stitching in grass seed?

MFdaveIreland

can I stitch grass seed into a existing sward and keep cattle on it , and does it need rolled after?

wrangler

MFdaveIreland wrote: »

can I stitch grass seed into a existing sward and keep cattle on it , and does it need rolled after?

,

I was on a sheep farm walk where they stitched in every five years, they used to graze it very hard, stitch in the grass, leave the sheep on it for a week to walk in the seed, then rest for a five or six weeks, They said it was important not to graze it while the grass was trying to establish itself as the sheep would pull it out of the ground rather than grazing it....cattle would probably be the same.
They seemed to be doing a good job, they definitely didn't have any trash on the fields that were marked for seeding....I'm hoping to do the same whenever it rains

mahoney_j

wrangler wrote: »

,

I was on a sheep farm walk where they stitched in every five years, they used to graze it very hard, stitch in the grass, leave the sheep on it for a week to walk in the seed, then rest for a five or six weeks, They said it was important not to graze it while the grass was trying to establish itself as the sheep would pull it out of the ground rather than grazing it....cattle would probably be the same.
They seemed to be doing a good job, they definitely didn't have any trash on the fields that were marked for seeding....I'm hoping to do the same whenever it rains

Reggie is your man and has a very good thread started on it here

MFdaveIreland

@Reggie?

Reggie.

MFdaveIreland wrote: »

@Reggie?

Wrangler pretty much covered the basics. Sow it after its well grazed.

Rip the ground well to get a good seed contact.

Spread a bag or 2 of 0-7-30 for root development. Bag of granlime wouldnt hurt either.

Leave roughly 2 or 3 weeks. Graze for about 4 days or till it's tight but not butted and leave again for another 3 weeks or so.

Now is the best time after rain returns as the old grass present is under pressure and unlikely to smother out and new grass

MFdaveIreland

its a small field im currently grazing in 4 paddcoks and rotating. difficult to graze it all at one and then stitch. there will be at least 1 paddock/4 with a strong cover, this dry weather has stopped all growth and any bare patches are fully visible. this was also a reseed by the way, just didn't get a good hit for some reason.

Reggie.

MFdaveIreland wrote: »

its a small field im currently grazing in 4 paddcoks and rotating. difficult to graze it all at one and then stitch. there will be at least 1 paddock/4 with a strong cover, this dry weather has stopped all growth and any bare patches are fully visible. this was also a reseed by the way, just didn't get a good hit for some reason.

New grass will need a break from grazing to establish itself