Reseeding the only option in frost damaged leys

Commenting on ‘numerous cases’ of frost damage following the severe winter, Helen Mathieu of British Seed Houses says: “This kind of frost damage to new leys is likely to result in

irreparable damage to the seedlings. They will either have been snapped off at the roots, due to the movement of the soil, or will have withered and died due to a lack of soil contact.

“The first action should be to have a close look at the field and assess the cause of the bare patches. If the problem is due to frost heave, then it is unlikely that the bare patches willrecover, so overseeding is the best course of action.

Headlands

“Typically fields will be less affected on the headlands, where consolidation of the seedbed may have been better due to greater trafficking. In some cases, additional rolling may have helped prevent frost heave, but for many the problem has been caused by the extreme conditions over the autumn and winter.

“When overseeding, the most critical issue will be the availability of moisture in the seedbed. Many areas of the country will still be able to achieve a reasonable establishment through May, but others may be better to wait until after first or later silage cuts.”

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