Timothy hay reseed

[sledgeit]

I have a field of Timothy hay now on it's 14 th year in the ground and is in need of reseeding, our usual method would be to Roundup at full rate leave for 14 days plough and crop for 5 years then back into Timothy for an other 14 to 15 years.
I would like to reseed this year with Timothy rather than cropping for 5 years
our land is heavy clay and the field was baled yesterday, would like to see a bit of greenery before Roundup, this could be a while as things are very dry and not growing very well. Field is nice and level with no ruts to warrant the need to plough.
What would be the best method to reseed my field?
TIA

 

[ollie989898]

I have a field of Timothy hay now on it's 14 th year in the ground and is in need of reseeding, our usual method would be to Roundup at full rate leave for 14 days plough and crop for 5 years then back into Timothy for an other 14 to 15 years.
I would like to reseed this year with Timothy rather than cropping for 5 years
our land is heavy clay and the field was baled yesterday, would like to see a bit of greenery before Roundup, this could be a while as things are very dry and not growing very well. Field is nice and level with no ruts to warrant the need to plough.
What would be the best method to reseed my field?
TIA

You can't go reseeding like you did in the past I'm afraid. Spray off now and leave it to die.You cannot reseed it with grass for at least a month after it has died. Let it die off, apply FYM (soil test if you have not already) and then plough it. Leaving it ploughed for a couple of weeks should help.

Frit fly and leatherjackets are now a thing

 

[Johnbeer]

I have a field of Timothy hay now on it's 14 th year in the ground and is in need of reseeding, our usual method would be to Roundup at full rate leave for 14 days plough and crop for 5 years then back into Timothy for an other 14 to 15 years.
I would like to reseed this year with Timothy rather than cropping for 5 years
our land is heavy clay and the field was baled yesterday, would like to see a bit of greenery before Roundup, this could be a while as things are very dry and not growing very well. Field is nice and level with no ruts to warrant the need to plough.
What would be the best method to reseed my field?
TIA

I’m just looking into options for growing Timothy next year on some heavy land with hay making in mind. How many cuts can you take and timings? My concern is if weather becomes catchy does it puncture haylage wrap?

 

[glasshouse]

I’m just looking into options for growing Timothy next year on some heavy land with hay making in mind. How many cuts can you take and timings? My concern is if weather becomes catchy does it puncture haylage wrap?

depends where u r

 

[Johnbeer]

depends where u r

East Yorkshire, I know it should have been sown now but it’s a long story!

 

[glasshouse]

seed is cheap so crack on
generally only one big cut in late july
haylage for second cut

 

[sledgeit]

It wants to in the ground by the end of August any later and you risk frost killing of the crop

 

[michael N123]

It wants to in the ground by the end of August any later and you risk frost killing of the crop

We’ve put ryegrass in in October before and it grew fine

 

[glasshouse]

Seen rugby pitches sown in november successfully

 

[Mark C]

We’ve put ryegrass in in October before and it grew fine

Timothy is a lot more tender than ryegrass, just look at the size of the seed. Small seed had little stored energy to establish so takes a long time to get going.

 

[Yale]

You can't go reseeding like you did in the past I'm afraid. Spray off now and leave it to die.You cannot reseed it with grass for at least a month after it has died. Let it die off, apply FYM (soil test if you have not already) and then plough it. Leaving it ploughed for a couple of weeks should help.

Frit fly and leatherjackets are now a thing

So when are the high risk periods during the life cycle for leather jackets in particular?

 

[Kevtherev]

Leatherjackets are more of a risk in older leys.
Depends on the previous seasons crane fly numbers and activity.
Hence a break crop helps

 

[ollie989898]

I love it when folks tell me they have done or seen X or Y; the implication being that you can safely ignore and all advice you may be given, it will be all aok.

I have no doubt what they say is true.

But tell us all the times you have seen grass reseeds fail, what was done, who advised them not to and what went wrong?



Grass reseeds always establish much better in September when the soil is warm. You can sow the big aggressive species like IRG and the hybrids much later: around here lots of people do this after maize but lift the seed rate and make sure it is done properly.

Grass reseeding is an expensive day out as the seed is very expensive and the entire process is not cheap, either.

Frit fly are nasty because they can hit emerging crops when they emerge to do their work, typically in May and August although this may vary according to conditions. A break crop is certainly a good idea in all respects I would say.

Frit fly damage can vary from virtually invisible unless a trained eye looks, to few percent of the area affected or well over half the area, leaving a field that looks hideously uneven.

I have always said you should spray off fields well early and plough them once they are going off and leave it for a few weeks at least before sowing. Frit fly adults will be less likely to come at your emerging grass crop if it is still in the back.

When you sow the crop, hope for fine warm but damp conditions, use plenty of seed, certainly 16kg/acre for longer term mixtures and roll the stuff in so it all emerges evenly.

Crops not sown until the later half of September or into October are usually past the danger period but watch for strikes in spring and also consider the leatherjacket risk.

 

[Yale]

Slightly,well quite a bit off topic but a week or two ago I came across about half an acre of old pasture which looked like it has been scarified.

First I thought maybe badgers but it was nothing like the digging they do.

Recently I’ve taken notice and regularly I’ve seen a pair of jackdaws and also crows in the patch.

It seems they are scratching after something,maybe an infestation of leatherjackets or some other grub.

They’ve certainly done a lot of scratting.

 

[Kevtherev]

Bird activity is a sure sign
Dig a bit of turf over and you will see them.

 

[Yale]

Bird activity is a sure sign
Dig a bit of turf over and you will see them.

If I remember I’ll have ago tomorrow.

 

[JAB]

What is your reason for not taking the break & cropping for 5 years?

 

[ollie989898]

Might be chafer grubs they are after, they look hideous but are not as damaging I believe?

 

[Yale]

Might be chafer grubs they are after, they look hideous but are not as damaging I believe?

Still haven’t had a chance to go and have a dig.

I was mulling over these pesky grubs.

Do things like soil ph and worm activity affect their numbers?

The small field where it has been scratched is one we have recently rented.

Previously it has had no inputs however I haven’t tested it,just assumed the ph would be low.Its had 100kg per acre of prilled lime last year and now we have our own spreader I ran over it with 500kg per acre of Kalfos which has a 20% ish NV.

An adjacent grass field which seems in better heart received Kalfos at the same rate and walking over it today the numbers of worm casts were unbelievable,literally covered.Very promising.

 

[ollie989898]

Still haven’t had a chance to go and have a dig.

I was mulling over these pesky grubs.

Do things like soil ph and worm activity affect their numbers?

The small field where it has been scratched is one we have recently rented.

Previously it has had no inputs however I haven’t tested it,just assumed the ph would be low.Its had 100kg per acre of prilled lime last year and now we have our own spreader I ran over it with 500kg per acre of Kalfos which has a 20% ish NV.

An adjacent grass field which seems in better heart received Kalfos at the same rate and walking over it today the numbers of worm casts were unbelievable,literally covered.Very promising.

I don't know about any of the above, basically found any kind of permanent pasture was ripe for them.