Do I Need to Reseed?

Well managed grass leys can provide high quality feed at a low cost for livestock farmers in Scotland. When deciding whether to carry out a reseed it is important to carry out a sward assessment first. A sward assessment will help identify the proportion of desired grass species still present, the weed burden, whether the sward has gaps which could increase the weed burden and what the soil fertility and structure of the field is. This will then help to inform whether a full reseed is required or whether there are other interventions which would help to rejuvenate or prolong the life of an existing sward. This handy decision tool will help you to establish what the most appropriate course of action is for your sward.

If your sward has less than 30% of ryegrass, white clover, timothy or cocksfoot and has indicator plants such as birdsfoot trefoil, common sorrel or harebell it could be considered a species rich pasture so you should seek further advice. Do not cultivate any species rich pastures.