Restoration Using Green Hay FINAL - Magnificent Meadows
Restoring species-rich grassland using green hayGreen hay, taken from a species-rich donor siteand spread on a species-poor recipient site, isanother method of restoring and recreatingwildflower grasslands. Green hay is harvestedwildflowers and grasses just as they areshedding seed and still ‘green’. The hay isquickly transferred to the species-poorrecipient site where it is spread allowing theseed to drop. Green hay can be relativelycheap; however the logistics of transferring thehay quickly need to be carefully planned. Thismeans that the donor and recipient sites mustbe close together. Using green hay can be avery successful method of undertakinggrassland restoration and recreation
suitable products and do not usealongside waterways). It may take morethan one year to control these plantsand should to be done with enough timefor to be effective. Using herbicidesafter restoration will also killwildflowers and grasses. The recipientsite is not suitable if it has a high weedproblem and an alternative site shouldbe chosen.Site preparation All wildflowers have a range ofenvironmental limits. If soil nutrients,or pH or water levels differ between thedonor and recipient, this may affect thegermination and spread of the plants.Undertaking soil nutrient tests is a goodmethod to find out whether the landfalls within the expected range oftolerance of most plants. If theenvironmental limits are exceeded,then seeds may not germinate, so it isimportant to research the currentconditions. If the current conditions arenot suitable for restoration, go to theinformation about stripping soilnutrients or consider wildflowers thatcan tolerate slightly more fertileconditions.Identification of a suitable donor site isimportant. The donor and recipient sitesshould have a similar pH, soil textureand moisture. There may be limitedgermination if seed harvested fromcalcareous grassland is spread ontoacidic soil, for example. The donor and recipient grasslands needto be in close proximity to one another.Once green hay is cut and gatheredtogether, it heats up very quickly whichcan make the seeds infertile. Theoperation of gathering the hay,transportation and spreading should beundertaken in the shortest timepossible; recommended within an hourand definitely within half a day. The future management of the recipientsites needs to be planned beforeundertaking the restoration.Appropriate fencing, access and watertroughs may need to be installed priorto restoration or recreation if futureplans involve livestock grazing. If thesite lacks specific minerals essential forlivestock these could be made availableusing mineral licks. Control problem weeds such as docks,thistles and nettles, either by handpulling, or spot-spraying (seek advice on Create a short vegetation sward in therecipient field during the precedingautumn and spring, before restoration.The objective is to create bare ground at least 50% - as all wildflower and grassseed need to touch bare soil. They alsorequire a low level of competition withany vegetation already present to beable to germinate and survive. If your recipient site is a grassland,create 50% bare ground in June to MidJuly by:oallowing livestock (ponies, cattle andsheep) to graze the recipient field,reducing vegetation growth. Therecipient site should not be poachedby livestock hooves. Poaching (orpugging) is where cattle, ponies andsheep leave pock-marks with theirhooves in grassland, particularly afterwet weather, on clay soils with poordrainage. This denudes large areas ofany vegetation and can cause damage,particularly compaction. It can alsoincrease weeds such as docks.Livestock should be removed from thefield if there is very wet weather or ifpoaching in gateways or along fencelines starts to become apparentolivestock grazing can be by pulsegrazing (increasing, and thendecreasing, the number of livestockfor a short period of time) or byextensive grazing (a lower number oflivestock are allowed to graze for alonger period) to reduce thevegetation cover and create bareground. This is not an exact science,and livestock should be removed ifthey start to cause damage or there is
notenoughfodder.Alternatively, animals could be added toincrease the amount of grazing andcreation of bare ground.odo not supplementary feed livestock(giving them additional hay or silageon top of the vegetation growing in thefield).oadditionally or alternatively, scarifythe field using a disc and/or chainharrow. Tine harrows can also be usedto remove grass thatch.o a combination of livestock grazing andmechanical management is useful inthe first instance to create bareground.If your recipient site is an arable field,create bare ground in early July by:ocultivating the field but not sowing acrop - leave the ground bare.odo not fertilise the land, aswildflowers and grasses want lownutrient levels compared with arablecrops.othere is no need to graze the recipientsite as the bare ground is createdthrough cultivation. If there are historical features on yourland, consult with the relevantauthority on your proposed works, assoil disturbance to create bare groundcan be damaging to buriedarchaeological features. Creating bare ground may stimulateproblem weeds to grow such as thistles,docks and ragwort which may needcontrolling.Active restoration / recreation Green hay relies on taking a hay cut justas the majority of flowering plantsbegin to set seed.ofor large donor fields, or where a lot ofmaterial needs to be cut, the mostpractical method for harvesting is touse a tractor and forage harvester.The material can either be transferredinto a muck spreader towed behind atractor for spreading across larger
