Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Grass management  (Read 10746 times)

lazybee

  • Joined Mar 2010
Re: Grass management
« Reply #15 on: February 13, 2011, 03:00:25 pm »
Tractor and topper job done  ;D

downthetrack

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Nr Maud, Aberdeenshire
Re: Grass management
« Reply #16 on: February 13, 2011, 03:07:29 pm »
Thanks Muc, that makes sense.

Is there anything I can do though to help the quantity of grass develop this year?

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Grass management
« Reply #17 on: February 13, 2011, 09:44:43 pm »
Have you had the soil tested for pH and other elements such as phosphate and potassium? We've just had ours done - will get the results next week. The pH test was free - a more comprehensive one was £25.

If the soil has a low pH - below 6.5, then grass doesn't grow as well as it could, so you can apply lime to raise the pH. One tonne to the acre raises pH by 0.3 points, I think.

Our Sheepfold has old grass and other plants, but moss as well. This year, I'll have lime applied if it needs it and it will be harrowed to take out the thatch and let the air in, encouraging the gras to grow. If it needs anything else, I'll take advice from the chap that did the testing. I have told him that I don't want to apply nitrogen as it doesn't fit with how we want to do things here. The hardest bit is getting a contractor to spread lime because we're so small.

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Grass management
« Reply #18 on: February 17, 2011, 10:13:30 pm »
We had our land tested for pH and minerals last year cos we were getting lots of creeping buttercup and the grass was struggling.  The pH came out at 5.5 which as Rosemary points out is well beyond the point where the problems start.  Recommendation was 10 tonnes of lime per hectare in several instalments so we had the first load put on in the autumn and will see what happens,

 

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