Ensuring a large and healthy root structure is key for farmers seeking to improve grassland and can help limit input costs.
“Following an incredibly wet six month period which has left grass looking sick in many parts of the country, it’s vital that farmers address the cause and not the symptoms of the problem”, says Simon Allen, senior lecturer at Harper Adams.
“A good deep root structure is absolutely vital in ensuring the plant has the ability to uptake the nutrients available to it.
A soil analysis should be conducted to ascertain which application rate is appropriate. In general, arable crops need a higher application rate than grass.
It’s very worthwhile having the pH of the soil tested advises Simon. “Don’t rely on appearance to assess pH, get a sample analysed. The target pH for grass is 6 to 6.2, and a lot of grassland is acidic.
“If soil pH is wrong, the nutrient store will be ‘locked up’ and unavailable to the plant and so an application of lime is often needed.
G-Lime acts to correct soil PH levels, Improving soil fertility and optimising crop and grass performance. G-LIME will help to neutralise acidic soils and replenish the nutrients that rainfall reduces. It can be spread using a conventional fertiliser spreader, will act quickly and lower application rates.
Click to find out more about G-Lime.