Reseeding is an essential part of grassland management for all intensive dairy and beef farmers.
- The benefits of reseeding are well proven and documented to result in higher annual grass yields (an extra 2–3t DM/ha/yr), more palatable and digestible swards, increased milk and meat production, improved response to N fertilisers and improved silage quality (digestibility of silage can be 2–3 units higher).
- Reseeding alone presents the ideal opportunity to rid the fields of weeds and also, if required, to level land.
- Grass seeds have a very small energy reserve and so can withstand very little stress. Two of the biggest stresses to grass seedlings are nutrition and pH.
N,P and K requirements for pasture establishment without a cover crop. (kg/ha)
| Soil Index | N | P | K | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grass only | Grass/legume | Grass | Grass only | Grass/legume | |
| 1 | 75 | 60 | 60 | 110 | 120 |
| 2 | 75 | 50 | 40 | 75 | 90 |
| 3 | 75 | 40 | 30 | 50 | 60 |
| 4 | 75 | 40 | 0 | 30 | 40 |
- Lime is an essential requirement for reseeding.
- As the thrash from old swards break down, they release acid into the soil which affects seedling germination and establishment. Unlike the slow acting process of bulk lime, Gran-Lime is extremely fast acting and as such will counteract this and benefit the seedlings when you need it most resulting in increased seed germination and establishment.
- Gran-Lime is convenient as it can be spread with a conventional fertiliser spreader and farmers can spread paddock by paddock as required.
Apply 370kgs/ha of Gran-Lime (3 x 50kg bags/acre) at reseeding followed by 185kgs/ha (1.5 x 50 kg bags/acre) in subsequent years as maintenance.
