Applying new techniques is a challenge. It is often young people or people with a different background who dare to take the biggest steps.
Saladebuffetten are designed to achieve a high yield without fertilization. It can and does, show successful customers in different places and circumstances.
Fertilizing herb-rich grassland
Fertilizers and slurry are directly absorbable nutrients. They offer the plant the opportunity to absorb this quickly, without making use of the soil life.
Solid manure and variants thereof are converted by the soil life and thus offer their nutrition to the plants via the soil life. This maintains the connection between plants and soil life.
Fertilizing herb-rich grassland increases the cost price
By fertilizing herbal leys with fertilizer and slurry, the growth of grasses promotes and breaks the collaboration between plant and soil life. That connection between plants and soil life can be re-established at any time. Autumn and spring are the best periods for this, because the soil life is most active then.
The factors labour, machines and auxiliary materials (read capital) are used without good reason, so without return, this increases the cost price.
Are you familiar with Peter Drucker's statement about minimum effort;
“Cost are determined by the minimum effort required. Returns are determined by volume.”
The nutritional value of herbal leys after fertilization
Promoting grass growth has consequences for the mutual relationship between grasses, clovers and herbs in the crop.
The grasses have a lower nutritional value, the clovers and herbs have a higher nutritional value. The daily production and health of the livestock increase with the increase in the proportion of clovers and herbs in the ration.
Making good use of the drought resistance that herb-rich grassland offers
To keep enough kilos of milk per cow, it is important to keep herbal leys digestible and leafy. It is therefore obvious to include in a long crop (think of a crop height of 30 – 85cm). This improves the drought resistance!
Herbal leys is like a mirror; what is above the ground in dry matter, is also under the ground.
Take advantage of that large grazing space that a herbal leys grassland offers.
Keep the crop dense enough to ensure competition between plants, which keeps the cover dense and the plants leafy for a long time. Always graze and mow at the end of the high growth phase, leaving enough residue for soil life and keep the soil covered.
Tips for fertilizing herb-rich grassland
– Never fertilize with fertilizer – This disrupts the connection between plant and soil life
– Fertilize with slurry – Fertilize a maximum of 10 cubic meters per hectare after the 1st. cut in spring
– Fertilize with solid manure – Fertilize 10 – 20 cubic meters per hectare after the 1st. cut in spring
If you have any questions about fertilizingherbal leys, please contact us.
