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Growing Grass
crop nutrition advice
Everything you need to know about grass or grass-clover mixture fertilization, best practice, suitable products, field trials and more.
Crop nutrition advice for growing grass (Poaceae)
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Grass performs best in soils with a minimum pH of 4.8-5.0.
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Grass and clover performs best in soils with a minimum pH of 5.2-5.5.
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Every single cut needs to be fertilized with organic and/or mineral fertilizer.
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The first cut always needs a mineral sulfur application.
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Fertilization with sodium, copper, cobalt, and selenium is needed for the health of the animals when soil levels are low.
Grass and clover with Polysulphate
Grass field after cutting
Nutrient requirements
Nutrient requirements in kg/ha for dry matter yield of 12 ton/ha
| N | P2O5 | K2O | MgO | SO3 | Na2O | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kg/ha | kg/ha | kg/ha | kg/hz | kg/ha | kg/ha | |
| Aboveground | 350 | 105 | 430 | 50 | 125 | 50 |
Recommendation of the different nutrients depends on soil fertility.
Dynamics of nutrient uptake over a mowing season or meadow-cuts on grass
The nutrients are distributed over 4 to 5 mowing- or meadow cuts.
Nitrogen: The first cut gets the highest application and after that each cut gets a lower application, e.g. 120-80-50-40.
Phosphate, potassium, magnesium and sodium: divide the required nutrients equally over the different cuts.
Sulfur: 100 kg/ha of mineral SO3 to be given before the first cut on sandy soil 75 kg/ha on clay soils and 50 kg/ha on peat soils in addition to any organic fertilizer application.
Role of nutrients
| Key parameter | N | P2O5 | K2O | MgO | SO3 | Na2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry matter yield | + | + | + | + | + | |
| Protein content | + | + | + | + | + | |
| Palatability of grass | + | + | + | |||
| Digestibility of grass | + | + | + | + | + |
Q&A
Here are some frequently asked questions we received from farmers regarding grass.
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Grass cannot uptake sulfur in organic form. Organic sulfur from organic matter or slurry first has to mineralize in the soil. This process starts with higher soil- temperature (>7°C). So for the first cut a mineral sulfur application is needed for all soil types.
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This depends on the amount of slurry. In many countries the amount of slurry is too low to reach the yearly potassium uptake of grass (36 kg/ha/ton dry matter).
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In many countries it advised to use mineral sulfur-fertilizers with an organic certificate like Polysulphate, Gypsum and Kieserite.
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Our usual recommendation is 150 kg/ha SO3 on clay soil; 100 kg/ha on peat soil and 200 kg/ha on a sandy soil. To be given only for the first cut.
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Grass does not need any micro-nutrients for yield. Micro-nutrients like copper, selenium and cobalt, and also the macro-nutrient sodium, are needed for the health of the animals.
