Latest time for spreading FYM before hay cut

[Paddington]

What with this wet winter we have a pile of FYM which needs spreading, assuming the hay is cut late July/August, when is the latest I could put it on?

 

[DrDunc]

How well rotted?

What sort of tonne per acre?

What sort of rainfall do you get through the summer?

I'll spread 6 month (winter) middened stuff at about 7t/acre onto silage ground in March that's to be first cut end of June. It'll be harrowed and rolled before cutting. However I fan in one of the highest rainfall regions in Britain.

 

[Walterp]

Depends on the weather from now on in - a wet time, like now, means that 8 tonnes per acre can go on in the next few weeks, and be OK for hay. A dry time, however, and you'l be feeding it bits of it back to the stock come Autumn....

 

[GTB]

If in doubt put some ferts on now and spread the muck after harvest.

 

[Jackson4]

Well i've been out for the last 3 days spreading fym, its well rotted and we're supposed to get some good rain... though they keep putting it back. If your making hay its not the worst thing to have remnants of fym in it... its usually just clean straw by then, better hay than silage though.

 

[Paddington]

It's well rotted , over a year old, more like compost and we only get one cut of hay a year, probably only 1t/acre, haven't had a "dry" summer for several years.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Depends on the weather from now on in - a wet time, like now, means that 8 tonnes per acre can go on in the next few weeks, and be OK for hay. A dry time, however, and you'l be feeding it bits of it back to the stock come Autumn....

We don't normally spread muck on cutting ground in the spring but had to do a few years ago then we had a really dry summer. We were quite literally feeding it back but at least it didn't taint / spoil the (excellent) hay as it was bone-hard lumps!