DairyCo

Choosing the best reseeding method

Published 17 May 11

Cost-effective reseeding needn't involve ploughing, but it does require a bit of spadework. Where soil structure is good and the chemistry is in balance, modern grassland machinery allows for sward rejuvenation via slots, slits and over-sowing - at half the cost of ploughing for a reseed.

And to establish whether soils are compacted, Kingshay consultant Dr Martin Yeates recommends buying a spade. Digging holes in individual fields - comparing soil at the boundaries and in the centre - is the way to find out whether there is compaction.

Ploughing may be the only option for a worn-out pasture, compacted soils or soil chemistry that is so out of kilter it needs extensive liming. "Whether to plough depends on the level of healthy grasses in a sward as to whether it needs to be destroyed and started afresh or just added to," he explains.

"There are no hard and fast rules. Obviously in stony fields you wouldn't want to plough as it brings them to the top, otherwise you need a proper soil analysis, so dig holes."

He also suggests looking at moss coverage, worm counts and sniffing soils to check whether they are stagnant or smell healthy.

To take a profile, he suggests slicing off the turf then digging as deep as possible a cross section through the soil. If the profile snaps in half it shows a compaction line, says Dr Yeates. "If it fractures vertically and horizontally then crumbles, this indicates a healthier soil structure."

• Getting the most from soils and nutrients - DairyCo extension officer Chris Duller
• The right species and varieties for you - independent grassland consultant, GrassMaster Charlie Morgan
• Download the Recommended List of Grass and Clover 2011.