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Growing Grass crop nutrition advice
Growing Grass crop nutrition advice
Everything you need to know about grass or grass-clover mixture fertilisation, best practice, suitable products, field trials and more.
Crop nutrition advice for growing grass
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Grass performs best in soils with a pH at minimum level of 4,8-5,0.
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Grass-clover performs best in soils with a pH at minimum level of 5,2- 5,5.
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Every single cut needs to be fertilised with organic and/or mineral fertiliser.
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It is recommended that a mineral sulphur application is used for every cut
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Fertilisation with sodium, copper, cobalt and selenium is needed for the health of the animals when soil levels are low.
Nutrient requirements
Nutrient requirements in kg/ha for dry matter yield of 12 ton/ha
| N | P | K | MgO | SO | Na2O | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kg/ha | Kg/ha | Kg/ha | Kg/ha | Kg/ha | Kg/ha | |
| Grass (silage) (Reference section 3 RB209) | 250 | 50 | 100 | 12 | 50 | 50 |
Recommendation of the different nutrients depends on soil fertility.
Dynamic of nutrient uptake of a silage crop
The nutrients are distributed over several cuts.
Nitrogen: The first cut gets the highest application and after that each cut gets a lower application.
Phosphate, potassium, magnesium and sodium: divide the required nutrients equally over the different cuts.
Sulphur: 50 kg/ha of mineral SO3 to be given before the first cut. 50 kg/ha for every cut after that.
Role of nutrients
| Key parameter | N | P2O5 | K2O | MgO | SO3 | Na2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry matter yield | + | + | + | + | + | |
| Protein content | + | + | + | + | + | |
| Palatability of grass | + | + | + | |||
| Digestibility of grass | + | + | + | + | + |
Grass field with Polysulphate applied
Grass field after cutting
Grass trials
Q&A
Here are some frequently asked questions we received from farmers regarding grass.
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Grass cannot uptake sulphur in organic form. Organic sulphur from organic matter or slurry first has to mineralise in the soil. This process starts with higher soil- temperature (>7°C). So for the first cut a mineral sulphur 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 sulphur-fertilisers 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.
Related Crops
Explore crop nutrition for other related crops
