When to plough?

[ollied]

I have a small 3 acre meadow/pasture which could do with ploughing down, i did a similar field right next to it a few years ago August time. Only problem was at the time it was quite dry and these fields are a little spongy/mossy on top so never made a great job of ploughing and it went straight back to grass. Would it be better to plough this spring while still a bit wet and put in some crop before back to grass in the back end? or just leave it till later and chuck enough muck on so it ploughs up better.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

What stock do you keep?
You could put a quick growing brassica crop In, graze it off then reseed later in the year ,
The weather has become so unpredictable so hard to say if Autumn or spring reseed is best , you depend a bit on luck whichever

 

[ollied]

What stock do you keep?
You could put a quick growing brassica crop In, graze it off then reseed later in the year ,
The weather has become so unpredictable so hard to say if Autumn or spring reseed is best , you depend a bit on luck whichever

Sheep and beef, what brassica would you recommend and when? It might be better to do very soon or just leave till the back end

 

[David.]

On a mixed farm I wouldn’t voluntarily replace grass with grass without a cereals break. It seems fairly common practice in stock only areas to achieve a break with forage brassicas and then reseed.
Depends if there is anyone to cut the cereal crop and if you can utilise it. Bet the straw would be handy.

 

[ollied]

On a mixed farm I wouldn’t voluntarily replace grass with grass without a cereals break. It seems fairly common practice in stock only areas to achieve a break with forage brassicas and then reseed.
Depends if there is anyone to cut the cereal crop and if you can utilise it. Bet the straw would be handy.

100% agree we never go from grass to grass anymore for certain reasons, just need to decide when is best

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Just to strike a balance I've done grass to grass for over 50 years ,some years over 100 acres mainly in the spring , never had and issue apart from the odd dry spring

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Sheep and beef, what brassica would you recommend and when? It might be better to do very soon or just leave till the back end

Any of the leafy brasiacss or quick growing turnips, personally I prefer spring reseed for a lot of reasons but we do live in a wetter area

 

[betweenthelines]

On a mixed farm I wouldn’t voluntarily replace grass with grass without a cereals break. It seems fairly common practice in stock only areas to achieve a break with forage brassicas and then reseed.
Depends if there is anyone to cut the cereal crop and if you can utilise it. Bet the straw would be handy.

Doubt if anyone would cut three acres!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Doubt if anyone would cut three acres!

 

[David.]

Doubt if anyone would cut three acres!

We don't know where OP is, maybe two or three neighbours who might be glad to.

 

[Nearly]

@Great In Grass will send you some fodder rape or turnip seed. Quick 4 month turn round then back into grass.
No cost
No combine

 

[Rich_ard]

Doubt if anyone would cut three acres!

Whole crop it, early back in with grass. Not a cheap option really but some good feed if required. I would undersow it.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Spray it off now, leave for a couple of weeks but plaster with manure/slurry in the meantime.

Best off with a brassica or cereal in there really, give the ground a break.

Don't do grass to grass reseeding if you can help it- it just encourages weed grass proliferation which does for new leys a lot sooner.

 

[zero]

Friend of mine sows spring barley and peas in with a spring reseed then bales it up for silage. His beasts do well on it.
We've gone grass into grass ok at spring. Check for lime, take your time ploughing, we've sometimes rotorvated first. It grows well, but chickweed and thistles can sometimes cause problems.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Friend of mine sows spring barley and peas in with a spring reseed then bales it up for silage. His beasts do well on it.
We've gone grass into grass ok at spring. Check for lime, take your time ploughing, we've sometimes rotorvated first. It grows well, but chickweed and thistles can sometimes cause problems.

Barley and pears works well, just be sure to have a good friend or friends with many pump action shotguns available to shoot the pigeons off it.

 

[zero]

Barley and pears works well, just be sure to have a good friend or friends with many pump action shotguns available to shoot the pigeons off it.

Works well if there's a few overhanging thorns and trees to build a hide under