Hi there were going to be putting in 40-50 acre herbal Ley this spring, for grazing and some small bales. Just after top tips dos and don'ts and variety recommendations for our seed mix. Medium to heavy clay ground kent
Herbal Ley
- Thread starter Thewonkyparsnip
- Start date
Norfolk Hill Farmer
Member
Is this for stewardship?
No . For soil improvement mainly
- Location
- Ceredigion
Not the easiest crop to make hay of especially 1st year as you need to keep on top of it to stop weeds getting hold
- Location
- Near Colchester
Getting it established in the spring will be awkward of there is a prolonged dry spell as there often is on this side of the country.
Making hay from it will be tricky as said above as you will have some fleshy stems of species that won't dry very fast compared to the grass leaves, haylage or silage would be much more reliable.
I am doing the same here, I bought a mix made up of mostly grasses suited for hay making and added in a minimum requirement of herbs for gs4.
I sowed this under spring oats and ended up mowing and baling in the summer.
This is it about a month ago
Attachments
What seed rate of oats and gs4 seed did you put on?
- Location
- Essex
Best undersown in my limited experience or wait till the autumn. Also as already suggested, avoid anything with a thick stem like chicory if you are going to make hay. Better still, don't make hay and get the benefit of chicory's tap root, flowering and seeds which goldfinches love. Alot of the species don't tolerate extensive grazing so you might want to consider mob grazing for best results, particularly plant expression.
I think you will be going to a lot of expense for little (if any) return.
There is no evidence that herbal leys will improve soils structure better than a good permanent pasture mix. As Humble Village said, chickory's deep tap root will be of benefit, but it lacks persistence and is not an ideal hay crop.. Far better rely on a good stand of docks which don't cost anything to establish and will last forever.
Better still, dandelions are a vastly under-rated plant, for palatability, wildlife, and as soil improvers. Once you get them established in a permanent pasture, it pays to preserve them along-with a good stand of grass and clover.
Get a back fence in behind them sheep get some proper rotational regen ag grazing on the go
Almost all the critical comparative work on grazing systems and pasture productivity was done in the forties and fifties - very little work since then has added to it.
One of the best books on the subject ever published is:
'' Animal Health, Production and Pasture'' . edited by A.N. Worden, K.C. Sellers and D.D. Tribe.
One of the best books on the subject ever published is:
'' Animal Health, Production and Pasture'' . edited by A.N. Worden, K.C. Sellers and D.D. Tribe.
Download Animal-Health-Production-And-Pasture eBook PDF and Read Book
Download book Animal-health-production-and-pasture ebook PDF ePub Mobi or read online. Register and get instant access to millions of titles from Our Library. A
embracingtheredqueen.com
sticky
Member
- Location
- Near Stratford upon Avon
How long are you leaving the ley in for?
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Are you really suggesting that no additional knowledge on grazing systems and pasture management in the last sixty years? Crikey.
- Location
- Ceredigion
How long do you want it to last
And for cows or sheep ?
I was strip grazing it nicely until it came wet and couldn’t keep them in so let them have the lotGet a back fence in behind them sheep get some proper rotational regen ag grazing on the go
regenlazyYes I think you are correct however if you can claim 135£ an acre then you really are making hay when the sun shines
You’ll get kicked out the WhatsApp group with that attitudeI was strip grazing it nicely until it came wet and couldn’t keep them in so let them have the lot
