Sward rejuvenation

[Digester Man]

Has anyone had good or bad success with stitching new grass seed into an existing high input/output silage sward? We have a block of land in its 5th year ley, fairly open sward with no thatch due to the hybrid/perennial ryegrass mix but it has thinned a bit and we want to rejuvenate it. It's in a 4 cut high input/output silage system.

Thinking of going in full seed rate with a Moore Unidrill into the existing sward immediately after 1st cut. Anyone done this before? Think we will give it a go regardless as we can't afford to take it out of production this year so burning off with roundup is not an option.

 

[neilo]

That fella that sells seed off his bicycle will tell you it’s a marvellous thing.

If it’s an open, clean sward, and you’re lucky with some rain, then there’s a good a chance as any of it working I’d have thought. Slot some vigorous hybrid/IRG seed in and cross your fingers.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

There's a right and a wrong way
Message or phone me if you need to chat about it
07415121700
And no you don't have to buy seed , just happy to help

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I would say though leave the Moore drill in the shed and do it with a tyne harrow but run over it twice and scratch it hard
For your job put Straight Hybrid Ryegrass in
It's Cheap and Aggressive

 

[hally]

Nothing wrong with a Moore, they have been building them for 40 years specifically for this job despite what our resident expert says. One pass and finished as opposed to f**king around with multiple Harrow passes then a roller needed to put any stone and rubbish back down again so the mower doesn’t pick it up.
If it’s open in the bottom it will be OK but be careful the second cut doesn’t smother the seedlings, cut early. If very dry and no sign of rain don’t bother and wait for the next cut.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Nothing wrong with a Moore, they have been building them for 40 years specifically for this job despite what our resident expert says. One pass and finished as opposed to f**king around with multiple Harrow passes then a roller needed to put any stone and rubbish back down again so the mower doesn’t pick it up.
If it’s open in the bottom it will be OK but be careful the second cut doesn’t smother the seedlings, cut early. If very dry and no sign of rain don’t bother and wait for the next cut.

I never said their was anything wrong with the more but as you well know overseeding can be difficult at the best of times , I've had total fails with an erth disc
Trails here and speaking to farmers all over the country we have found that bashing it hard with a tyne harrow and opening it up give better results than cutting a narrow slit with a disc
I was on a farm in Usk last week with a farmer who's been contract drilling all his life and has a Moore, he won't use it for overseeding either
I'm no expert . but I say it how I see and hear it

 

[crashbox]

I never said their was anything wrong with the more but as you well know overseeding can be difficult at the best of times , I've had total fails with an erth disc
Trails here and speaking to farmers all over the country we have found that bashing it hard with a tyne harrow and opening it up give better results than cutting a narrow slit with a disc
I was on a farm in Usk last week with a farmer who's been contract drilling all his life and has a Moore, he won't use it for overseeding either
I'm no expert . but I say it how I see and hear it

@Derrick Hughes , do you mean a couple of passes with a tine Harrow, then broadcast seed on, then flat roll in?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

@Derrick Hughes , do you mean a couple of passes with a tine Harrow, then broadcast seed on, then flat roll in?

Yes but that's only my opinion for what it's worth
As you can see above others don't agree
But my mate did a fantastic job last week with an old wagtail and a chainharrrow

, but if sward is growing back fast, as it could be now it may not work.
I get better results in the autumn after 3rd cut

 

[Derrick Hughes]

This ley was a very thin ley last Autumn. Put a long term mix on with an Tyne Seeder after 3rd cut it's not thin now

 

[ollie989898]

Has anyone had good or bad success with stitching new grass seed into an existing high input/output silage sward? We have a block of land in its 5th year ley, fairly open sward with no thatch due to the hybrid/perennial ryegrass mix but it has thinned a bit and we want to rejuvenate it. It's in a 4 cut high input/output silage system.

Thinking of going in full seed rate with a Moore Unidrill into the existing sward immediately after 1st cut. Anyone done this before? Think we will give it a go regardless as we can't afford to take it out of production this year so burning off with roundup is not an option.

