When to graze

[Debra Westlake]

Happy weekend everyone. I have a question about timing of grazing my two year old meadow. We have a local small flock that we use for management of grass by grazing. They were in from about September last year after hay had been cut and came out in January when it was just too wet and the grass was quite low. Last year we had them back in mid March to mid April to keep the grass low before our new seeds came through, but found they ate off the celendines. This year the celendines and primroses aren't even out yet. What are thoughts about timings? Is it best to keep them out now to allow celendines and primroses to flourish or is keeping the grass low for later varieties (successfully seeded by our plant life funded project) the priority? Thanks!

[Steve Pollard]

Debra, were you not given a management plan with your restoration project? If you have a hay meadow, and it was sown with yellow rattle, then since it's an annual, it's essential that it isn't grazed after germinating, as you'll lose it from the meadow. I don't know the season in sunny Totnes, but it's likely to germinate in late-March, so you're getting very close to the end of your grazing window. Ideally, you want to get the sward short before your first plants start flowering, and I'm sure your celandines and primroses are in leaf, even if they're not flowering, so it would be best not to graze these, but how is the grass now? If it is thatchy, or lush and long, it may need a last minute graze, because the rattle won't establish unless the sward is short. Meadows vary in their management needs depending on fertility, composition, location, weather, etc, so it's difficult to give a specific answer.

[Donna Cox]

Hi Debra, if you're trying to establish plenty of Yellow Rattle to control vigorous grasses, grazing into late March could severely affect Yellow Rattle populations, especially if sheep numbers are high. Yellow Rattle will start germinating, like all seeds, when the soil starts to warm up in early spring (and after it has had a few frosts, which it also needs). Maybe have a look to see if it is already appearing? Seedlings look like a very tiny Christmas tree. Some people do graze their meadow until the end of April, which favours the later flowering meadow species, but often they are not trying to establish/maintain populations of Yellow Rattle.

I like to see the spring flowers so livestock, in particular sheep - which love eating flowers, are kept out of the hay meadows in the early part of the year. I aim to try and get all the aftermath grazing completed by end of October/November, if I can. I know it can be difficult with timings if you are borrowing livestock. Your celandines and primroses, being perennial, should grow back!

Good luck with your project, love to see some photos in the summer.