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Is my grass growing?

Robin2020

Member
Livestock Farmer
So we've had above 10 degrees for around a week now (Gloucestershire)and I'm fairly sure my grass is growing. Wish I had measured it a few days back....Or am I going mad?
I really hope it has done as the sheep would be most pleased..
Anyone else seeing new growth?
Looks like the cold is back Tuesday.
 

Ali_Maxxum

Member
Location
Chepstow, Wales
Thank god I'm not the only one that's thinking it. It's quite lush and green around and about in parts with us.

We did a temporary stone driveway for a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago, he's currently living in a static waiting to start renovation works on a bungalow he's bought. We dropped buckets to the side on the grass which is technically the lawn and backed the digger on it and chewed and scuffed it a little.

Anyway, 2 weeks later we popped round for a beer and I thought to myself, where we had scuffed the lawn it was like a green haze over the whole area, it was near dark and his sensor lights were shining on it so thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Went round there again the other day and the green haze looked thicker and you honestly could not see where we had been, so I asked him had he raked it over, he said nope, not touched any of it. So I then proceeded to tell him my suspicions to which he then pointed out bulbs starting to shoot.

Went for a walk around the wood with the o/h yesterday and not only noticing how much stuff had started to bud, but quite a few small trees had popped leaves out! Then to top it all off a mate of mine proceeded to tell me he'd mowed his lawn yesterday!

Doesn't do the fodder selling business much good when it's this mild and damp all the time. Dry and cold is what we want. But then we always seem to sell as much fodder in March and April and into May as we do all the rest of the winter sometimes.

Is this some sort of tropical like calm before a storm?
 
Last edited:

JockCroft

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
JanDeGrootLand
So we've had above 10 degrees for around a week now (Gloucestershire)and I'm fairly sure my grass is growing. Wish I had measured it a few days back....Or am I going mad?
I really hope it has done as the sheep would be most pleased..
Anyone else seeing new growth?
Looks like the cold is back Tuesday.
It is and it isn't. I am considerably farther north, but following the past two weeks, a few days car showing 11c and no night-time frost its really greening up and where sheltered definite growth. BUT this is January. An old friend of my father's called this "Fools Grass". Only take a few hours of frosty wind and its gone.
Look for other indicators. Buds on shrubs, regrowth on brassica's etc, and patience.
But get the fert ordered.
Last year first of March dry weather and real growth. Third of April was start of two weeks of Sleet snow and gales. Great Lambing weather.
My Father and his friends would not drill grain(Mainly Oats) unless there was yellow visible in the bud of Daffodil's, which when I was at college matched the "T sum" to get on with fert.
 

Jerry

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Devon
Combine be out here soon in the rape…

1B7BCC76-26BD-486F-A7E7-20D7D901A4AD.jpeg


pic taken today
 
It is and it isn't. I am considerably farther north, but following the past two weeks, a few days car showing 11c and no night-time frost its really greening up and where sheltered definite growth. BUT this is January. An old friend of my father's called this "Fools Grass". Only take a few hours of frosty wind and its gone.
Look for other indicators. Buds on shrubs, regrowth on brassica's etc, and patience.
But get the fert ordered.
Last year first of March dry weather and real growth. Third of April was start of two weeks of Sleet snow and gales. Great Lambing weather.
My Father and his friends would not drill grain(Mainly Oats) unless there was yellow visible in the bud of Daffodil's, which when I was at college matched the "T sum" to get on with fert.

I'm further south than most people so probably a some way further south than you but it looks like I'd better get the drill hooked up...
IMG_20220117_143138.jpg

IMG_20220117_143218.jpg

pics taken this afternoon
 

JockCroft

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
JanDeGrootLand
I'm further south than most people so probably a some way further south than you but it looks like I'd better get the drill hooked up...
IMG_20220117_143138.jpg

IMG_20220117_143218.jpg

pics taken this afternoon
Ha Ha I'm completely other end of the country. Daffs here not even through the surface yet. Last year about 20/1, yellow starting to show in bud third week March. Weather broke 4/4 so first full flowers were thrashed by frosty gales for nearly three weeks. Last March was brilliant just like now, but Oats sown 25/3 took 5 weeks to come through the ground and with dry summer greatly reduced yield.
 

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Webinar: Expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer 2024 -26th Sept

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On Thursday 26th September, we’re holding a webinar for farmers to go through the guidance, actions and detail for the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer. This was planned for end of May, but had to be delayed due to the general election. We apologise about that.

Farming and Countryside Programme Director, Janet Hughes will be joined by policy leads working on SFI, and colleagues from the Rural Payment Agency and Catchment Sensitive Farming.

This webinar will be...
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