Fertilizer and Frost

muckymanor

Well-Known Member
Hoping to get out early with the quad and spreader this year in order to try to have some early grass. I know that it'll be late on average when you consider that we let the first of the cattle out last year in the beginning of May. I'm hoping for to bring a big change this year and get some of the cattle out to grass by the first week in April - especially the cull cows that will be slaughtered at the end of May and the store cattle that will be slaughtered at the back end.

To do this, I will have to have fertilizer spread on the drier ground by the first week in March. My ear was chewed when I announced my plans. "Sure you were as well lighting the fire with €20 notes" is what I was told. "The frost will ruin any bit of fertilizer that you spread in March".

A neighbour is a pretty progressive dairy farmer, and he will be spreading fertilizer at the middle of february. My ear chewer will have notions of calling the mental asylum to pick the neighbour up and any grass that he grows will be "watery frost grass". Just wait until I announce that I plan to do the first cut of silage before May 25th. :scared:

What's your view on frost and fertilizer?
 
CAN and any compound fertilizer are the finest in frosty weather. They'll happily stay on top of the soil or if you get rain after spreading then they'll happily stay in the soil until growthy conditions arrive. I'll be out with the silage P&K in Feb land conditions allowing and all the N for the silage will be out by mid March. I'll also be covering most of the grazing ground in early to mid March as well. All depends on if land is dry enough to travel.
 
If the ground temperature is right then go for it.
Was taught in collage that when the average daytime temp of each day since 1st jan adds up to 200 then ur safe to spread.
Otherwise ground temp over 6 degrees??

Spread fert begining of March here. Weather and ground conditions appropriate that is.
One things for sure you can see where we couldn't spread in no time. Much less grass and greyish compared to the fertilised bits.
Hard too see otherwise but only because the place is so heavilly loaded with stock by then.

Neighbour always holds off much later. And complains of the lack of grass for much longer!y
 
Getting ready to go next week
20170104_164406.jpg
 
Hoping to get out early with the quad and spreader this year in order to try to have some early grass. I know that it'll be late on average when you consider that we let the first of the cattle out last year in the beginning of May. I'm hoping for to bring a big change this year and get some of the cattle out to grass by the first week in April - especially the cull cows that will be slaughtered at the end of May and the store cattle that will be slaughtered at the back end.

To do this, I will have to have fertilizer spread on the drier ground by the first week in March. My ear was chewed when I announced my plans. "Sure you were as well lighting the fire with €20 notes" is what I was told. "The frost will ruin any bit of fertilizer that you spread in March".

A neighbour is a pretty progressive dairy farmer, and he will be spreading fertilizer at the middle of february. My ear chewer will have notions of calling the mental asylum to pick the neighbour up and any grass that he grows will be "watery frost grass". Just wait until I announce that I plan to do the first cut of silage before May 25th. :scared:

What's your view on frost and fertilizer?

May seems very late to get stock out, dose your neighbour get stock out earlier
 
May seems very late to get stock out, dose your neighbour get stock out earlier
It's really only my second year farming it. It's not uncommon in leitrim that ground conditions don't allow for letting out cattle until mid may but the above land that I am talking about is my wife's and it should be well dry enough for to let at least half of them out.

Neighbour mentioned above had cows grazing by day by March 15th last year.
 
Urea is your friend
Get it out mid feb on, dont forget to leave a few stripes so you can tell the ol feller how good its worked:Thumbp2:
So frost won't affect the urea granules themselves? Is there a danger of it being washed away if there was heavy rain in March?
 
Urea is your friend
Get it out mid feb on, dont forget to leave a few stripes so you can tell the ol feller how good its worked:Thumbp2:
X2
Urea is our first round too. Desolves fast and very available.
But buy granular over prilled. I find it far easier spread, unless you have a bells and whistles spreader!
 
X2
Urea is our first round too. Desolves fast and very available.
But buy granular over prilled. I find it far easier spread, unless you have a bells and whistles spreader!
Very basic quad spreader is what I will be using so the easier spread the better.
 
We will be out the 13th as long as weather allows. Urea all the fecking way. Once the soil temp is above 6 or 7 I think (please correct me). All the dry ground that we plan on grazing 1st will get a half bag urea. We will wait for 2 weeks or so and all the rest of the land will get a bag. Just be carefull on how much you spread in relation to how much stock you plan to let out. You could end up with to much grass very quick
 
We will be out the 13th as long as weather allows. Urea all the fecking way. Once the soil temp is above 6 or 7 I think (please correct me). All the dry ground that we plan on grazing 1st will get a half bag urea. We will wait for 2 weeks or so and all the rest of the land will get a bag. Just be carefull on how much you spread in relation to how much stock you plan to let out. You could end up with to much grass very quick
I'm yet to meet a man that had too much grass in February.....
 
I'm yet to meet a man that had too much grass in February.....
Well at present I could let cows out to graze. The fucking stuff never stopped growing. Now saying that a hard frost will kick that on the arse and grass will disappear off the fiel
 
Hoping to get out early with the quad and spreader this year in order to try to have some early grass. I know that it'll be late on average when you consider that we let the first of the cattle out last year in the beginning of May. I'm hoping for to bring a big change this year and get some of the cattle out to grass by the first week in April - especially the cull cows that will be slaughtered at the end of May and the store cattle that will be slaughtered at the back end.

To do this, I will have to have fertilizer spread on the drier ground by the first week in March. My ear was chewed when I announced my plans. "Sure you were as well lighting the fire with €20 notes" is what I was told. "The frost will ruin any bit of fertilizer that you spread in March".

A neighbour is a pretty progressive dairy farmer, and he will be spreading fertilizer at the middle of february. My ear chewer will have notions of calling the mental asylum to pick the neighbour up and any grass that he grows will be "watery frost grass". Just wait until I announce that I plan to do the first cut of silage before May 25th. :scared:

What's your view on frost and fertilizer?

Instead of urea I spread 2000 gallons of slurry to the acre late January early February on my grazing ground as the nitrogen content in the slurry is equivalent to around half a bag of urea. However I would always have my grazing and silage ground all fertilised by mid march and I've never had problems with frost.
 
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