Any Grass growing anywhere?

Bleating Lamb

How are people finding the last month for grass growth?...very cold here (Leitrim) in last fortnight so feck all growth and even first two weeks of April weren't great.
Hardly any growth where ground was eaten bare by ewes in March.
Don't have fertiliser out on all grazing ground yet (too soft to travel on yet)...but not worried about that as it wouldn't be doing much anyway with current conditions.
What's growth like elsewhere on our fair isle?

Mooooo

Good enough down here in cork but enough moisture in the ground to keep it going thru last 2 dry weeks. Slowed the last week with the cold spell but grazing paddocks last grazed the start of April now with a decent cover on them. Have 80 to 110 units of N out tho.

Mooooo

Have you considered hiring a lad in with a quad and spinner for the soft ground? We did that the last few years with ground we had rented

Bleating Lamb

Mooooo wrote: »

Have you considered hiring a lad in with a quad and spinner for the soft ground? We did that the last few years with ground we had rented

Had thought about that alright,have a quad,would just need to get a spreader from someone but tbh weather has being so cold here the last while that I fear it would be a waste of expensive fertiliser to have it out.
Next week looks like being warmer and dry after a bad days rain Sunday so hopefully 3 or 4 good days would leave ground able to go on with tractor.

razor8

Get some lime out

Bleating Lamb

razor8 wrote: »

Get some lime out

If some of my ground got lime you wouldn't walk a chicken on it afterwards!:)

Mooooo

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Had thought about that alright,have a quad,would just need to get a spreader from someone but tbh weather has being so cold here the last while that I fear it would be a waste of expensive fertiliser to have it out.
Next week looks like being warmer and dry after a bad days rain Sunday so hopefully 3 or 4 good days would leave ground able to go on with tractor.

TBH if ground is trafficable at all in spring get the fert out, even next year to see for yourself put some out on part of it to compare with ground that got none for yourself. I wouldn't worry about the cold so much it'll be there once temps rise, once ground isn't waterlogged or a deluge forecast get it out. As they say it'll grow f-all in the bag. I can't remember what this lad charged but he was busy enough with it anyway, so there are probably lads doing it up your way as well

CloughCasey1

As the FIL used to say. Grass is as plentiful as ever but not quiet as long☺

rangler1

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

How are people finding the last month for grass growth?...very cold here (Leitrim) in last fortnight so feck all growth and even first two weeks of April weren't great.
Hardly any growth where ground was eaten bare by ewes in March.
Don't have fertiliser out on all grazing ground yet (too soft to travel on yet)...but not worried about that as it wouldn't be doing much anyway with current conditions.
What's growth like elsewhere on our fair isle?

Soil temp is 10 degrees so fertiliser won't be wasted.....if you haven't it out it'll take a coup;e weeks to kick off so you'll be behind again, fertiliser is out a month here now and its unreal the difference compared with where I missed or just didn't spread.

tractorporn

Mooooo wrote:

TBH if ground is trafficable at all in spring get the fert out, even next year to see for yourself put some out on part of it to compare with ground that got none for yourself. I wouldn't worry about the cold so much it'll be there once temps rise, once ground isn't waterlogged or a deluge forecast get it out. As they say it'll grow f-all in the bag. I can't remember what this lad charged but he was busy enough with it anyway, so there are probably lads doing it up your way as well

I don't think you get the land in Leitrim. It may be trafficable with a quad and spinner in the spring but from my experience most of the land up there is borderline saturated for most of the spring regardless of the weather. If you went out in February with a bag of nitrogen most of it would end up in Lough Allen. I was out on land near Drumshanbo last week and every step we made produced a splash.

whelan2

tractorporn wrote: »

I don't think you get the land in Leitrim. It may be trafficable with a quad and spinner in the spring but from my experience most of the land up there is borderline saturated for most of the spring regardless of the weather. If you went out in February with a bag of nitrogen most of it would end up in Lough Allen. I was out on land near Drumshanbo last week and every step we made produced a splash.

Its not just Leitrim, after getting stuck with the jeep here this morning. I assumed the area would be dry as there has been no rain. Very lucky to get out. Was nearly walking home

Mooooo

Have wet ground here too, may not get the fert out in Feb but I put it out in march, most years I end up tracking thru those fields but if it's not out I run out of grass in April. Had 18 acres I couldn't spread till April this year which I normally use for silage but will have to spend a good bit on drainage down there. No fall of it and is low down neighbour and previous owner planted forestry all round it

20silkcut

I put out liquid urea ten days ago can see the grass jumping out of the ground with already.
This type of weather the liquid fertiliser comes into its own.

Spread 18-6-12 normal with the vicon over a month ago and can still see the fertiliser on the ground.

1-0 to liquid fertiliser.

pedigree 6

20silkcut wrote: »

I put out liquid urea ten days ago can see the grass jumping out of the ground with already.
This type of weather the liquid fertiliser comes into its own.

Spread 18-6-12 normal with the vicon over a month ago and can still see the fertiliser on the ground.

1-0 to liquid fertiliser.

