Chuck weed in new grass seeds

[dgjeynes]

We’ve planted approx 40ac new seed back in September and all has a lot of chick weed in it any solutions to remove the chick weed and save what grass we have left

 

[Great In Grass]

I've had customers successfully get rid of their Chickweed by heavy grazing.

If it's a September sown ley you must make sure the ley can withstand this approach.

I'm not a spray man but I suppose there is a herbicide available?

 

[Nearly]

animals with big mouths and little feet.

 

[neilo]

There are any number of herbicides that will kill it out, but none which are clover safe any longer.

If you have clover in the ley and want to keep it, then sheep are the only way left, as above.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

If you not worried about clover then Minstel or any Fluroxypyr will take it out , go at the higher rate as it will be quite strong now , I've tried grazing topping and all sorts , but spraying is the only sure way
Others will say grazing will sort it ,I have a lot of sheep that graze tight and won't touch it
I would not play about ,it's doing damage every day it's there

Just to add you never normally see chickweed in Spring Reseeds but it can get out if control in the Autumn and is becoming a big problem

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

We’ve planted approx 40ac new seed back in September and all has a lot of chick weed in it any solutions to remove the chick weed and save what grass we have left

Not sure where you are, but grazing will fix the problem, especially as it is so dry down in the south.

 

[wdah/him]

As above I dont tend to spray any of our spring reseeds, prefer to go Ewe 30, or Ewe what ever number I put out graze it, then mow what isnt eat, some watery slurry and its grand

 

[Kevtherev]

It will graze out with bit of management

 

[Cropper]

Flat rolling can help

 

[Longlowdog]

As @Cropper says it doesn't like the stems being crushed. Rolling or a big mob of sheep even for a couple of days sets it back pretty well.

 

[Tarw Coch]

animals with big mouths and little feet.

I’ve got 12 month plus heifers out grazing a September re seed…………. although it’s probably the only year in my lifetime when it’s dry enough to do that in February

 

[Highland Farmer]

Sheep (well mine) love chickweed, very easy to eliminate.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

My sole aim is to protect the new ley
We all have different ground and see things different
I would not stock a new ley heavily with sheep and certainly would not be taking a roll over it .
Our ground can get wet quick in the autumn and I know chickweed can ruin a new ley if left unchecked for a few months
So I go in with the sprayer at the earliest opertunity, Mistral is relatively cheap and kind to new seedlings .
That said no use if clover is involved
I realise my opinion is massively outgunned
But that's not unusual

 

[Highland Farmer]

Sheep nibble, so don't kill new grass by pulling it out. Their nibbling will help the grass tiller. Their feet press the soil a bit and encourage ungerminated seed to germinate. My experience is that for some reason they preferentially graze weeds. If it's a herbal let then need to be very careful not to over graze or they can kill the young herbs which need to get the roots down the establish. If the ground is soft then I can't help but think that a few sheep are going to do far less damage than a tractor with sprayer.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Sheep nibble, so don't kill new grass by pulling it out. Their nibbling will help the grass tiller. Their feet press the soil a bit and encourage ungerminated seed to germinate. My experience is that for some reason they preferentially graze weeds. If it's a herbal let then need to be very careful not to over graze or they can kill the young herbs which need to get the roots down the establish. If the ground is soft then I can't help but think that a few sheep are going to do far less damage than a tractor with sprayer.

I have stopped seeding In the autumn due to damage caused by hard sheep grazing over the winter .
You may have a different variety of chickweed, but Tregaron Welsh Mountain Sheep won't touch it here
My sprayer man has floatation tyres and don't usually have a problem finding a dry window to spray in

The last spray I used last summer cost me £9.60 acre to get a perfect kill at the most opertune time
I don't really have the time to be messing putting stock on for what may or may not take it out

 

[tinsheet]

Graze it.

 

[Highland Farmer]

I have stopped seeding In the autumn due to damage caused by hard sheep grazing over the winter .
You may have a different variety of chickweed, but Tregaron Welsh Mountain Sheep won't touch it here
My sprayer man has floatation tyres and don't usually have a problem finding a dry window to spray in

The last spray I used last summer cost me £9.60 acre to get a perfect kill at the most opertune time
I don't really have the time to be messing putting stock on for what may or may not take it out

Agree with you on the timing of the re-seed. I'm always late spring now, but our re-seeds are always pre-emergence over-sown to a whole crop pea silage.

Maybe the Scottish highland sheep are less fussy and more hungry than their Welsh Mountain counterparts!

 

[milkloss]

Never liked sheep on a new ley. I think they do just as much damage as the chick weed itself.

I vote spray with fluroxypyr.

 

[Highland Farmer]

Never liked sheep on a new ley. I think they do just as much damage as the chick weed itself.

I vote spray with fluroxypyr.

Makes you wonder at the miracle of grass growing in the wild with all these vegetarian predators!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Makes you wonder at the miracle of grass growing in the wild with all these vegetarian predators!

Wild grass is not Perennial Ryegrass ,it's wild grass we are trying to avoid by not poaching with sheep at an early stage ,have said that I'm a firm believer in quick in and out grazing if conditions are right