Frost Seeding

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
Been reading up on this lately. Anyone here done it? Successes, failures, suggestions?

Not sure how feasible it is in a lot of the UK. Frosts may not be the most reliable thing there compared to other places. Up North maybe.

Hoping to give it a shot this spring if the snow disappears in time for me to still get a couple good frosts in and help out. Seems like a sound premise with decent results and I like the idea it requires little to no equipment. Although I may invest in more than just a burlap sack of seed and a scoop to toss it about with :LOL:

Biggest potential downfall is it's quite hard for me to avoid grazing areas for a year so the cows might just pull up the less established plants. Guess only the tough ones would survive then. Roots down and hang on!
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Which species do you have in mind, Dad used to drill peas and oats around my birthday, shortest day, into rye that was shoulder high and let nature run its course, we probably have a London climate or milder
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Edit: to add the seasons were more defined in those days than we have now, he didn't wear shorts 11 months of the year like I do. you could count on a decent snow to flatten the ryecorn
 

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
Legumes are listed as being more successful for frost seeding than grasses which is fine with me as, with my poor pasture plant knowledge, I don't see a great many legumes in my pasture. Trefoil is generally recommended as a good all around option however clover can be more aggressive which would be nicer for my grazing situation. Don't have many alfalfa plants kicking around in most areas so no real risk of auto toxicity issues there.

I'm unsure yet if I might go for a legume-grass blend just to provide a general overall rejuvenation boost. I don't really need a large stand of legumes but at the same time it's not like this method results in one giant stand of a consistent plant.
 
We get the frosts that you seemingly need here, but can't really see much openings for seed to go in. Looked at doing it but never have.
I have sown cocksfoot (orchard grass) rib-grass, yarrow, burnet sheeps parceley and creeping red fescue by throwing it into the standing grass and letting sheep tread it in. Seen some yarrow but not studied it closely enough to see what else came.
You could throw it on the ground before you shifted cattle into their next shift on your rotational grazing scheme, keep them tight and they should tread it in. Would do it when it's soft after a rain.
I'm going to try a bit more this summer on a field too steep to drive on.
 

hendrebc

Member
Livestock Farmer
There was a post about this in a FB group im in. The group is called reGenerative grazing group. Dont know how to do links but this one
Screenshot_2018-03-21-15-27-54.png
 

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
Chris Hollen
· 10 March at 01:57


Doing some frost seeding this morning in areas that were roughed up this winter. Gallant red clover and some alfalfa.





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Jeff Ramseyer
Do you have any luck with alfalfa? Our farm does great with red clover, but the alfalfa doesn't seem to last very long

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Huw Hendre Bryn Cyffo
Frost seeding? How does that work? Not heard of it here in the UK before

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Huw Hendre Bryn Cyffo replied · 4 Replies
 

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
for reseeding why not just sprinkle it in with the sheep feed, sure youy'll lose some but most of the stuff like grass/clover will just pass through and be liberally broadcast in its own warm manure package
I don't have any sheep.

I've done similar with the cows. Also did a lot of ground feeding of hay to help build up biomass and spread seeds from it around. But there comes a point when there's just too much snow for that to be very feasible. Plus it only works really well for the immediate area around the barn, the farther corners of the acreage are a bit more inconvenient. That and most of the hay is orchard grass and timothy and not the greatest at seeding itself from hay. And the chickens really enjoy picking through the cow patties :LOL: And the black birds, and the house sparrows and the chickadees and the magpies and the flickers....:facepalm:

Kind of figure between ground feeding when and where possible, seeing through poop and frost seeding, they can all compliment and cover different areas/times/species and help add variety.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
We get the frosts that you seemingly need here, but can't really see much openings for seed to go in. Looked at doing it but never have.
I have sown cocksfoot (orchard grass) rib-grass, yarrow, burnet sheeps parceley and creeping red fescue by throwing it into the standing grass and letting sheep tread it in. Seen some yarrow but not studied it closely enough to see what else came.
You could throw it on the ground before you shifted cattle into their next shift on your rotational grazing scheme, keep them tight and they should tread it in. Would do it when it's soft after a rain.
I'm going to try a bit more this summer on a field too steep to drive on.
That is my plan too.
Frosts here often just aren't reliable, wet is!
If they slurp up the odd seed so much the better, I farm with an abundance mentality especially when it comes to seed, one of the single best things to spend extra on, IMO.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
I don't have any sheep.

