Overseeding Old Swards is More Cost Effective Reseeding Method

The machinery required to improve grass swards were shown to farmers attending the “Improving Soils and Sward Performance event at Enniskillen Campus farm on Friday last.
This was the second of two events held last week, the first at Greenmount on the Wednesday.
The Enniskillen event enabled farmers to decide how best to improve soils by drainage as well as improving swards through various techniques.
For full reseeding method, farmers were advised to plough as the most reliable and conventional method used by the majority of Northern Ireland farmers.
Late summer reseeds should ideally be carried out between mid July and late August but before that the old sward sholuld be destroyed before work started.
After getting the seedbed ready, ideally broken down to a fine tilth, the aim was ton consolidate the seedbed without compacting it, by rolling it before broadcasting or drilling the seed. For a spring reseed, it could be ploughed the previous autumn allowing frosts to break down the soil.
Aim to place the seed at 6-12mm depth. Burying the seed too deep will lead to slower germination often leading to patchy reseeds with more weed problems.
Often pest damage is caused by slugs, frit fly larva, leatherjackets and wireworms.
Overseeding can be done by the Moore Unidrill, the Einboch, Aitchison, Vertikator or Guttler drills and when using these methods, the costs are lower and there are higher work rates.
Its best to control perennial weeds before overseeding by spraying with a selective herbicide, and minimise competition from the existing grass sward by grazing hard down to 3-5cms or cut for silage just before overseeding. The risk of slug damage can be higher with overseeding when compared to conventional methods.
The new sward should be grazed lightly once the grass seedlings are 10cms high and continue at frequent intervals until winter.
Minimal cultivation is an alternative to overseeding by discing or harrowing just before drilling the seed and rolling.
Then costs involved were outlined to farmers on Friday. Reseeding with ploughing costs in the region of £281 per acre, while renovation by stitching in or overseeding is as little as £187.

(Source – Impartial Reporter – Brian Donaldson – 11/07/2013)