germinating into another prolonged dry period. If that happened he felt that the losses in the newly germinated seed would be too high.

Make sure to get some glyphosate out before drilling the grass to clean up things. pre harvest would do the trick or else after cutting as there is usually plenty of annual grass under cereal crops that you dont want. Winter crops are slow to come in, must going to be barn busters

pakalasa

A Hectare is 100m by 100m in area.
1mm of rain per Hectare is - 10 cubic metres or 10,000 Lts.

Harrier1980

tmboy95 wrote: »

Well the few factors needed for seed germination are water, warmth, air and sunlight. Good lash of rain and I'd say you'll be flying it! Though I heard were to get very dry weather sometime during this summer, dangerously dry nearly. Don't take my word for it but possible droughts in areas.

Your right on three out of the 4! Seed doesn't need sunlight to germinate! It needs sun light to produce chlorophyll and sugars after germination to grow.

papa john

The rapeseed is coming good now in the field and i fear it will prevent the sunlight getting to the grass seed.It could be grazed now but i fear the sheep could then pull out the small shoots of grass from the ground.Any suggestions,still got no rain yet anyway!

Harrier1980

Patience and don't grease until the grass is well rooted or as you rightly say they will pull the seedlings out. With soil temps so high you will be surprised how quick it comes when t does

papa john

Harrier1980 wrote: »

Patience and don't grease until the grass is well rooted or as you rightly say they will pull the seedlings out. With soil temps so high you will be surprised how quick it comes when t does

Do you think the rapeseed will be a problem now since it is wel up and could prevent the sunlight getting to the grass seed?

Harrier1980

papa john wrote: »

Do you think the rapeseed will be a problem now since it is wel up and could prevent the sunlight getting to the grass seed?

How big is the rape now? Throw up a picture if you can.