If there is open dirt in the bottom you have a chance. If there is meadow grass and other riff-raff in there you are snookered.

You will need to use the big seeded varieties to get going and grow on quickly. If it will work anywhere it will work in your situation.

Don't want to teach anyone to suck eggs but you might want to check how you are cutting etc isn't causing the swards to thin out, cutting low is notorious for this.

 

[Digester Man]

If there is open dirt in the bottom you have a chance. If there is meadow grass and other riff-raff in there you are snookered.

You will need to use the big seeded varieties to get going and grow on quickly. If it will work anywhere it will work in your situation.

Don't want to teach anyone to suck eggs but you might want to check how you are cutting etc isn't causing the swards to thin out, cutting low is notorious for this.

We don't have any say in the height of cut, the contractor just turns up and mows! Tried to discuss that subject once, didn't go too far.

Regarding trash and meadow grass, almost none. So we will go into it with an open mind but hopefully it will work.

 

[hally]

I never said their was anything wrong with the more but as you well know overseeding can be difficult at the best of times , I've had total fails with an erth disc
Trails here and speaking to farmers all over the country we have found that bashing it hard with a tyne harrow and opening it up give better results than cutting a narrow slit with a disc
I was on a farm in Usk last week with a farmer who's been contract drilling all his life and has a Moore, he won't use it for overseeding either
I'm no expert . but I say it how I see and hear it

My point was that all these machines can be successful if used correctly, denigrating other techniques because you have not had a good result is not useful advice. The Moore/Aitchinson type drills have been successfully overseeding across the world for decades and many thousands of farmers have seen the benefit.

 

[ollie989898]

We don't have any say in the height of cut, the contractor just turns up and mows! Tried to discuss that subject once, didn't go too far.

Regarding trash and meadow grass, almost none. So we will go into it with an open mind but hopefully it will work.

If you're paying the guy, you surely get to tell them how it is done?

Tetraploid ryegrass plants are big things, if you repeatedly attack too much of the tissue at the base of the plant, it will die.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

My point was that all these machines can be successful if used correctly, denigrating other techniques because you have not had a good result is not useful advice. The Moore/Aitchinson type drills have been successfully overseeding across the world for decades and many thousands of farmers have seen the benefit.

I am not Dena grating nothing . I'm telling you what I've been told seen and experienced
Personaly I would not overseed with a disc drill. Is that why so many here say it's a waste of time

 

[ploughman1963]

We don't have any say in the height of cut, the contractor just turns up and mows! Tried to discuss that subject once, didn't go too far.

Regarding trash and meadow grass, almost none. So we will go into it with an open mind but hopefully it will work.

who’s paying the bill? As a contractor I expect to do the job as the customer wants not how I say it should be

 

[Digester Man]

How hard is it to adjust a set of triples? Are you talking spanners or just pulling levers/buttons from the cab?

 

[Sheep]

Depends on the mowers, but spanners usually and a 5 minute adjustment. Laziness on the drivers behalf not to.

 

[deere 6600]

I’ve got moore drill and have done a few acres in my time problem with overseeing is competition from existing grass which might not be that great but can still choke out new grass best results for me are after last cut and no fert or slurry spread on surface

 

[Mouser]

How hard is it to adjust a set of triples? Are you talking spanners or just pulling levers/buttons from the cab?

At worst, dropping a couple of stands and adjusting front and back toplinks lift stands again, 2 mins. Some just screw up or down independent of toplink.

 

[Mouser]

We don't have any say in the height of cut, the contractor just turns up and mows! Tried to discuss that subject once, didn't go too far.

Regarding trash and meadow grass, almost none. So we will go into it with an open mind but hopefully it will work.

Actually can't believe they get away with that. I would generally change height at least twice per farm. Up for fresh reseed and down for the scutch fields that need reseeded. Hydraulic toplink for rears makes it a 1min job for me.