Methods of sowing Herbage seeds are small and require good conditions for establishment, with sufficient moisture and reasonable temperatures. The land may be ploughed before sowing or a surface method of establishment attempted. Partial reseeding can be achieved by slot-seeding. There is considerable variation between farms in the amounts of fertilizer used on grassland. Only a small proportion of farmers apply as much N as is recommended for heavily stocked grassland.
More N is applied on silage fields than on fields to be cut for hay.
The amounts of N in saleable produce from grassland are low in relation to the amounts of N available to the plants, particularly in the case of meat production. Enough P and K should be applied to maintain a satisfactory soil index, e.g. ADAS index 2. Elements such as P, K, Mg, S and Na can be recycled with lower losses than N. The target pH for grassland is 6.0 or slightly higher. Defoliation Frequency of defoliation has a major effect on dry matter yield of herbage, herbage quality and sward botanical composition and density. A typical frequency for rotational grazing is every 3 weeks or slightly longer.