Grass Growth Rates

Ozzy Scott said:
will do some leaf analysis over the next few days and see what it throws up. Getting allot of purple leaves which would indicate P deficiency. P soil reserves are quite high, so whether is a lock up problem or what, I dont know. Its probably just down to very cold winds. leaf analysis wont be long telling me whats going on. place is pretty embarrassing looking atm.
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Who do you get to test and what do they test for?
Demand is outstripping supply here, heifers will have to go into a field tomorrow that a week ago I taught I could skip and bale but cannot now, cows are in covers far too heavy and it's hitting the bulk tank but ground grazed 10-15 days has feic all on it
 
Same craic here on dry ground Blackwater Boy. Wet ground is bombing along nicely, just a shame it's wet enough underfoot still.

The rain here last Friday did a lot of harm to our drier fields.
 
Blackwater boy said:
Who do you get to test and what do they test for?
Demand is outstripping supply here, heifers will have to go into a field tomorrow that a week ago I taught I could skip and bale but cannot now, cows are in covers far too heavy and it's hitting the bulk tank but ground grazed 10-15 days has feic all on it
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get it tested for pretty much everything, it allows me see what the ground is putting into the plant and also what im feeding the animals or ensiling.
 
bruceythom said:
Growth 89, demand 56, Cover per LU 392. Mower going at a few paddocks tomorrow weather permitting.
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when you mention demand, is this whole farm demand, or demand with the silage ground taken out?? I usually dont work out my demand, but my whole farm demand at the moment is around 70, :sad:. I blame teagasc for my stupidity
 
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Blackwater boy said:
Is it just my place but is grass completely starved looking despite slurry in early feb, 40 units late feb, 35 late March and 30 late April or early May dependent, it was 8 units of S applied also and 12p and 40 k of bag aswell. The colour is pure pale and growth is shocking. I can't figure out what's up. I refer mainly to the southern lads as things seem a lot better up the midlands and above
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Very similar fert and slurry here , cows are in what I'd hoped to cut , all the grazing ground is lacking in something with the last week .
 
Ozzy Scott said:
when you mention demand, is this whole farm demand, or demand with the silage ground taken out?? I usually dont work out my demand, but my whole farm demand at the moment is around 70, :sad:. I blame teagasc for my stupidity
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Demand is the milking Grazing block less ground held up for silage. That would be a very high demand IMV.
I don't blame teagasc, I am perfectly capable of being an imbecile without their assistance!
 
Actually, now that ye guys have pointed out poor growth, from my last measure its my driest paddocks that are performing the poorest, and they're certainly not moisture deficent...... ?? Approx 85 units of N spread, 15 units of S, 15 units of P, 30 units of K, and 3000 gallons of slurry. No lime out yet.
 
bruceythom said:
Actually, now that ye guys have pointed out poor growth, from my last measure its my driest paddocks that are performing the poorest, and they're certainly not moisture deficent...... ?? Approx 85 units of N spread, 15 units of S, 15 units of P, 30 units of K, and 3000 gallons of slurry. No lime out yet.
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My driest are poor also. I wonder is it the fact it was poached on first and second round now coming back to haunt us and compaction coupled with low temps and saturated ground maybe. My wet ground is growing away fine too, this ground is only grazed once at best and has received half the N P and K of the good ground which really makes me think it’s compaction
 
Blackwater boy said:
My driest are poor also. I wonder is it the fact it was poached on first and second round now coming back to haunt us and compaction coupled with low temps and saturated ground maybe. My wet ground is growing away fine too, this ground is only grazed once at best and has received half the N P and K of the good ground which really makes me think it’s compaction
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its just whats happening overhead us that we have no control over, timothy grass is flying which leads me to believe its cold related issues holding the ryegrass (holding and looking deficient are 2 different things:scratchhead:).
 
Ozzy Scott said:
its just whats happening overhead us that we have no control over, timothy grass is flying which leads me to believe its cold related issues holding the ryegrass (holding and looking deficient are 2 different things:scratchhead:).
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Would you mind saying what you've spread so far this year Ozzy? Did you say you spread 300 units of N/ac? Do you block graze or have paddocks. I'd say 200 units maybe a little more is what we spread. We're stocked at 3.2+
This year is doing my nut. Still using the strip wire. Wet ground is only being grazed for the first time now and has too much on it leaving a mess behind. Have spread a bag of urea in Feb, and two bags of Can and 1.5 bags of 18.6.12 so far on the grazing ground. Growth was abysmal up to now but you have to hit it hard early. The reserve N is bringing big growth now. Grass just won't grow without it.

Can relax the fert from now on. Have the N on the silage ground since mid April and put the NPK on in March. It was wet but I put it out anyway. Got a good response too. 100 units total. Will be ready to cut in 10 days.
 
Do you need to spread extra p and k after you spread lime???? I heard some where that lime can lock up p and k in high index soil tests and extra p and k needs to be spread as a result
 
I came across sulphur deficiency this morn in winter wheat, it has got 160 units of N in total but no sulphur, I never saw it before so maybe that's an indication that soil S levels are extremely low
 
Green Grass said:
Do you need to spread extra p and k after you spread lime???? I heard some where that lime can lock up p and k in high index soil tests and extra p and k needs to be spread as a result
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Any research that I have ever read on spreading lime is that it unlocks P and K
 
Growth 85 this week and not before time as cover is still at 128/cow. Demand sitting around 72 so should grow the cover somewhat this week. Maybe with all the famine this spring we'll be in for a feast
 
Mikeyboy said:
Growth 85 this week and not before time as cover is still at 128/cow. Demand sitting around 72 so should grow the cover somewhat this week. Maybe with all the famine this spring we'll be in for a feast
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hopefully, as long as we dont get a dry summer around here:ohmy:. Talking to dairy lad with tidy operation of 80 cows, he has all but 12ac of his first cut silage zero grazed. another man that would usually have first cut done by may day, only got the fertiliser out two weeks ago and will be a full cut of silage down.
 
Grass has developed a great colour yesterday and today , and seems to have jumped out of the ground , finally.
A few days of that would turn around things quickly , and do man and beast a power of good.

Just seen weather forecast and giving rain for Sunday and Monday . 13 degrees on Monday. :no:
 
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Ozzy Scott said:
were you guys up there not getting seriously low nightly temperatures along with wind to have those growth rates?
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Up till 4 or 5 days ago we had but there has been a massive increase in growth over the last week to my eye.
Quite a bit of silage down at this stage and most farms seem to be increasing covers at last .
 
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