There will always be significant reason why grassland reseeding should be a top priority.

Whether farming intensively or extensively a good grass sward is needed. If intensive you need to get the best response to your inputs, weed grasses waste nitrogen. When extensive a clover sward with good structure can maximise the soils own reserves without running them out.

A quarter more grass when it's needed. No longer a dream, Irish bred varieties are giving significantly more growth in spring and autumn.

Improved management cannot get these benefits. Green Lea Grass seeds provide the varieties and the sward structure to get the top results. More digestible swards, grass and clover giving faster re-growths, growth at lower temperatures, higher sugar content and better sward density are among the benefits.

WHY RESEED?

• To make money
• Get rid of broad leaved grass and weeds
• Higher sugars in grass will give vastly improved preservation
• Higher digestibility in silage gives considerably more feed value

CLOVER IS

• More Palatable
• More Digestible
• Higher in Protein
• Higher in Minerals

HOW TO RESEED

1. Spray off with Glyphosate. Ensure the weeds you want to kill have enough leaf to take in chemical.
2. Plough and till. If lime is required, apply pre-sowing and till into top half inch.
3. Sow seed and fertiliser into a fine, firm seedbed.
4. Roll to give good contact between soil and seeds.
5. Keep a watch on newly sown swards for slugs, leatherjackets and frit fly. Slugs can be a problem in wet areas and/or years and may need slug pellets to be broadcast. Leatherjackets, worse in spring sowing after grass, seedlings are cut off at ground level, Dursban or Cropguard can be sprayed onto surface. Frit Fly, swards beside rough ground, directly after grass or dirty stubs are most at risk. The larvae burrow into the shoot killing the growing point. Many insecticides will solve this problem.

ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF RESEEDING

Kildalton Agricultural College compared different methods of reseeding and found no effect on sward establishment. Rotovators, Power Harrow and Direct Drill systems used to make a seedbed. This would replace point no. 2 in above schedule.

The spraying before and after becomes even more crucial when ploughing is left out.

Slurry Seeding can have problems. The I.G.E.R. institute in Wales have come out against slurry on the grounds of increased surface acidity and capping of topsoil. The acidity can be overcome by lime where soil pH is concerned but will have done harm to the germinating seeds by this stage