recipient fields. Alternatively, if asmaller amount of green hay isrequired or the material is needed indifferent fields, it could be transferredinto the back of a trailer and spread byhand, or tied into small bales andspread by hand.oooSmaller fields, less than 1 hectare,could be strimmed. The hay could betransported and spread from the backof a trailer. This can take a longerperiod of time allowing the hay to heatup,and may lead to a greater seeddrop in the donor grassland.A ratio of 1:3 should be used for donorsite collected hay to spreading hay onthe recipient site. As a consequence, asmaller donor field is neededcompared with the recipient field.Any clumps of spread green hay shouldbe scattered using pitch forks tocreate an even covering of green hay. The seeds from the green hay need tobe put in contact with the soil togerminate. This can either be done byrolling the recipient field straight afterthe seed has been spread, or by puttingout livestock, particularly cattle. Vegetation growth should be restrictedin the autumn of the first year toreduce any competition for germinatingseeds. This is particularly important inrecipient fields that were already undergrass as clump-forming grasses,including cock’s-foot and Yorkshire fog,can be very competitive and covernewly germinating seeds. Eitherlivestock, particularly cattle or ponies,can be put into the field to eat thegrasses if they are getting high, or anextra cut can be undertaken in lateautumn. Neither grazing nor cuttingshould be undertaken if this will causeground problems, for example, in wetfields that may be prone to livestockpoaching or compaction by heavymachinery. Management of the donor grasslandshould be undertaken as usual, treatingthe green hay cut as if it was a normalhay cut. If aftermath grazing is theusual management, this should becontinued. The only difference betweennormal hay cut management and takinggreen hay is the timing as green hay istaken slightly earlier. Green hay should only be taken onceevery three years from donor grassland.Taking it more often may start toremove too much seed-rain from thefield and it may become impoverished.The donor grassland should be treatedas normal during the intervening yearsto maintain the wildflowers and grasses.Post-restoration /-recreation management Most grassland wildflowers areperennial. Seeds germinating in the firstyear of restoration may only form arosette of leaves and not flower. Theseplants will bloom from the second yearonwards. The exception to this is yellowrattle, which is an annual flower and ahemi-parasite of grasses. It helps reducethe number and vigorousness of grassesand is a beneficial plant in grasslandrestoration and recreation. If there is a good amount of vegetationgrowth over the winter, put a lownumber of livestock back onto therecipient site in the first year followingrestoration. The objective is just toreduce the vegetation and not to createbare ground. Be careful that thelivestock do not nibble young shoots ofyellow rattle; they should be removed ifthis starts to happen. During the flowering season of April toJuly in the first year, do not graze thedonor and recipient fields – this willallow flowers to bloom, particularlyyellow rattle. This is called ‘shuttingup’ the fields. From mid-July / August onwards take ahay cut from the recipient field. Cuttingthe vegetation too early will remove any
yellow rattle that has grown before ithas had a chance to set seed. Haymaking is traditionally undertaken bymowing the field and leaving the cutvegetation to dry. It should be turned atleast once a day to aid the dryingprocess and loosen seeds allowing themto drop out of the hay. The hay is thenbaled and taken away for livestockfodder over the winter. From mid-July / August onwards take ahay cut from the recipient grassland.Cutting the vegetation too early willremove any yellow rattle that hasgerminated and grown before it has hada chance to set seed. Hay making istraditionally undertaken by mowing thefield and leaving the cut vegetation todry. It should be turned at least once aday to aid this process, and loosen seedsallowing them to drop out of the hay.The hay is then baled and taken away touse as fodder over the winter.Leaving wide margins uncut around theedge of the fields will provide nectarand pollen for pollinators (bees,hoverflies, beetles, wasps etc.) over thesummer and early autumn. Also, cuttinghay across the field, or from the centreoutwards, allows insects and animals toescape; cutting around the outside ofthe field first can trap wildlife in theuncut field centre. Once the grass has started to re-sprout,it should be grazed by livestock. This istermed aftermath grazing and helps tocontrol the grasses that can be morevigorous than wildflowers. If pasture management is desired, therecipient field should be shut-upbetween April and July/August,followed by livestock grazing into theautumn. Livestock should be removed in theautumn if the fields become wet toprevent poaching the ground. An earlyspring graze could be undertaken ifthere has been grass growth over thewinter period but livestock should beremoved for the ‘shut’ period to allowwildflowers to grow and bloom.Green hay is an excellent method of preservingthe local identity of wildflower grasslands. It isalso an effective method of enhancing thewildflowers in a species-poor field. A concernusing green hay is that early flowering plantsmay have already shed their seeds and lateflowering plants may still be in flower when thegreen hay is taken. These plants are missed,and additional enhancement of specificwildflowers may be needed in the future.For more information see Natural England’sTIN063 Sward enhancement: diversifyinggrassland by spreading species-rich green hay.
