Overseeding land poached by sheep

[Llmmm]

Just taken ewes off land they have been on since december and its like a mud bath was thinking of overseeding as i want early silage i know the yield will be low. would the new grass if it takes effect preservation of silage as my experience of new reseeds and silage is poor.I have no doubt that the existing pasture will recover and will regrow slowly but with all the clay visible thought overseeding would be ideal

 

[Formatted]

Got any photos? What latitude are you at?

 

[Llmmm]

Scottish borders will try take photo today just lucky to get sheep of it yesterday

 

[GmB]

I just sown westerwolds after turnips for a June cut.

 

[Llmmm]

My experience of westerworlds was it made the worst silage i ever had i do see people getting on fine with it.It would be ideal as it would outcomete the old pasture

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Just taken ewes off land they have been on since december and its like a mud bath was thinking of overseeding as i want early silage i know the yield will be low. would the new grass if it takes effect preservation of silage as my experience of new reseeds and silage is poor.I have no doubt that the existing pasture will recover and will regrow slowly but with all the clay visible thought overseeding would be ideal

You will need to get it dry first. How much compaction , may be worth getting a sward lifter on it , but if you want grass to cut reasonably early then Early Tertraploids or Hybrids are the best option but not ideal for sheep grazing after. Have you done a soil test ?

these things are very often a compramise, give what you say about the condition of the ley yiu could probably get a long term ley to take but it would not give you any bulk early on . Conservation would not be a problem as long as yiu can get a good wilt

 

[milkloss]

Some vigorous Italian would probably do what you want. Get a couple of years out of it too if that’s what you need.

 

[Fendt516profi]

Some vigorous Italian would probably do what you want. Get a couple of years out of it too if that’s what you need.

Are you talking about overseeding still

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Are you talking about overseeding still

Italian will overseed well but anything that gets away quick . Unless you use a suppressant that is
.

 

[Llmmm]

You will need to get it dry first. How much compaction , may be worth getting a sward lifter on it , but if you want grass to cut reasonably early then Early Tertraploids or Hybrids are the best option but not ideal for sheep grazing after. Have you done a soil test ?

these things are very often a compramise, give what you say about the condition of the ley yiu could probably get a long term ley to take but it would not give you any bulk early on . Conservation would not be a problem as long as yiu can get a good wilt

I understand it needs to dry first but my ground dries out fast so would not want it to dry whats the earliest i could seed in my area.Ive tried everything with westerworlds in the past wilting etc nothing made a difference havent tried italian ground will be lightly grazed with sheep after second cut.My main aim is to get a first cut of high quality feed

 

[N.Yorks.]

I understand it needs to dry first but my ground dries out fast so would not want it to dry whats the earliest i could seed in my area.Ive tried everything with westerworlds in the past wilting etc nothing made a difference havent tried italian ground will be lightly grazed with sheep after second cut.My main aim is to get a first cut of high quality feed

If your aim is to get decent silage quality and yield can you look at doing that on another field as it sounds like this one needs a bit more thinking about and time to sort out.

Are the sheep yours?

 

[Llmmm]

If your aim is to get decent silage quality and yield can you look at doing that on another field as it sounds like this one needs a bit more thinking about and time to sort out.

Are the sheep yours?

Ive no other silage ground its a large block away from farm the sheep are mine the ideal would be to house them forva short period when grass runs out in febuary on silage block but im only talking 6 weeks and most years its ok

 

[N.Yorks.]

Ive no other silage ground its a large block away from farm the sheep are mine the ideal would be to house them forva short period when grass runs out in febuary on silage block but im only talking 6 weeks and most years its ok

How would you normally reseed? Slot, broadcast, or full on cultivation drill? When did you last reseed this particular bit?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I understand it needs to dry first but my ground dries out fast so would not want it to dry whats the earliest i could seed in my area.Ive tried everything with westerworlds in the past wilting etc nothing made a difference havent tried italian ground will be lightly grazed with sheep after second cut.My main aim is to get a first cut of high quality feed

Loads do grow Westerwolds for silage so surprising that your having problems.
Was it a Tertatraploid. Tertatraploid have a higher moisture content but have higher sugar content so ferment better , if its out and out silage you want then Westerwolds Italians or we do a Festulolium mix that may conserve easie
r