Is it growing though and not just turning colour?
I saw grass that was sprayed with liquid urea and it just turned a bluey green colour.
It'll be interesting to see how you get on with it.

bogman_bass

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Had thought about that alright,have a quad,would just need to get a spreader from someone but tbh weather has being so cold here the last while that I fear it would be a waste of expensive fertiliser to have it out.
Next week looks like being warmer and dry after a bad days rain Sunday so hopefully 3 or 4 good days would leave ground able to go on with tractor.

It isn't that cold. By the time the Fertilizer melts it should have warmed up again

20silkcut

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Is it growing though and not just turning colour?
I saw grass that was sprayed with liquid urea and it just turned a bluey green colour.
It'll be interesting to see how you get on with it.

It was grazed down until mid April. You could graze it again now.
It was a local guy who spread the urea for me he mixes it himself. Used six 50kg bags on an 8 acre field. He maintains that you only use half the amount you would normally use or else it would burn the grass.
He says the full 6 bags will be fully utilised.
In the normal method half of the urea evaporates.
It will be interesting to see how it turns out I will post up a few pics.
He spreads urea all year round regardless of weather with this method.

TITANIUM.

20silkcut wrote: »

It was grazed down until mid April. You could graze it again now.
It was a local guy who spread the urea for me he mixes it himself. Used six 50kg bags on an 8 acre field. He maintains that you only use half the amount you would normally use or else it would burn the grass.
He says the full 6 bags will be fully utilised.
In the normal method half of the urea evaporates.
It will be interesting to see how it turns out I will post up a few pics.
He spreads urea all year round regardless of weather with this method.

Is there a special extra soluble type of urea for this?

20silkcut

TITANIUM. wrote: »

Is there a special extra soluble type of urea for this?

No just the standard stuff you buy in the co-op. it's mixed with water in an old bulk tank circulated by a compressor driven pump. Takes about 7 or 8 mins to mix 6 bags until all the prills have gone.
It leaves a nice film of frost on the tank and the pump its fair cold due to the nitrogen. If you were doing big amounts you would probably have to use warm water. But it doesn't freeze nozzles in the sprayer or anything.

tractorporn

20silkcut wrote:

No just the standard stuff you buy in the co-op. it's mixed with water in an old bulk tank circulated by a compressor driven pump. Takes about 7 or 8 mins to mix 6 bags until all the prills have gone. It leaves a nice film of frost on the tank and the pump its fair cold due to the nitrogen. If you were doing big amounts you would probably have to use warm water. But it doesn't freeze nozzles in the sprayer or anything.

Is that the same idea as the liquid lime McGraths are selling??

TITANIUM.

20silkcut wrote: »

No just the standard stuff you buy in the co-op. it's mixed with water in an old bulk tank circulated by a compressor driven pump. Takes about 7 or 8 mins to mix 6 bags until all the prills have gone.
It leaves a nice film of frost on the tank and the pump its fair cold due to the nitrogen. If you were doing big amounts you would probably have to use warm water. But it doesn't freeze nozzles in the sprayer or anything.

Jesus, is his sprayer specially adapted for it I wonder.

20silkcut

TITANIUM. wrote: »

Jesus, is his sprayer specially adapted for it I wonder.

No he just uses different nozzles not the mist type more like water coming out of a small shower head

20silkcut

You should try dissolve a small amount of urea in a bucket yourself throw it on a patch of ground with a watering can and see the results.
Could save thousands every year.

pedigree 6

20silkcut wrote: »

You should try dissolve a small amount of urea in a bucket yourself throw it on a patch of ground with a watering can and see the results.
Could save thousands every year.

I'd use a sprayer though instead of a watering can.
I did that myself one time in the back garden lawn and all the worms came up and died.
The grass grew well though.:rolleyes:

rangler1

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Is it growing though and not just turning colour?
I saw grass that was sprayed with liquid urea and it just turned a bluey green colour.
It'll be interesting to see how you get on with it.

I had a demo on the farm with these guys, I put out CAN the same day, could see no difference

https://twitter.com/towandfert?lang=en

20silkcut

rangler1 wrote: »

I had a demo on the farm with these guys, I put out CAN the same day, could see no difference

https://twitter.com/towandfert?lang=en

Did they use the same amount of CAN as you?

rangler1

20silkcut wrote: »

Did they use the same amount of CAN as you?

They were using urea I think but it's a while ago and I wasn't impressed.
I used about 50% more N per acre and the were mixing granlime with theirs as well..... to me it looked lIke a right PITA of a job, probably different if they had a big bulk tank to mix it in, They were mixing it in the the little trailed sprayer

furandfeather

20silkcut wrote: »

It was grazed down until mid April. You could graze it again now.
It was a local guy who spread the urea for me he mixes it himself. Used six 50kg bags on an 8 acre field. He maintains that you only use half the amount you would normally use or else it would burn the grass.
He says the full 6 bags will be fully utilised.
In the normal method half of the urea evaporates.
It will be interesting to see how it turns out I will post up a few pics.
He spreads urea all year round regardless of weather with this method.

