Recent water-logged conditions need addressing

Richard Hales, Sumo Grassland Specialist, comments on latest field conditions …

What a difference a couple of months make! Many areas
 have had two of the wettest months 
on record. I was told the other day that 1″ of rain equals 100 tonnes per acre.

Now it doesn’t take a rocket scientist
 to work out that the intensity and volume of rainfall that fell in April and June, combined with grazing animals and machinery movements, is going
 to have a serious effect on soil compaction. Swards will have become stressed as a result of oxygen deficiency caused by waterlogging, and valuable nutrients will have been lost to run-off.

Using a grassland subsoiler, such as
 the Sumo GLS, to open up the soil will enable air and nutrients to get down to the roots and help maximise production for the remainder of the growing season.

Drainage will be enhanced and this may prolong the grazing period in the back end and also enable earlier turnout next spring.

If you have a seeder mounted on your subsoiler and the sward has been grazed down tight, then this may be an ideal opportunity to oversow with some perennial ryegrass to help boost grass productivity, providing that good seed to soil contact can be established.

For further information, contact Rachael Walshaw on 01759 319900 or email sales@sumo1.com