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Author Topic: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow  (Read 5927 times)

Laura_Long

  • Joined Jul 2017
Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« on: July 10, 2017, 03:12:35 pm »
Hi All,

I am pretty new to this, we bought a 3 acre field a little while ago which is laid to Rye grass.  We would like to plant a native hedge around the top acre (field is gently sloping rectangle) and then plant a wildflower meadow and some trees in the top acre.  What is the best way to get rid of the rye grass?

Sorry if I am asking stupid questions but I have googled and not really got anywhere.

Thanks  :tree:

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2017, 06:44:12 pm »
I don't know if it's the best way, but it's a way. Which is to impoverish the soil and the grass, and then introduce the wildflower seeds.  Impoverish the soil by taking a hay or silage crop at least once a year, not grazing and not fertilising.  Weaken the grass by introducing yellow rattle; it's parasitic on grass.  Once you've got yellow rattle established, other wild flowers should be able to get a hold too.

You'll probably need to keep taking a hay or silage crop each year, after the flowers have seeded.  Leave the hay to wilt for at least 24 hours before removing.  It's probably best to work the cut grass at least once before baling, so that as many of the seeds as possible come out of the crop back onto the ground.

Some people can graze an established meadow, but it takes careful management.  You don't want to be feeding concentrates to any stock on there or they'll have excessive nutrients in their poo.  And grazing periods will need to be quite short.  Either a month to six weeks in spring, before the flowering plants begin to grow, or graze for a while instead of making hay (after the seeds have set) or for a few weeks immediately after making hay.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Laura_Long

  • Joined Jul 2017
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2017, 10:45:39 am »
Hi Sally,

Thanks for your help.  We have cut it for haylage in the middle of June, I think we will leave it grow now and cut it again in September, so I guess that will help.  I will look into yellow rattle too.

I am not grazing it or fertilizing it, I want to keep the land organically but may graze the bottom two acres to bring in a little money and keep the grass down.

Laura.

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2017, 10:57:39 am »
The quickest and most effective way is to spray it with Glyphos and reseed ;)

Backinwellies

  • Global Moderator
  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Llandeilo Carmarthenshire
    • Nantygroes
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Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2017, 11:42:44 am »
can recommend yellow rattle ..... devastated our grass field!
Linda

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Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2017, 11:53:09 am »
From what i've read about creating wildflower meadows [member=35918]Me[/member] is right - glyphosate is the way to go.

Still playing with tractors

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Cumbernauld
  • You can never have enough HP
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2017, 12:41:41 pm »
You can flail and overseed it takes a bit longer to spread out but its easy to do. then flail once a year after seeding to spread seed.

landroverroy

  • Joined Oct 2010
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2017, 03:56:57 pm »
You need to do more than remove the ryegrass.
In order to establish a wildflower meadow you need poor ground, and one of the most naturally fertile habitats is the soil under where grass has grown for years. So merely to kill the ryegrass will not make your ground any less fertile.
Stangely enough this question was asked on Gardeners' Question time a few days ago. Their answer was to spread a load of lime, put some soil on top, then plant your wild flower seeds. Seems a strange way of impoverishing the land. :thinking: . But I do know that an excess of lime locks up phosphate and trace elements, so presumably that has the desired effect.
Rules are made:
  for the guidance of wise men
  and the obedience of fools.

Backinwellies

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Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2017, 05:18:19 pm »
Around here that would encourage grass ..... Very acidic so adding lime is great for grass
Linda

Don't wrestle with pigs, they will love it and you will just get all muddy.

Let go of who you are and become who you are meant to be.

http://nantygroes.blogspot.co.uk/
www.nantygroes.co.uk
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Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2017, 08:58:45 pm »
The quickest and most effective way is to spray it with Glyphos and reseed ;)


But Laura has said she wants to keep her land organic.  Glyphosate is not the wonderful, no residue, happy-clappy weed killer we are taught to believe.


We are shortly going to convert an area of our land for wildflowers, once we get the tups off next year.  We want though to grow plants which would normally grow on this area, rather than the ubiquitous oxeye daisies, cornflower and poppies.  Half of our area is dry and well drained, lightish but fertile soil, the other half is clay, boggy and poorly drained.
Without being able to see into the future, a few years back we oversowed with clover, which has thrived and is busy increasing the fertility.  Hmm.  We never use chemicals on our land, so it looks as if we'll need to work with the clover.  Existing wild flowers include buttercups, daisies, self heal, ladies bedstraw, various tiny things and a few orchids.
It's going to take a few years to establish the grassland with appropriate wild flowers, but we'll have fun experimenting as we go along  :thumbsup:
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

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Foobar

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • South Wales
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2017, 09:51:43 am »
Disc harrow it all up (which should kill off whatever is growing there), wait for the grass/weeds to re-grow, and repeat.  Then you should have a nice seed bed in which to plant.  Consider what time of year you do this though - you want the grass/weeds to germinate so that you can disc them in, so early spring might be best.

YorkshireLass

  • Joined Mar 2010
  • Just when I thought I'd settled down...!
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #11 on: July 12, 2017, 10:58:33 am »
Scraping the ryegrass off and just reseeding won't do it - not properly at any rate.
The key thing is that wildflowers need low nutrient soil, otherwise they are outcompeted by any grass. Most wild flower mixes have some grass species in, albeit the small fine species.
Your ryegrass will be growing in nutrient-rich soil, so you need to remove that nutrition.

I would play the long game as outlined by Sallyintnorth - remember you can always sell your hay for some income as long as it is free of ragwort, dock, etc.

bj_cardiff

  • Joined Feb 2017
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #12 on: July 12, 2017, 11:45:57 am »
Do you have horses? I'd overwinter them in that part of the field and let them trash it, in the spring oversew with a meadow mix and you'd be amazed what will come up after that..

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #13 on: July 12, 2017, 11:58:39 am »
Good idea, if the horses' poo is picked up and removed.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Laura_Long

  • Joined Jul 2017
Re: Removing rye grass to plant wildflower meadow
« Reply #14 on: July 12, 2017, 07:19:00 pm »
Thanks all. Definitely not using any chemicals. Hate the stuff! I think I will take the turf off then plant it with rapeseed (apparently good at getting rid of nutrients) then plant it with wildflower the year after.  I like the idea of Getting horses to trash it. Sounds easier than anything else.

 

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