[Jacob-list] Suggestions for top seeding meadows

[Shannon Phifer]

Hi Sue - We have had great success top seeding with annual rye grass.  We live in the grass seed capital of the world and have access to fairly inexpensive rye grass seed.  Annual rye grass is very aggresive and we are using it to choke out some of the less palatable grasses/weeds that we have in our pastures.  By top seeding you will lose some of the seed to the wind, birds, etc. but it is obviously much cheaper than drilling the seed.  You just need to use a seed that is aggressive enough to take hold.  Several of the grass seed farmers in the area like to say that annual rye grass will grow on a New York sidewalk in the middle of winter :)      
 
Shannon Phifer
Kenleigh Acres Farm
www.kenleigh-acres.com
That'll Do Photography
www.thatlldo.photoreflect.com




Message: 2
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 12:14:36 -0500
From: "Susan J Martin" <stcroft at ptd.net>
Subject: [Jacob-list] Suggestions for top seeding meadows
To: "Sheep E-mail List" <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Message-ID: <22DE625F4B994C4FA368877E703B758A at Ultra>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

We have several meadows for our sheep - probably totaling not over 6 acres.  We have bare spots and need to top seed and we thought we would just take advantage of the freeze/thaw situation here in southeast PA and scatter the seed in early Spring - like soon (well, after this current blizzard is over!)  Then I spoke with the seed distributor who told me that grass seed really doesn't do well in this application, that it is too light, will just blow away and won't germinate - that we should drill it in.  However, we are hobby shepherds - we have a 20 horse Kubota tractor, no drill, no cultipacker, etc.  So, can anyone on the list give me suggestions of how we can top seed - please don't suggest a landscaper to do the job because the cost would be prohibitive - it would be more economical to just let the bare spots and buy hay!!

Thanks......you guys always are so helpful.

Sue Martin
Stonecroft