Grass growth after powerharrowing and seeding

k mac · 23-06-2019 1:49pm #1

Powerharrowed and seeded some ground 3 weeks ago last thursday and there is still no sign of any new grass. Got very heavy rain for a few days after wonder will it come at all or am i a bit premature with the doom and gloom

Reggie. · 23-06-2019 3:53pm

k mac wrote: »

Powerharrowed and seeded some ground 3 weeks ago last thursday and there is still no sign of any new grass. Got very heavy rain for a few days after wonder will it come at all or am i a bit premature with the doom and gloom

Should have came after the rain. Was it rolled? Did you get a good kill on the grass after seeding?

k mac · 23-06-2019 4:06pm

Reggie. wrote: »

Should have came after the rain. Was it rolled? Did you get a good kill on the grass after seeding?

Only rolled last weekend as it was to wet up to then. Did not kill off as it was bare ground after digger work last autumn

Reggie. · 23-06-2019 5:21pm

k mac wrote: »

Only rolled last weekend as it was to wet up to then. Did not kill off as it was bare ground after digger work last autumn

Any sign before rolling?

Limestone Cowboy · 23-06-2019 5:24pm

I spread seed for a neighbour 4 weeks ago and it's all well up now.

Say my name · 23-06-2019 5:30pm

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

I spread seed for a neighbour 4 weeks ago and it's all well up now.

By right you should see signs on the 5th day after sowing.

Dinzee Conlee · 23-06-2019 7:16pm

k mac wrote: »

Only rolled last weekend as it was to wet up to then. Did not kill off as it was bare ground after digger work last autumn

Are you sure it wasn’t up?

You could have done more harm than good rolling it then. If it got heavy rain after sowing, it would have done fine without the roller IMO...

Limestone Cowboy · 23-06-2019 7:18pm

Say my name wrote: »

By right you should see signs on the 5th day after sowing.

That's it now half an hour ago.

wrangler · 23-06-2019 8:42pm

k mac wrote: »

Powerharrowed and seeded some ground 3 weeks ago last thursday and there is still no sign of any new grass. Got very heavy rain for a few days after wonder will it come at all or am i a bit premature with the doom and gloom

I've grass sown three weeks that's just coming now, hoping for a dramatic improvement after this rain but it's very poor and patchy.
It failed the first time after being sown 3rd may so well pissed at the mo

k mac · 23-06-2019 9:25pm

Reggie. wrote: »

Any sign before rolling?

No sign before rolling or since

Reggie. · 23-06-2019 9:46pm

k mac wrote: »

No sign before rolling or since

Something strange there. You should have seen a strike of some stage after at most 2 weeks

mengele · 23-06-2019 9:46pm

k mac wrote: »

No sign before rolling or since

Put up a picture

Neddyusa · 23-06-2019 10:42pm

k mac wrote: »

Powerharrowed and seeded some ground 3 weeks ago last thursday and there is still no sign of any new grass. Got very heavy rain for a few days after wonder will it come at all or am i a bit premature with the doom and gloom

What type of soil?
Because if it was a heavy clay soil the combination of powerharrowing followed by heavy rain is a bad one. Have heavy dauby clay in some of the land here and would never use a powerharrow in it after getting caught out badly before.
Rolling would compound the problem.

But maybe its something else - as said a picture might be useful.

k mac · 24-06-2019 5:43pm

mengele wrote: »

Put up a picture

It is fairly heavy dauby soil alright

k mac · 24-06-2019 5:47pm

mengele wrote: »

Put up a picture

It is fairly heavy dauby soil alright

Neddyusa · 24-06-2019 7:16pm

k mac wrote: »

It is fairly heavy dauby soil alright

I might be wrong but sounds like the powerharrow turned the clay to powder and heavy rain turned the powder to soup.
When it dries that can tend tó seal the surface of the ground suffocating the germinating seedlings.
Got a fierce bad strike in dauby ground here before so would only disc that type of clay now rather than powerharrow if there's any chance of bad rain after.
Or maybe it was just sown deeply and will be up by this weekend?
Id give it another week before going to plan B.

Mooooo · 24-06-2019 8:28pm

Any heavy soil here we'd plough tbh always gave the best results. Also, aside from burying stones, the main purpose of rolling is to retain moisture so if there has been damp weather I wouldn't roll if it wasn't done straight after setting . I assume the seed was freshly bought and not kept from last year or anything?

I says · 24-06-2019 8:41pm

Name please legumx won’t kill it

k mac · 24-06-2019 8:56pm

Mooooo wrote: »

Any heavy soil here we'd plough tbh always gave the best results. Also, aside from burying stones, the main purpose of rolling is to retain moisture so if there has been damp weather I wouldn't roll if it wasn't done straight after setting . I assume the seed was freshly bought and not kept from last year or anything?

Yes was new seed

lab man · 24-06-2019 9:12pm

k mac wrote:

Yes was new seed

chain harrow it

k mac · 24-06-2019 9:23pm

lab man wrote: »

chain harrow it

Would pin harrow do the job save borrowing chain harrow

wrangler · 26-06-2019 10:22am

wrangler wrote: »

I've grass sown three weeks that's just coming now, hoping for a dramatic improvement after this rain but it's very poor and patchy.
It failed the first time after being sown 3rd may so well pissed at the mo

Dramatic improvement here since the weekend, will probably graze it soon,
The clover grew in the first attempt and it's coming now in the second sowing as well so it'll be a mass of clover, lambs should love it

_Brian · 26-06-2019 10:27am

Neddyusa wrote: »

What type of soil?
Because if it was a heavy clay soil the combination of powerharrowing followed by heavy rain is a bad one. Have heavy dauby clay in some of the land here and would never use a powerharrow in it after getting caught out badly before.
Rolling would compound the problem.