I've done similar with the cows. Also did a lot of ground feeding of hay to help build up biomass and spread seeds from it around. But there comes a point when there's just too much snow for that to be very feasible. Plus it only works really well for the immediate area around the barn, the farther corners of the acreage are a bit more inconvenient. That and most of the hay is orchard grass and timothy and not the greatest at seeding itself from hay. And the chickens really enjoy picking through the cow patties :LOL: And the black birds, and the house sparrows and the chickadees and the magpies and the flickers....:facepalm:

Kind of figure between ground feeding when and where possible, seeing through poop and frost seeding, they can all compliment and cover different areas/times/species and help add variety.
You have a very good perspective on it all, I reckon.
It is all part of the broader picture of getting a few more species established and contributing - I confess I am sick and tired of all the details and the "micromanagement" of plants, it really does do my head in sometimes!!
Depending on your climate I would try with bigger seeds experimentally as they may be more likely to succeed and then you will know the best ways and situations - on the dairy we fed poorly crushed grain and a lot of that grew in some fairly unlikely places

:confused: places you wouldn't even think dairy cattle would go!!

peas
beans
vetches
lupins
wheat oats barley

Unfortunately all annuals but they will be big bright and ballsy, you can get some estimation of success, and hone your methods in a more visible way?
 

Blaithin

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Alberta
Considering I work at a grain elevator, I’m not against just bringing home the scrap grains and sticking them in the grass seeder and doing laps :ROFLMAO:

Peas, wheat, barley.... even lentils could be possible. Don’t think I’d add canola in the mix though. All it would cost me is the time and even if they don’t germinate well they’d attract birds and birds are nature’s seed spreaders.
 
image.jpeg
(The top's hidden in the cloud)
image.jpeg
Had the cows in here all winter, and this was the same two years before
image.jpeg
(the field just over the fence in the middle picture. Cows have only had hay/haylage for about 4 or 5 years)
Going to give it a quick rip up with a pig tail cultivator (not actually pigs though) broadcast some oats and possibly vetch and go over it with another light tine Harrow/roller. There's nothing but stone underneath, going to have to try and keep the deer off it, the hebrideans too(n)
 

KMA

Member
Location
Dumfriesshire
View attachment 649558(The top's hidden in the cloud) View attachment 649556 Had the cows in here all winter, and this was the same two years beforeView attachment 649560 (the field just over the fence in the middle picture. Cows have only had hay/haylage for about 4 or 5 years)
Going to give it a quick rip up with a pig tail cultivator (not actually pigs though) broadcast some oats and possibly vetch and go over it with another light tine Harrow/roller. There's nothing but stone underneath, going to have to try and keep the deer off it, the hebrideans too(n)

Know that kind of ground only too well:LOL:, one of my ancestors decided to buy it back in 1730, reckon my brother and I will be the last generation to have farmed it, the next generation have no interest, sad in a way but I really don't blame them.
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
Its the best kind of ground.

CHEAP!
Finally a man after my own heart :love:

Cheap is good, I'm over hearing about "belt and braces" why not just buy pants that bloody fit!!!!!???
Farming is simple if you don't spend

Have just been out blasting some seeds on, much like Blaithin said, basically a bit of all sorts.
Everything that has been dropped out of my drill after jobs just goes into a metal dustbin in the workshop, likely 30 different species, just put a few scoops into the little electric spreader and hoon around the paddocks before the cows and bulls.
20180319_182220.jpg

I could probably do my whole farm each month if I wanted to, at approx 30 mph a 6 acre paddock doesn't take long, is far from precise, but the seed has left the building :D
 
Finally a man after my own heart :love:

Cheap is good, I'm over hearing about "belt and braces" why not just buy pants that bloody fit!!!!!???
Farming is simple if you don't spend

Have just been out blasting some seeds on, much like Blaithin said, basically a bit of all sorts.
Everything that has been dropped out of my drill after jobs just goes into a metal dustbin in the workshop, likely 30 different species, just put a few scoops into the little electric spreader and hoon around the paddocks before the cows and bulls.View attachment 649564
I could probably do my whole farm each month if I wanted to, at approx 30 mph a 6 acre paddock doesn't take long, is far from precise, but the seed has left the building :D
I tried rape and stubble turnip with one of those. Thought there was a lot of broken seeds.
Very fast though. Actually it got a lot faster at the end when the seed was running low:whistle:
 

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