Getting the maximum return out of reseeding the land
Farmers now see the value of reseeding, but the amount of ground reseeded any year largely depends on the weather.
Figures from the grass seed industry indicate that reseeding is back by about 40% this year, while it was normal last year, and had increased 40% in 2010, following two years of bad weather.
Reseeding has got very expensive, and it is very important to optimise the financial return for as long as possible; this requires proper post-establishment treatment.
A lot of seedling docks or other weeds will usually appear after four or five weeks, and these should be sprayed with a suitable spray to prevent them establishing permanently in the pastures.
If spraying is delayed until spring, docks will have developed strong roots that are very difficult to kill.
Where clover is important, sprays such as Legumex DB, Alistell, or Underclear will control a range of weeds, including docks.
Tablets of Triad have to be added to Legumex DB to control chickweed.
Clover plants should have reached the first trifoliate leaf stage before spraying.
Where clover is not a priority, a wider variety of products such as Pastor and Doxstar are available. These products will give better control of chickweed.
Spray before the first grazing, if possible.
Seedling docks should be sprayed when they are less than two inches, for best results. These sprays will not kill docks that grow from old roots which have not been killed by glyphosate before sowing.
Where clover is not a priority, nitrogen top dressing and late autumn grazing will encourage tillering and thicken up pastures, and this helps to minimise weed problems.
Clover pastures should be grazed tightly in the late autumn, to encourage clover stolon development.
Remember, even with good establishment, a reseed will need to have ten times more plants next spring than at emergence in order to provide good grazing, and this can only be brought about by tillering.
Late reseeding often prevents autumn grazing and spraying and results in thin, weedy, poor crops next spring.
Apart from bad seed preparation and late sowing, frit fly poses one of the biggest threats to reseeds.
Direct drilled crops that are emerging slowly and sown near old grass areas are particularly vulnerable.
The frit fly larvae burrow into the shoots of seedling grasses.
Infected shoots, although still green, will pull away easily, showing a brown feeding area at the point of breaking off.
There are two main approaches to control:
(a) Spray routinely with an insecticide when the crop is emerging.
(b) Check crops daily by gently pulling the centre shoots and if close to 10% of shoots are infected, spray immediately with an insecticide. If you can see frit fly damage ‘over the gate’, it is too late to take action.
There are many situations where slug pellets are required, especially in wet weather and late sown crops. This is a particularly bad year for slug damage.
Experts recommended routine treatment this year.
If you see areas of your reseeds disappearing, check for slugs at night with a lamp when slugs are active, and put down a few covers under which the slugs will hide by day.
If you have not already soil-tested reseeded areas, do so immediately, because young seedlings are very sensitive to nutrient deficiencies, particularly of phosphorous and lime.
If you ploughed before reseeding, the soil tests done before ploughing are no use, because the seedlings will be drawing nutrient requirements only from the top few inches of soil.
Reseeds after minimum tilling will always need lime, to counteract the acidity of decaying stubble.
