grass seeding advice

[TJ&Ozzie]

My paddock (approx 1 acre) is in a terrible state. The previous owners of the house purchased the land about 5 years ago from the local farm straight after ploughing. It would appear they did nothing to it after that! It really needs re ploughing, levelling and seeding. I have a farming pal that can do the ground work and have a local firm for the seed.

I am really after some advice as to how long to keep the neddies of it? I am assuming that we will sow the new seed in the Autumn. Would it be wishful thinking to be grazing it next summer?

 

[martlin]

well, it depends... You COULD graze it next summer, if the soil is good, the seed catches well and you keep mowing it, and mowing it, and mowing it, you should be able to establish a decent sward by next summer.
In an ideal world, you would want to leave it much longer, take a cut of it, maybe graze some sheep on it and after another winter it would be brilliant, but we aren't in ideal world and if need's must, it can work.
ETS - I would avoid deep ploughing if possible, just weed kill, maybe power harrow or just direct drill your grass. It is the settling of ploughed soil that takes the longest.

 

[TJ&Ozzie]

Thank you for that, great advice. It really quite rutted would a power harrow do this justice do you think? Also masses of Ragwort so secretly hoping starting again will get rid of it? Too optimisitic?

 

[martlin]

Weed kill for starters, about now and then again before seeding, so you get the best chance of getting rid of ragwort. Power harrow will sort out rutting, it will crumble and level about 4-5 inches of top soil, then drill your grass and roll afterwards.
As soon as there is enough growth for a topper - mow it, and then again as many times as you can before it stops growing for winter. I would seed sometime end of August/beginning of September.
Then in spring, as soon as it sprouts, you mow it, and mow it, and fertilize it and then mow, and mow, and mow. You should be OK to graze around June/July, providing that the soil is decent.