Paddock Maintenance
Our team can help you keep your paddocks in top condition as we offer many services, including; topping, harrowing, rolling and aerating.
Paddock Topping
Paddock topping removes tall, tough grass that is not palatable to livestock and particularly horses and ponies. The ideal length for grazing animals is around 100mm or 4 inches. Cutting weeds before they have time to go to seed prevents them from germinating and spreading. Other advantages that it is a particularly good way of keeping ragwort, docks, buttercups and thistles in check. Regular paddock topping in the growing season will stimulate new growth in the ley and create a much thicker sward helping to prevent weed growth.
Grass Harrowing
Grass Harrowing is used to drag out thatch, dead grass, making way for new growth. Grass Harrowing will help to remove moss and weeds as well as help to level ground and mole hills, as the thatch is removed it allows air and light in, letting new grass to shoot and grow by increasing sward density helping to stop weeds taking hold and smothering grass. It will also help distribute any manure that is around, helping it to rot and release nutrients, allowing sunlight and air to kill dormant worm eggs.
Paddock Rolling
Paddock Rolling is usually carried out in the spring once the weather has started to dry up. There are two types of roller flat and ridged. Ridged or Cambridge rolls are for rolling newly seeded virgin ground. Flat ballasted rollers are for established grassland.
During flat rolling, the grass is compressed, which makes it spread out, creating a thicker sward and preventing helping to prevent weeds from appearing. Flattening uneven ground, created by livestock, tractors and vehicles can be removed. We usually carry out paddock rolling after harrowing which helps push any stones back into the field that has been pulled up by the harrows.
Ridged Cambridge rolls are excellent for rolling new leys and making sure that the seed is in contact with the ground. Germination is a lot quicker and flourishing after using this machine.
Soil Aerating
Soil Aeration if often overlooked but has an essential part to play in paddock and pasture maintenance.
Livestock, machinery and heavy rain during the winter months tend to compact the ground. Inadequate drainage, reduced runoff creates an environment that is more favourable to weeds, moss and disease, which produces less grass and unhealthy soil.
Soil Aeration reduces soil compaction and ensures better drainage. Aerated soil allows oxygen in and grassroots to grow deeper into the earth, which helps the plant to survive better during dry spells and become more productive. Soil Aeration helps to reduce thatch which is made up of old grass roots and stems that accumulate faster than they break down. A build-up of thatch can create an environment that encourages weeds and disease.
Overseeding
Paddocks that are worn, damaged and poached after a long, wet winter can be brought back full life with our overseeding and rejuvenation service.
Muddy and worn pastures are a common occurrence after the colder months, and as a landowner, it is essential to get them back into good condition for a productive year.
Overseeding should also be a part of ongoing maintenance overtime for long term leys. Over a while, pasture and paddocks may become poached and thin due to many factors including, overgrazing, lousy drainage and neglect. Long term leys should last for a period of to five years before they are ploughed up and resown. If this happens, it may be sometime before the field can be in full production again. Overseeding will prolong the life of pasture and paddocks and make it far more productive. There is no need for ploughing or cultivation, and the land is back in productive use in a matter of weeks. Overseeding farm stewardship schemes and field boundaries with our equipment is very efficient and economical.