Grass sample advice please

[warksfarmer]

Had a very disappointing 1st cut of an Italian Ryegrass (Diploid), see attached analysis. This was established autumn 18.

In harvest 19 it produced 12t/ac of silage and then 3t/ac of hay. It was then over wintered grazed by sheep from October - Feb. It was fed 80kg/ha N and 40kg/ha So3 before the silage cut and then the same before the hay. It’s then had sheep manure from the grazing.

before 1st cut this year it had 80kg N and 40kg so3 like in 2019 but it’s yielded very poorly at 3.6t/ac.

Now obviously it’s been dry and I know that’s affected it but this is on some very heavy black clay soil with very high magnesium levels so is always wet. The P & K indices are 3 from tests done in 2018/19.

Is the analysis directly connected to lack of rainfall or is there something else? Prior to 1st cut this year the crop looked good - see attached picture. And then see pics after mowing. It was cut just before it was coming into head.

It was put down as a 3 year ley so half way through it’s life cycle and after 1st cut this year we have put digestate on it hoping for a 2nd cut. The digestate has given it 95kg/ha of available N.

 

[deleted user 837354]

You have sown a diploid only cutting ley, and you have applied only 80kg N for first cut? Has the field got a history of lots of organic manure or slurry etc?

Analysis looks unspectacular, your P and K levels are probably fine. It will probably do better the second time around.

 

[warksfarmer]

You have sown a diploid only cutting ley, and you have applied only 80kg N for first cut? Has the field got a history of lots of organic manure or slurry etc?

Analysis looks unspectacular, your P and K levels are probably fine. It will probably do better the second time around.

History of compost and only 80kg N before each cut because that’s what we did the first year and it did well. No science behind it and grass is new to me hence asking the question.

2 silage cuts planned this year and then a late hay if the weather allows. So it had 80kg prior to 1st cut, then had 95kg prior to 2nd cut and if we can we’ll do 80kg N prior to hay making.

So your suggesting we are low on the N? I’m wondering if the sheep have had a negative effect and it was grazed to hard?

 

[deleted user 837354]

History of compost and only 80kg N before each cut because that’s what we did the first year and it did well. No science behind it and grass is new to me hence asking the question.

2 silage cuts planned this year and then a late hay if the weather allows. So it had 80kg prior to 1st cut, then had 95kg prior to 2nd cut and if we can we’ll do 80kg N prior to hay making.

So your suggesting we are low on the N? I’m wondering if the sheep have had a negative effect and it was grazed to hard?

For a full blown cutting ley, made up IRG and on good land with some moisture about, a lot of people in this area would be putting on 100-125kg of N on for first cut. I don't know how much rainfall you get so this may temper that number somewhat.

Grazing with sheep is fine provided they aren't creating mud. Best removed by the end of January so it can creep along and recover itself. Assume any nitrogen in their dung will be modest. Compost I would hesitantly say has a very low readily available N figure.

Do you reckon you could get a slap of digestate on first thing in spring? Do that and some nitrogen if you can.

Very unusual to see an all diploid IRG ley, I can appreciate you are probably trying to swamp the blackgrass, maybe try adding 4kg of something like Perun in your same mixture next time. Keep your seed rate high.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Your pushing straight Italian for 3 years ,unless varieties have changed a lot since I grew it . We used to kale it after 2 and a half , and it dont like heavy grazing by sheep in winter either

 

[Al R]

Straight Italians are fine for winter grazing, even hammered back to nothing. If you want maximum output from it you need 2 units of N per day between cutting, 2ish units of S per day, 2 units K and 1 unit P. That’s if index’s are 2+ to 4-. Cutting the stubble 4” long will aid regrowth and on a normal year should allow you to cut every 35-42 days, when conditions are good by the time your harvesting (36-48 hrs post mowing) the cut grass should have 1/2” regrowth on the leaves.

you don’t get half the crops up there that we normally get down this way with grass as your usually too dry, maize and cereals are far far superior to anything down here though due to heat in May/June/July/August that we don’t tend to get here.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Must have changed then . Golden rule used to be dont hammer Italian and we used to grow a lot




Persistence
This is a short term species, Italian ryegrass has a shorter persistence than perennial ryegrass, generally only lasting up to 2 years, depending on conditions. Persistence can be reduced by drought.

Italian Ryegrass | Species Information

www.cotswoldseeds.com

 

[deleted user 837354]

You can get 3 years out of some varieties of italian. I put in an 18kg mix for a client once and they kept it three years, it also blocked their mower once.

 

[warksfarmer]

Yes we were told it would do 3 years.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Yes we were told it would do 3 years.

Looks like you proved them wrong