Row Spacing in Grass

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Never sprayed a new ley
Spray off old stuff with roundup
Subsoiler through it
Dynadrive over it
Flat roll with built in seeder on it
Soon as it’s grazeable get cows over it or better still heifers/calves on it
Weeds all grazed of
Nothing will eat chickweed and that will destroy a good ley and it's cheap to spray ,same with docks , I don't put clover in the fields I know will be a problem though
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Never sprayed a new ley
Spray off old stuff with roundup
Subsoiler through it
Dynadrive over it
Flat roll with built in seeder on it
Soon as it’s grazeable get cows over it or better still heifers/calves on it
Weeds all grazed of
Me neither, value the clover too much. If much weed appears give it 2 or 3 weeks then mow and bale it. Grows back lovely and clean and saves the cost of the spray.
I take it neither of you have sold chemicals! 🤣🤣
 

In the pit

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembrokeshire
Nothing will eat chickweed and that will destroy a good ley and it's cheap to spray ,same with docks , I don't put clover in the fields I know will be a problem though
We should be cutting down on sprays but you boys are spraying for this that and the other
Cows will eat chickweed weed fatten and docks at the right stage and a good rotation will keep them down
How do you think the organic boys get on??
Ollie 989898 mentioned 3 different sprays in one post
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
We should be cutting down on sprays but you boys are spraying for this that and the other
Cows will eat chickweed weed fatten and docks at the right stage and a good rotation will keep them down
How do you think the organic boys get on??
Ollie 989898 mentioned 3 different sprays in one post
Been farming 50 years and kept a lot of stock and none ever ate docks
I may spray a field twice in 5 years ,best you go and do your preaching to an arable farmer 😁
The 60 acres I've just reseeded is not far off flooded tonight will all this rain , last year it was January before I could get stock on to graze anything
 
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Sheep

Member
Location
Northern Ireland
Got a new moore unidrill 32row, grass looks a picture, I think its 9cm row spacing

That would be the ideal, I have the outlets for 32 rows so its something I may add in the future.

It would be worth speaking to our Technical Manager - Stuart Aldworth. email [email protected]

He has helped a number of farmers who have build their own drills.

Thank you, I will pop an e-mail over to him tomorrow.


Stop letting broad leaved weeds drive your decision making. They are nearly an irrelevance. The spray is £10-15 an acre. Compare that to the cost of the seed and the loss of production they can cause. You need to be spraying all new leys. It is that simple.

Been farming 50 years and kept a lot of stock and none ever ate docks
I may spray a field twice in 5 years ,best you go and do your preaching to an arable farmer 😁
The 60 acres I've just reseeded is not far off flooded tonight will all this rain , last year it was January before I could get stock on to graze anything

The broad leafed weed (read: the fking dock) isn't really influencing my decision. As @In the pit says, cutting back on chemical reliance is important. This coupled with time saving is what I'm aiming for. I've found that less disturbance equals less weeds for me, if I reduce 6 passes for a re-seed down to 2, and save myself 30 mins/acre, and save myself chemical costs then it starts to become a very worthwhile practice.

I also have to say I've had pretty good success with mob grazing sheep and having them clear fields of docks. Chickweed I have sprayed in cutting ground, but never had to in grazing, I very rarely have to spray any grazing sward we have.
 

In the pit

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembrokeshire
Been farming 50 years and kept a lot of stock and none ever ate docks
I may spray a field twice in 5 years ,best you go and do your preaching to an arable farmer 😁
The 60 acres I've just reseeded is not far off flooded tonight will all this rain , last year it was January before I could get stock on to graze anything
Reseed April / august is the saying
Stupid reseeding this late
Best learn how too grow grass before you start selling it
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
well ive got WesterWolds still to go in and it will be done. i have sown a proper mix in October before and it was fine. thin through the winter into early spring but actually the clover benefitted ultimately because the grass didn't smother it so badly, wasn't to much frost that year admittedly but a lot of rain, which can be a problem on ploughed ground ( i don't direct drill anything) because the fine worked soil can wash if its on any sort of slope. but on level ground i wouldn't be worried.

and as for being stupid,well we're all that sometimes aren't we, noones that clever or perfect to get things right all the time and don't kid yourself that you are.
 
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well ive got WesterWolds still to go in and it will be done. i have sown a proper mix in October before and it was fine. thin through the winter into early spring but actually the clover benefitted ultimately because the grass didn't smother it so badly, wasn't to much frost that year admittedly but a lot of rain, which can be a problem on ploughed ground ( i don't direct drill anything) because the fine worked soil can wash if its on any sort of slope. but on level ground i wouldn't be worried.

and as for being stupid,well we're all that sometimes aren't we, noones that clever or perfect to get things right all the time and don't kid yourself that you are.

I would still go with westerwolds the like now. Posh herbal leys, clover etc, I wouldn't expect a good take.
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Yes but the later it gets the more chance of it failing
And a cost of £650 per ha is it worth taking the risk
Be interested to see your costs , I work on about half that , I agree it's more of a risk yes
I just count seed spraying and drilling , occasional rolling , I may have missed something , been a long day, that's for a 5 year cutting ley no clover
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
The only semi fail I've had in the last 20 years is two fields sown in April due to dry weather , I'm not going to add £150 acre to the cost of all my seeding to cover that, being £15000 this year. Leys with clover sown until early September, Silage Leys no clover, last week of September, Westerwolds mid October, here
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
Drilled 14 Sept ....
20211004_085412.jpg

Not much wrong with that ....
Seeds off @Derrick Hughes
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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