GRASS SEED MIXTURES

The Fane Valley and Morton’s range of grass seed mixtures have been proven to perform in Northern Irish conditions. Reseeding is a significant investment therefore, it is vital to get it off to the good start to ensure optimum performance and longevity to maximise the return on investment. A new sward needs the right nutrition to ensure it can establish successfully and out compete weeds.

Suitable soils and optimum pH

Grass seed will grow in most soil types however we have mixtures more suited to the challenges of heavy soils. The optimum pH should be between 6.3-6.5 to get the best from your new grass ley.

How to sow

There are many different methods of reseeding including conventional ploughing, minimum tillage and direct drilling, all of which can be successful provided the seed gets good contact with the soil, and it is not drilled too deep which will reduce establishment.

Management

Weed control plays a key role as it reduces competition for nutrients while also providing more space for the grass seedlings to tiller and establish. Post emergence weed control provides an effective opportunity for optimum weed control. Herbicide application should be made approximately 6–8 weeks after reseeding when there are 3 leaves on the grass plants and weeds are actively growing at the 2–6 leaf stage. The herbicide choice will depend on the weeds present and if there is clover included in the mixture. Early grazing is an essential part of successfully managing a reseed, however before grazing make sure to check the label of the post-emergence herbicide used to ensure withdrawal periods are followed and it is safe to graze the sward. Early grazing will help promote tillering building a denser sward for the following season. Grazing should commence when the reseed is 6-7cm in height and not easily pulled from the ground. Graze the sward down to 3.5-4cm, which will encourage the sward to tiller. Thereafter grazing should continue when sward is at 8-10cm in height and graze to 3.5-4cm.