- Location
- Ceredigion
Just over £20 acre ,if you get two round bales off it it's paid for , got a guy in Devon who grazes a lot of sheep over the winter then takes a cut off it , maize men don't like leaving bare soil either
Westerwolds
- Thread starter Jerry
- Start date
Sowing them costs nothing .... plus they love N
- Location
- Ceredigion
Nothing is cheap but don't costs a lot to make a seed bed on stubble,
- Location
- Hereford
We grow Westerwolds. (Courtesy of @Derrick Hughes )
Last yr ,planted in 1st week of Oct , grazed from 1st week Dec to end of Jan , 1cwt to acre of nitrogen put on 2nd week Feb, mowed first cut 7th April , another 1cwt nitrogen put on straight after ,mowed 2nd cut in early June ... no more fert but grazed with cattle till last week on and off till we scullled it up and put some Italian ryegrass seeds in ( sweepings) which we were given .
However we put some westerwolds in just over 2 wks ago this yr and still waiting for them to come up
.
The silage quality is top class .
Last yr ,planted in 1st week of Oct , grazed from 1st week Dec to end of Jan , 1cwt to acre of nitrogen put on 2nd week Feb, mowed first cut 7th April , another 1cwt nitrogen put on straight after ,mowed 2nd cut in early June ... no more fert but grazed with cattle till last week on and off till we scullled it up and put some Italian ryegrass seeds in ( sweepings) which we were given .
However we put some westerwolds in just over 2 wks ago this yr and still waiting for them to come up
. The silage quality is top class .
- Location
- South Molton
Think you mean EA don't like bare soil.
We use Westerwolds/irg to break up a long term ley. Open rooting and easy to plough under again.
Does like N but we keep on top grazing so doesn't get chance to bolt
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- Location
- Ceredigion
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
a neighbour grew it after maize, and before another maize crop, and tried doing it without fert. I don’t know why he bothered putting the mower on tbh, he’d have been better leaving the yellow, stunted stuff to plough in.
- Location
- South Molton
No residual nitrogen.
After a longer term ley N in the thatch helps growth. And of course prevent it leaching
- Location
- Welshpool Powys
Hybrid and Italian blend is better as an after maize don’t know why people think westerwold is ace.
- Location
- Ceredigion
Both good grasses , but don't germinate as fast don't grow as fast and Hybrids that last 3 years cost twice as much , for a winter break crop they don't suit imo ,I've sown Westerwolds in November and it's grown, you won't do that with any other grass
When was that planted? Looks to be coming well
When was that planted? Looks to be coming well
About 3 weeks now
- Location
- somerset
we have a r/clover ley, yr 4, 3rd cut = 1 x 4 string bale acre, hardly any grass left, due for maize next year. Overseeded it with 10kg w/wold, going great guns, and a lot of grass has regrown as well, no fert, just a coating of slurry, thinking it must be picking up N from the clover. It might just be possible to get 2 cuts, pre maize, we don't drill till second half of may- by choice.
Everything looked fine, ley wise, till the really hot spell, then it looked fudged, but it is surprising what is coming back, though, especially w/clover.
- Location
- Ceredigion
Westerwolds overseed into worn out Pasture, August, farmers seems thrilled with it
ringi
Member
What fertiliser etc did that have? What is going in next?
- Location
- somerset
we have overseeded a r/clover ley with w/wold, because it looked fudged. I't's due to come up after a cut, next year for maize. It's had a good take, but where we might have slipped up, is making no allowance for the 'self seeded' grass, recovery, that, with w/clover, means we will have a fantastic take.
What has surprised me this year, is w/clover, any bare patch of soil, big or small, is now being covered by clover. Beginning to think we are sometimes, a bit quick, to declare a ley fudged, and reseed. In a dry area, it could be wiser, to leave it, to see what does come back, they might be the 'right' plants, for that field, which could be the ones best suited, something, could be better than nothing.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
It's marvellous stuff (if it rains like that obviously had for establishment) in the first Autumn, then it's one of the most Nitrogen hungry, thirsty grasses from the next Spring.
It's very much a one trick pony, with very limited use in these days of high fertiliser prices, let alone if dry summers become the norm.
- Location
- Ceredigion
A lot of dairy farms still not including clover in their mixes, they have more slurry that they know what to do with, its Nitrogen hungry because it grows so fast , everything has a place but needs to be used in the right place
- Location
- somerset
as said, overseeded a ley with it.
we were going to follow wheat, with w/wold, but have used IRG instead, for a 18 month ley, after a cut, spring 2024, it will go to maize.
We decided IRG might last a bit better than w/w, and seed was cheaper! not that that was important. We have sown the IRG with Egyptian clover, hoping it will help to 'feed' the grass, a 'bit'. Both grass and clover have taken well.
![IMG_0841[1].JPG](https://d1hu4133i4rt3z.cloudfront.net/attachments/1069/1069693-f66f89ecd7bab9c22500c9e872c956f1.jpg "IMG_0841[1].JPG")
we ran a bit short of seed, so having a part bag, put that in, to finish off, there was some mustard seed with it, which we had forgotten, so we have a patch, with a sprinkling of mustard. It will be interesting to see how the grass performs under it, will the mustard protect it? or hinder it? We will find out next spring, not sure if the tack sheep will eat it.