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Grass growth over the summer period was generally good and farmers had an abundance of grazing ahead of livestock.
This presented the opportunity to reseed less productive grassland during August and early September.
With an autumn reseed, it is crucial that the sward is managed carefully after grass seed has been sown out.
Ground conditions tend to be softer in autumn due to shorter days and more variable weather compared with reseeding in late spring or early summer.
Outlined are five tips to managing an autumn reseed.
Post-emergence spray
With any reseed, it is important to control weeds such as redshank, chickweed, docks and thistles.
Weeds compete for soil nutrients and can smother grass seedlings if they are not controlled.
Therefore, once the sward is established and ground will carry machinery, it is important to apply a good herbicide to target weeds.
This will allow new grass to out-compete weeds and improves the chances of a successful reseed.
When to graze
Knowing when to put livestock on to a reseed is also important. Put animals on too soon and they can pull newly established grass out of the ground.
A simple test to determine if a reseed is ready to graze is to grab seedlings with the index finger and thumb.
Pull with medium to light pressure. If the grass stays in place, it will stand up to grazing.
However, make sure that ground conditions will carry livestock to ensure the new sward is not damaged by grazing animals.
Graze with weanlings or light calves
Always graze a reseed with light animals to avoid poaching. Ideally, use spring-born calves after weaning.
Alternatively, use autumn-born calves through creep grazing, or on-off grazing. If this is not an option, graze with sheep.
If the farm doesn’t carry a sheep flock and store lambs are not an option, talk to a neighbouring sheep farmer about short-term grazing.
4 Graze fast and often
Grazing will help new grass to tiller out. As grass tillers, it thickens the base of the sward and leaves less room for weed grasses to establish.
With a reseeded sward, the key is to graze quickly, then allow it to rest.
This should be repeated as long as ground conditions allow before housing is required.
Use temporary electric fencing to control the size of grazing areas. This will also protect the areas which have been grazed.
Ideally, aim for 24- to 48-hour grazing allocations, then rest for three weeks.
Feed the reseed
The final step is to make sure you fertilise the reseed regularly, especially with phosphate (P) and potash (K).
Apply a compound fertiliser NPK before the closed period for chemical fertiliser on 15 September.
If this is not possible, apply a light coat of slurry, provided ground conditions permit.
Make sure a new sward has been grazed off before closing up for winter.
This will ensure the reseed is not carrying heavy covers over the winter.
Heavy covers will need to be grazed off next spring, delaying an early application of nitrogen and slurry next February or March.
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