But maybe its something else - as said a picture might be useful.

What would you use instead of a powerharrow on clay soils ?

Reggie. · 26-06-2019 11:39am

_Brian wrote: »

What would you use instead of a powerharrow on clay soils ?

Powerharrow. Roll afterwards and then overseed and roll again

Stationmaster · 26-06-2019 1:56pm

Quick question please. Thinking of reseeding two hills here - about 9 acres in total. Bought 2 years ago. It wouldn't have been that well kept for the previous ten years - just grazed. Rushy in spots but good grass at the same time in most of it. Baled it the last 2 summers.

What's the best way and time for doing it? Is it a given that I should get it soil tested first? Don't have any experience when it comes to reseeding to be honest.

Thanks.

Neddyusa · 26-06-2019 3:29pm

_Brian wrote: »

What would you use instead of a powerharrow on clay soils ?

Plough and disc harrow if its a heavy clay and there is a chance of prolonged heavy rain after sowing. Powerharrow gives a lovely fine looking tilth which is fine if you don't get heavy rain after, but it can ruin the soil structure pushing out oxygen which is critical for the seedling roots.

lab man · 26-06-2019 3:34pm

I would not do this, i did this 8 yrs ago a disaster since , just burn off chain harrow seed, roll , fert, lime, walk away

_Brian · 26-06-2019 4:35pm

Neddyusa wrote: »

Plough and disc harrow if its a heavy clay and there is a chance of prolonged heavy rain after sowing. Powerharrow gives a lovely fine looking tilth which is fine if you don't get heavy rain after, but it can ruin the soil structure pushing out oxygen which is critical for the seedling roots.

We can’t plough, shallow soil and waaaay too many stones under.

Reggie. · 26-06-2019 6:42pm

_Brian wrote: »

We can’t plough, shallow soil and waaaay too many stones under.

Powerharrows should only go down about 2 inches anyways. Any lower and it's too low

Neddyusa · 26-06-2019 8:59pm

_Brian wrote: »

We can’t plough, shallow soil and waaaay too many stones under.

Several runs of a disc then if it's daub.
Powerharrow will do the job if it's not.

k mac · 27-06-2019 1:38pm

Update- still no sign of any grass coming think i will have to bite the bullet and go again will plough and harrow this time. Would probably be best leave it for a few weeks or could i go straigh away at it

wrangler · 27-06-2019 1:52pm

k mac wrote: »

Update- still no sign of any grass coming think i will have to bite the bullet and go again will plough and harrow this time. Would probably be best leave it for a few weeks or could i go straigh away at it

Drought will be a huge problem now and ploughing will only dry it out further. I think it'd be better to just till the top inch and sow and roll to have any chance now.
Only for the inch rain last sunday ours would've failed again

Limestone Cowboy · 27-06-2019 3:20pm

k mac wrote: »

Update- still no sign of any grass coming think i will have to bite the bullet and go again will plough and harrow this time. Would probably be best leave it for a few weeks or could i go straigh away at it

Could you direct drill/stitch seed in instead. There's a fella locally enough that got an erth agriseeder and it seems to be working really well. Would save a lot of tilling.

k mac · 27-06-2019 5:19pm

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

k mac wrote: »

Update- still no sign of any grass coming think i will have to bite the bullet and go again will plough and harrow this time. Would probably be best leave it for a few weeks or could i go straigh away at it

Could you direct drill/stitch seed in instead. There's a fella locally enough that got an erth agriseeder and it seems to be working really well. Would save a lot of tilling.

Was thinking that myself no one lokal doing that but is a fella about 20 miles away might come up only thing is its a small area

k mac · 01-07-2019 11:32am

Interesting point someone said to me could the problem be with the grass seed and not the method used, weather etc. Could there have been a batch of bad seed ? His argument was that this had to be the case because no new grass whatsoever has came and that even if the problem was the weather or whatever else some seeds would have taken and it might be patchy.

roosterman71 · 01-07-2019 3:15pm

When would ye reckon it's too late to sow grass? I've a few drains that are sinking after been filled ten years ago, and I've just got my hands on a clay mountain so I can re-level it all off. But it could be September before I can get to draw it. Would that be too late or would it be better to wait till spring time to sow?

Say my name · 01-07-2019 3:47pm

roosterman71 wrote: »

When would ye reckon it's too late to sow grass? I've a few drains that are sinking after been filled ten years ago, and I've just got my hands on a clay mountain so I can re-level it all off. But it could be September before I can get to draw it. Would that be too late or would it be better to wait till spring time to sow?

September is perfect. I've even reseeded in October on occasions and still good.
Depends on the weather though.

Reggie. · 01-07-2019 4:55pm

roosterman71 wrote: »

When would ye reckon it's too late to sow grass? I've a few drains that are sinking after been filled ten years ago, and I've just got my hands on a clay mountain so I can re-level it all off. But it could be September before I can get to draw it. Would that be too late or would it be better to wait till spring time to sow?

I was sowing late Sept last year but the weather really dictates

Grass growth after powerharrowing and seeding

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