Stitching with grass harrow

Cmoran

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Galway Ireland
I’ve bought a 6m grass harrow with apv air seeder and I’m wondering what is best method for stitching in grass,clover,rape etc?? Should I burn off or will bare pasture do? Does it need to be rolled asap?
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
Ideally burn off and run something over like a PH or set of discs to get good tilth. If not and you can get seed very cheap then bared off to nothing which would be very hard to do now, far easier to do early March when grass is slower growing so the seed can take hold and not be smothered by the old grass
 

Cmoran

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Galway Ireland
Ideally burn off and run something over like a PH or set of discs to get good tilth. If not and you can get seed very cheap then bared off to nothing which would be very hard to do now, far easier to do early March when grass is slower growing so the seed can take hold and not be smothered by the old grass
Trying to go for an option with out discing and power harrowing as I’ve few customers that want to freshen up stoney ground cheaply
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
I’ve bought a 6m grass harrow with apv air seeder and I’m wondering what is best method for stitching in grass,clover,rape etc?? Should I burn off or will bare pasture do? Does it need to be rolled asap?
Yes to the rolling , but hard to comment on the other , every field as to be judged as it is , you will only learn from experience , but u can't overseed into rapidly growing grass and forget rape unless your u burn off , when I sow with a grass harrow I give it a few passes first to find some soil , with the tines set agressive,
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Burn off 3-4 passes of grass harrow and seed??
Hard to say without seeing it , but needs to be bare from grass / vegetation before you do anything , which ain't as easy as it sounds as you need grass to take up the spray , spraying before mowing is best way, also be careful if you with rotavator or power Harrow , Yiu will have a lot of loose turf , the tine harrow could drag that and drag the seed with it
 
Last edited:

Chuckie

Member
Location
England
Field that had just been left, full of dock and ragwort. Landlord won't allow cultivation so

Flailed off oct 2019


20191030_151807.jpg


Power harrowing (very shallow) after first cut (of shite hay) 2020. Broadcast seed (with fert spinner) and rolled. Muck on after.

20200921_141035.jpg


July 2021 second cut and the seeds are away well

20210720_160210.jpg


Looking very well at the moment, with hardly any fert but I haven't got a current picture
 

Cmoran

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Galway Ireland
Hard to say without seeing it , but needs to be bare from grass / vegetation before you do anything , which ain't as easy as it sounds as you need grass to take up the spray , spraying before mowing is best way, also be careful if you with rotavator or power Harrow , Yiu will have a lot of loose turf , the tine harrow could drag that and drag the seed with it
I’m trying to avoid power harrowing or discing completely for some of my customers and go for cost effective way to replenish there pastures. Burn off,mow,grass harrow and seed seems to be what I need?
 

hally

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cumbria
Harrow it several times to get a bit of tilth and knock back the grass before seeding then roll. Forget about it if very dry and if it’s a thick old permanent pasture. You need soil contact. Importantly no fert for a while, leave stock on for week after if possible, then clear for three weeks, stock back on for a very light grazing then off again for another three weeks. The post sowing management is very important. Use fast establishing grass such as tetraploids preferably with a seed treatment to speed up germination.
1FFBBC01-4AF7-4BA0-9FE8-AFAE2EEB6E5A.jpeg
 
You can't slot seeds into clay and expect them to grow half sensible. You need seed to soil contact as Hally mentioned above and for that you need at least some tilth around the seed.

These grass harrow systems are probably the best way of putting grass seed on to land, superior to PH combis or even Vaddy type drills as they put it so shallow, they are fast and cheap but also don't leave the grass in lines, giving better coverage.

Soil test fields before beginning any new project would be my number 1 advice. It's £25 per field at most for a broad spectrum.

Do not be stingy with the seed rate either. If over seeding you need minimum 8kg/acre or you are wasting your time. Full reseed of long term stuff you want 16kg. Unless of course small seeds like timothy or clover are involved. You can go 2kg of timothy if you like it.
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
I’m trying to avoid power harrowing or discing completely for some of my customers and go for cost effective way to replenish there pastures. Burn off,mow,grass harrow and seed seems to be what I need?
Weather rules everything , nothing will work if it's to dry , but I would not think mosture is much if a problem where you are , if your burning off it also helps to apply some lime to the surface even if it's just a small amount and as others have said , push the seed rate up , at least with a grass harrow you won't fall into the sin of seeding to deep
 

deere 6600

Member
Mixed Farmer
I’ve done a fair few acres over the years with a Moore direct drill in overseeing competition from existing grass is always a problem so spraying off is the best option if not really hard grazing or run with power harrow plus defo heavy roll and a shower of rain soon after seeding also chased the forager out of a few fields as well plus aggressively growing seed
 

Chuckie

Member
Location
England
Field that had just been left, full of dock and ragwort. Landlord won't allow cultivation so

Flailed off oct 2019


View attachment 1034068

Power harrowing (very shallow) after first cut (of shite hay) 2020. Broadcast seed (with fert spinner) and rolled. Muck on after.

View attachment 1034069

July 2021 second cut and the seeds are away well

View attachment 1034070

Looking very well at the moment, with hardly any fert but I haven't got a current picture

Today, that's a size 13 welly. It's only had 1 bag/acre of nitrogen

20220508_193509.jpg
 

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