The opportunities to reseed have been slim and whatever reseeding was done has been struggling from the drought. Getting these reseeds back on track for the autumn will be the main priority for all farmers. Looking at reseeds sown to date, they can be classified in three ways: early-sown, mid-sown and late-sown.
Early-sown
Grass seeds sown in late April or early May should be in the best shape. Most will have been grazed at least twice at this stage. In most cases, they got a decent enough start but the drought probably reduced their ability to tiller so they are more open than normal.
They should have been sprayed for weeds already. If they haven’t been sprayed there will be a problem with weeds. In some cases, the weeds were sprayed but uptake was poor because of the drought. If this is the case they should be grazed and then sprayed as soon as possible.
A lot of the weeds are annuals, but regrowth from mature docks may also be a problem, particularly if minimum tillage was practiced. Where these are present stronger sprays than normal may be necessary to kill these docks.
Essentially, they are not seedlings but established docks and these are always harder to kill than seedling docks. Consult an adviser to discuss the best spray to use.
Key advice for these reseeds is to graze and fertilise every 14 days for the next six weeks. Mid-sown
These are reseeds that were sown and germinated before the drought took hold. I would classify these as being the worst affected by the drought. Because they germinated and then struggled to grow, they have not been grazed or sprayed. Most grass plants suffered and some died due to lack of moisture. Some of these fields look extremely poor and some will probably need to be re-sown, or at least parts of fields will need to be re-sown.
The other main issue with these is weeds. Many of these fields are very dirty with weeds, mostly annuals like fat hen and lambs quarter. Some were sprayed but uptake of the spray was poor. The weeds are probably a bigger problem than the lack of germination as in most cases it was a lack of moisture that prevented germination.
Unless the weeds are taken care of they will shade out the new grass seedlings. Cutting and baling is an option here. The bales could be wrapped and fed along with silage to dry cows next winter.
At least by removing the weeds you will give sunlight to the grass seedlings which they need for growth.
Most of the grass plants should be at the three-leaf stage before being sprayed but many of these mid-sown reseeds are sown two months and are still at the one to 1.5 leaf stage.
Key advice for these reseeds depends on the situation. If they are full of tall weeds, cut and bale. If there are parts that haven’t yet emerged, give them time. Fertilise with 30 units of nitrogen and graze as soon as possible to help them tiller. Spray seven days after grazing and graze again seven days after spraying or follow the instructions on the label.Late-sown
These reseeds were sown during the drought or in the last few weeks and have not yet germinated. Despite their germination being delayed, I think they will be fine. Seeds need moisture to germinate, and this has been lacking up to now. Weeds should not be too much of a problem yet.
Key advice for these is to fertilise with 30 units of nitrogen post-emergence, spray when the dock seedlings are the size of a €2 coin and graze as soon as the grass plants survive the pluck test, ie the roots stay in the ground when the leaves are plucked. Some people are finding that roots are looser than normal as they are moving up towards the surface to get moisture after recent rain.
The opportunities to reseed have been slim and whatever reseeding was done has been struggling from the drought. Getting these reseeds back on track for the autumn will be the main priority for all farmers. Looking at reseeds sown to date, they can be classified in three ways: early-sown, mid-sown and late-sown.
Early-sown
Grass seeds sown in late April or early May should be in the best shape. Most will have been grazed at least twice at this stage. In most cases, they got a decent enough start but the drought probably reduced their ability to tiller so they are more open than normal.
They should have been sprayed for weeds already. If they haven’t been sprayed there will be a problem with weeds. In some cases, the weeds were sprayed but uptake was poor because of the drought. If this is the case they should be grazed and then sprayed as soon as possible.
A lot of the weeds are annuals, but regrowth from mature docks may also be a problem, particularly if minimum tillage was practiced. Where these are present stronger sprays than normal may be necessary to kill these docks.
Essentially, they are not seedlings but established docks and these are always harder to kill than seedling docks. Consult an adviser to discuss the best spray to use.
Key advice for these reseeds is to graze and fertilise every 14 days for the next six weeks. Mid-sown
These are reseeds that were sown and germinated before the drought took hold. I would classify these as being the worst affected by the drought. Because they germinated and then struggled to grow, they have not been grazed or sprayed. Most grass plants suffered and some died due to lack of moisture. Some of these fields look extremely poor and some will probably need to be re-sown, or at least parts of fields will need to be re-sown.
The other main issue with these is weeds. Many of these fields are very dirty with weeds, mostly annuals like fat hen and lambs quarter. Some were sprayed but uptake of the spray was poor. The weeds are probably a bigger problem than the lack of germination as in most cases it was a lack of moisture that prevented germination.
Unless the weeds are taken care of they will shade out the new grass seedlings. Cutting and baling is an option here. The bales could be wrapped and fed along with silage to dry cows next winter.
At least by removing the weeds you will give sunlight to the grass seedlings which they need for growth.
Most of the grass plants should be at the three-leaf stage before being sprayed but many of these mid-sown reseeds are sown two months and are still at the one to 1.5 leaf stage.
Key advice for these reseeds depends on the situation. If they are full of tall weeds, cut and bale. If there are parts that haven’t yet emerged, give them time. Fertilise with 30 units of nitrogen and graze as soon as possible to help them tiller. Spray seven days after grazing and graze again seven days after spraying or follow the instructions on the label.Late-sown
These reseeds were sown during the drought or in the last few weeks and have not yet germinated. Despite their germination being delayed, I think they will be fine. Seeds need moisture to germinate, and this has been lacking up to now. Weeds should not be too much of a problem yet.
Key advice for these is to fertilise with 30 units of nitrogen post-emergence, spray when the dock seedlings are the size of a €2 coin and graze as soon as the grass plants survive the pluck test, ie the roots stay in the ground when the leaves are plucked. Some people are finding that roots are looser than normal as they are moving up towards the surface to get moisture after recent rain. 
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