Weed competition can be significant in autumn reseeds and should be controlled to give young grass the best chance to establish and flourish.

Having a strategy to control the problem is vital to protect grassland from yield losses over the coming months. Late summer and early autumn can be a popular time for reseeding as yield loss is minimised and new seedbeds have plenty of time to settle and establish over winter.

 Dave Gurney, Corteva's Field Technical Manager for grassland crop protection said:

"Check new leys regularly for any signs of weed infestation and act quickly to control them. In new leys it's important to tackle problem weeds such as chickweed and seedling docks early, before they damage the ley's performance and become a more significant problem."

 Controlling weeds is easier and cheaper when they are small, and the roots haven't fully developed.

 "Broad-leaved weeds are best controlled when the grass has reached the three true leaf stage," said Dave. "If you've chosen this autumn to reseed any poor-performing leys, make sure you give them the best start and protect them with the right weed control.

 "Autumn treatment of newly sown leys will remove competition from the establishing grasses and clovers at a time when they are least able to compete with broad-leaved weeds. This will enable the ley to get well established before the onset of winter and, so long as the ley isn't poached before animals are removed, it will be in good condition to grow actively in the spring with minimal competition.

 "A good establishment of a newly sown ley will normally result in better grass yields for many years to come. There probably hasn't been a more important time to maximise home-grown forage than now."

 Envy® is an excellent solution for weed control in newly sown leys and is best applied six to eight weeks after reseeding. It gives good grass safety when used on new sown leys.

 Envy's wide weed spectrum includes chickweed, mayweeds, buttercups, dandelions, seedling docks and at the higher dose rate will also control docks which are growing from root fragments. Envy is available in a 3-litre pack and can be applied between 1 February and 30 November at 1.0-1.5 litres/ha, making it ideal for autumn reseeds.

Dave says: "Like most herbicides, Envy is not safe to clover. However, it is worth including clover in the mixture, in case weed control isn't necessary. Where clover is killed in situations where weed control is undertaken, this can be stitched in later – around three months after application."

 For more information and support go to corteva.uk/crops/grassland