You don't say were you are but mild areas drill Westerwolds anytime now

 

[neilo]

Just taken ewes off land they have been on since december and its like a mud bath was thinking of overseeding as i want early silage i know the yield will be low. would the new grass if it takes effect preservation of silage as my experience of new reseeds and silage is poor.I have no doubt that the existing pasture will recover and will regrow slowly but with all the clay visible thought overseeding would be ideal

If the existing pasture is such that it will recover and grow slowly, it will stifle out all but Westerwolds or IRG ime, and they won't thrive with that sort of competition either. I agree that those species are never great for quality, and their erect habit always makes the crop look bigger than it actually is.

No doubt the resident seed salesmen will happily sell you something , but I wouldn't bother spending a lot on something that is only ever going to be half a job. If the ground has been poached that badly, DD'ing seed in will no doubt give a bit of a boost as some might take, but I doubt you'll get the expense back. £30-35 for Westerwold/IRG seed, £25 for DD'ing, a bit of fert for those hungry varieties....

In reality, you're probably better off putting some fert on when that existing sward starts to recover, then mowing that while it's still young.

 

[Llmmm]

If the existing pasture is such that it will recover and grow slowly, it will stifle out all but Westerwolds or IRG ime, and they won't thrive with that sort of competition either. I agree that those species are never great for quality, and their erect habit always makes the crop look bigger than it actually is.

No doubt the resident seed salesmen will happily sell you something , but I wouldn't bother spending a lot on something that is only ever going to be half a job. If the ground has been poached that badly, DD'ing seed in will no doubt give a bit of a boost as some might take, but I doubt you'll get the expense back. £30-35 for Westerwold/IRG seed, £25 for DD'ing, a bit of fert for those hungry varieties....

In reality, you're probably better off putting some fert on when that existing sward starts to recover, then mowing that while it's still young.

Thats what i did last year cut 4 bales acre of top notch silage would irg be better at preserving than westerworlds

 

[neilo]

Thats what i did last year cut 4 bales acre of top notch silage would irg be better at preserving than westerworlds

Marginally, but not much IMO. You would need to feed it hard and cut it young to get any decent quality IME.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Thats what i did last year cut 4 bales acre of top notch silage would irg be better at preserving than westerworlds

Westerwolds would cost you around £25/acre, Italian about £30 and if its as open as you say you don't need a direct drill . Just scratch it in with a harrow and roll it . You have new seed for the cost of just over one bale

 

[Great In Grass]

It sounds as if something needs to be done or this field could become a complete write-off.

You could take the Westerwolds option maybe a Diploid which will give you more seeds per kilo which will lead to a more dense sward and be more competitive. Also a little more persistent than a Tet. Recent breeding advances in the development of quality Westerwolds varieties mean it is now a serious option, choose wisely.

An IRG blend is an option, a couple of weeks later to cut than Westerwolds.

Or a combination of the two above?

If you can bite the bullet and can get by with a single silage cut then a proper overseeding mixture would be more beneficial as this will prolong the life of the lay. Longer than the two options above and average seed cost will be lower. Use a mixture using national recommended lists and consider varieties based on sward density, palatability, and yield.

 

[Llmmm]

It sounds as if something needs to be done or this field could become a complete write-off.

You could take the Westerwolds option maybe a Diploid which will give you more seeds per kilo which will lead to a more dense sward and be more competitive. Also a little more persistent than a Tet. Recent breeding advances in the development of quality Westerwolds varieties mean it is now a serious option, choose wisely.

An IRG blend is an option, a couple of weeks later to cut than Westerwolds.

Or a combination of the two above?

If you can bite the bullet and can get by with a single silage cut then a proper overseeding mixture would be more beneficial as this will prolong the life of the lay. Longer than the two options above and average seed cost will be lower. Use a mixture using national recommended lists and consider varieties based on sward density, palatability, and yield.

Are you saying to overseed now or wait till silage is cut then overseed.I would like to improve the pasture and i just felt with all the clay present it would be a good oportunity to fill in the gaps better have grass growing than weeds