To top or not to top, that is the question.

turfin · 25-06-2018 10:15AM #1

Running low on grass here like many in this weather. Paddocks just grazed have lots of long stemmy stuff the cattle wouldn’t eat. Every other paddock yet to graze is the same. In this weather with little or no growth; is it best to leave alone after grazing or to top to remove this stemmy grass? Would it be a worse for the award in very dry conditions to top? Would it have a better chance for regrowing in dry conditions with the stemmy stuff left there? The thistles are doing great of course, so topping would at least control these.

I’ve heard lads say that topped coarse grass is eaten if left for a day or 2 but that’s not what I’m seeing here. It’s dry stock I have.

mengele · 25-06-2018 10:17AM

turfin wrote: »

Running low on grass here like many in this weather. Paddocks just grazed have lots of long stemmy stuff the cattle wouldn’t eat. Every other paddock yet to graze is the same. In this weather with little or no growth; is it best to leave alone after grazing or to top to remove this stemmy grass? Would it be a worse for the award in very dry conditions to top? Would it have a better chance for regrowing in dry conditions with the stemmy stuff left there? The thistles are doing great of course, so topping would at least control these.

I’ve heard lads say that topped coarse grass is eaten if left for a day or 2 but that’s not what I’m seeing here. It’s dry stock I have.

I'm not topping anyway.

Say my name · 25-06-2018 10:31AM

If feel you've no choice but to top.
Use a fingerbar mower or an actual mower.

A topper shatters the grass and it might not come back till the rain comes.

whelan2 · 25-06-2018 10:51AM

Everywhere has either been topped or mowed here. Our land is heavy though.

_Brian · 25-06-2018 06:37PM

turfin wrote: »

Running low on grass here like many in this weather. Paddocks just grazed have lots of long stemmy stuff the cattle wouldn’t eat. Every other paddock yet to graze is the same. In this weather with little or no growth; is it best to leave alone after grazing or to top to remove this stemmy grass? Would it be a worse for the award in very dry conditions to top? Would it have a better chance for regrowing in dry conditions with the stemmy stuff left there? The thistles are doing great of course, so topping would at least control these.

I’ve heard lads say that topped coarse grass is eaten if left for a day or 2 but that’s not what I’m seeing here. It’s dry stock I have.

You’d need to leave dry stock hungry before they eat toppings, but hungry stock don’t grow so it’s counterproductive in my mind. Every day not growing is a day wasted.

_Brian · 25-06-2018 06:39PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Everywhere has either been topped or mowed here. Our land is heavy though.

We top away too whenever it’s needed.

turfin · 25-06-2018 06:51PM

It was just someone had posted somwhere that topped ground hadn’t grown. It seems to be one of those jobs that some people are dead against regardless all the same.

whelan2 · 25-06-2018 06:58PM

Make sure there's no ragwort in the toppings

wrangler · 25-06-2018 06:59PM

_Brian wrote: »

You’d need to leave dry stock hungry before they eat toppings, but hungry stock don’t grow so it’s counterproductive in my mind. Every day not growing is a day wasted.

But if you don't clean it off properly now you'll have worse repercussions on the next grazing.
We are where we are now and have to take steps not to make it worse, he probably should have cut half of it for fodder before grazing but you can't turn back the clock.
Ewes are loving the toppings here so I'm lucky

stretch film · 25-06-2018 07:30PM

wrangler wrote: »

But if you don't clean it off properly now you'll have worse repercussions on the next grazing.
We are where we are now and have to take steps not to make it worse, he probably should have cut half of it for fodder before grazing but you can't turn back the clock.
Ewes are loving the toppings here so I'm lucky

Ditto the maidens here . Higher intakes of lower quality stuff .A parity of sorts

Angus2018 · 25-06-2018 09:17PM

I topped one field 3 weeks ago and there was a good enough cover of grass, some leaf but a lot of steam. I topped another two fields 2 weeks and 1 week ago. Both have minimal growth and are dying back in places, burnt yellow.

I've stopped topping unless it was a field I hadn't already with weeds starting to seed. Anything topped now will just burn up but grass isn't growing either if you leave it. Its a lose lose situation really.

Nobbies · 25-06-2018 10:17PM

Park up the toppers/mowers for now in my opinion

Bleating Lamb · 25-06-2018 10:31PM

Anyone in Glas can’t top until July 1st.

squinn2912 · 25-06-2018 10:41PM

Only thing needing topped here is what dry stock were on I’m thinking of rejigging and letting the big drove of cows & calves in after them to nip it down after a few hours. Hassle moving them but as quick as topping anyhow and between 3 different batches it’ll give an extra day or 2 to their paddocks

Danzy · 25-06-2018 10:42PM

Topper put away for the last ten days. I'm not shy when it comes to topping at all but ground was drying hard and topping knocks a lot out of the grass, really slows it down. Im a bit concerned about future rotations at the moment.

In my view if your short let the Grass have all the strength it has to come back and deal with the dry conditions.

We look like getting rain at the weekend but who knows if it will only be for a few day and the dry back again. Who would be surprised if it rained this weekend and did not again till some day in August.

You know your own patch though and what it is doing in this weather, but my 5p is to hold back or the odd smaller paddock bit by bit if you feel you must.

To top or not to top, that is the question.

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