How much water did he mix it with do you know?

freedominacup

rangler1 wrote: »

They were using urea I think but it's a while ago and I wasn't impressed.
I used about 50% more N per acre and the were mixing granlime with theirs as well..... to me it looked lIke a right PITA of a job, probably different if they had a big bulk tank to mix it in, They were mixing it in the the little trailed sprayer

Waffle and dawg were discussing this last summer on a tillage thread. Insulated tanks and the merits of various types of agitator/unloading pumps not to mention stressing about the weight axles could carry. There's a reason liquid fert never really caught on here. Time is money.

20silkcut

furandfeather wrote: »

How much water did he mix it with do you know?

I don't know it was one fill of the sprayer and then a half load. Standard size sprayer not sure how many litres.
Would they be 1000 litres?

TITANIUM.

To get back on topic,
All I can say is silage ground seems to be moving along alright but by god grazed ground is slow to get going. I'm fierce short of grass and I can't see a quick fix to it unless serious growth kicks in next week. even then it'll be a scrap till some ground comes back into the rotation after first cut.

The part time boy

Raining a nice bit in cork today . Bit of heat next week and it be growing over the ditch

Muckit

I few days in May could turn things in the opposite direction v quick

White Clover

TITANIUM. wrote: »

To get back on topic,
All I can say is silage ground seems to be moving along alright but by god grazed ground is slow to get going. I'm fierce short of grass and I can't see a quick fix to it unless serious growth kicks in next week. even then it'll be a scrap till some ground comes back into the rotation after first cut.

Next week is to be warm so there'll be plenty growth. If you can see 10 days grass ahead you'll be fine.

K.G.

Fours days grass left here and not panicing.the dry spell got all the messy grazing done in the first roound tidied up and starting third round in agreat position

CloughCasey1

If we dont get decent rain tonight i'm flucked entirely.

Mooooo

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

If we dont get decent rain tonight i'm flucked entirely.

Strong wind blowing heavy showers all day, you could see paddocks greening with it

CloughCasey1

Mooooo wrote: »

Strong wind blowing heavy showers all day, you could see paddocks greening with it

The breeze was drying the drops as they fell. Got feck all showers here.

pedigree 6

I got no rain here either today.
A few miles either side of me got downpours.
The father was down in Blackwater direction today and he said there's oceans of grass on the macamore's.:pac:

charolais0153

Grass is growing good here. A lack of rain may halt that tho.

Buford T. Justice XIX

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

If we dont get decent rain tonight i'm flucked entirely.

Don't panic, it'll be on tomorrow and you'll wonder what you were worried about.

CloughCasey1

charolais0153 wrote: »

Grass is growing good here. A lack of rain may halt that tho.

That must have been a shower of urea and not hail ye got so earlier in the week that missed us.☺

restive

Spread some 10 10 20 today. Ground dry and hard. I don't think I have had proper rain in 6 weeks.Black clouds but no rain. Grass growth is definitely been affected. Hoping for a proper downpour.

razor8

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

If some of my ground got lime you wouldn't walk a chicken on it afterwards!:)

That's such a myth. It il be soft for a month or two but once it works it's away into the ground it il make some difference to the grass you'll grow

And I'm in Leitrim too!!

patsy_mccabe

No rain forecast on the Met Eir 5 day forecast. Quickly running out of grass here. Christ - looking for rain in April. :eek:

The part time boy

It rained here last 2 days but I don't think enough . Just shy of half a inch .

I lucky to have a good block of grass ahead of them all though my sillage ground is not long closed up

_Brian

Low meadows have dried well but still "moist", great growth on them at the moment.
If it were dry till August we'd still have grass growing (and rushes of course)

ABlur

_Brian wrote: »

Low meadows have dried well but still "moist", great growth on them at the moment.
If it were dry till August we'd still have grass growing (and rushes of course)

I'm grazing a similar meadow here I'd say it's never had stock on it in April before!!

patsy_mccabe

Would I be mad to spread 18.6.12 today on low lying ground? No rain for the next week. tractor ready with spreader and all. 50/50 myself, to do it or not.

The Cuban

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Would I be mad to spread 18.6.12 today on low lying ground? No rain for the next week. tractor ready with spreader and all. 50/50 myself, to do it or not.

I`m after putting out 10:10:20 and cut 18:6:12, heavy dew at night all the time so I cant see any problem.
fire it out Patsy, it`ll grow nothing in the bag

I said

Will lash out urea today after yesterday's rain

Username John

The Cuban wrote: »

I`m after putting out 10:10:20 and cut 18:6:12, heavy dew at night all the time so I cant see any problem.
fire it out Patsy, it`ll grow nothing in the bag

Nothing personal Cuban - but I hate that expression 'it'll grow nothing in the bag'

It hadn't grown anything in the bag in the past 3 months (the season for spreading fertiliser is open now over 3 months) - but that doesn't mean it should have been spread 3 months ago...

Sometimes, it might be better off in the bag...

Rant over