Restoring species-rich grasslands using green hay timelinePrior to -restoration Year 1AutumnWinterSpringSummerAutumnPost-restoration Year 2WinterSpringSummerAutumnSite preparationKeep the sward shortCreate bare groundActive restoration / recreationCut green hay at donor site,transport green hay and spreadon recipient siteRoll recipient field or putlivestock on to tread the seedsinto the soilPost-restoration / recreation management treating the field as a hay meadowGraze fields (remove livestockover the winter)Shut up fieldsHay cutAftermath grazing (removelivestock over the winter)Shut up fieldsHay cutAftermath grazing (removelivestock over the winter)If the grasslandis being treatedas pasture,instead of haycutting putlivestock on thefield to grazefrom mid-July /August onwardsinto the autumn.Continuation ofhay meadow /pasturemanagement infuture years
the green hay cut as if it was a normal hay cut. If aftermath grazing is the usual management, this should be continued. The only difference between normal hay cut management and taking green hay is the timing as green hay is taken slightly earlier. Green hay should only be taken once every three years from donor grassland.
The critical steps in hay-making are the following: Grass - both natural and planted - can be . used for hay-making. Legumes can also be used for hay-making, and these can be mixed with grass. Hay can be stored in heaps or bales. Loose hay can be heaped into a dome-shaped stack and covered with a plastic sheet. Hay can also be baled to reduce
Image restoration techniques are used to make the corrupted image as similar as that of the original image. Figure.3 shows classification of restoration techniques. Basically, restoration techniques are classified into blind restoration techniques and non-blind restoration techniques [15]. Non-blind restoration techniques
Making High Quality Grass Hay and Missed Perceptions Grass hay is so hard to make Grass hay takes so long to dry Grass hay must lay in the windrow for 10 days before baling No such thing as 'high quality' grass hay
Image restoration techniques are used to make the degraded or corrupted image as similar as that of the original image. Fig. 1 shows classification of restoration techniques. Basically, restoration techniques are classified into blind restoration techniques and non-blind restoration technique. Non-blind restoration techniques are further
Acid detergent fiber (ADF) & Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) . EWE requirements HAY content WEEKS OF GESTATION Energy content of grass hay and energy requirements of ewes. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 T 0 5 10 15 ON20 EWE Requirements HAY contnet WEEKS OF GESTATION Protein content of grass hay and protein requirements of ewes .
Figure 4. This manufactured hay feeder with a roof accommodated two hay bales and offered some protection from rain. (Photo credit: Matt Webb). Figure 3. This producer used two pieces from a 3-piece skirted hay ring. This feeder is either chained or bolted to the posts. Feeders placed close to hay storage reduces the amount of time required for .
Facts of Hay: Legume (alfalfa and clover) hay is higher in protein and energy than grass hay; there-fore, you need to feed more (weight) grass hay then legumes. Grass hay will keep the horse busy eating longer, preventing boredom. Second and third cutting hays are higher in protein (18-24%) and energy than first cutting.
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND CONFEDERATION, 1774-1787 87 . Thomas Paine, a recent English imntigrant to the colonies, argued strongly for what until then had been considered a radical idea. Entitled Common Sense, Paine's essay argued in clear and forceful language for the colonies becoming independent states and breaking all political ties with the British monarchy. Paine argued that it was .
