Slot seeding is best at worst
Slot seeding is best at worst
SLOT seeding is most effective in swards which need most rejuvenation. Thats the interim conclusion of trials undertaken by seed house Nickersons at its Humberside trials site. So far trials have shown slot seeding to be only 50% successful, says technical support manager Peter Schofield.
"Practical experience says the best results will come from the worst swards. It is obviously more difficult to see results in a good sward, and if the field is bare then results are much more obvious."
The company is looking at how different mixes perform when slot seeded, and which sward mixes they do best in.
"The right option is not always necessarily to use the same mix as the sward; the slot seeded mix has to be able to grow and compete in the existing sward," explains Mr Schofield.
He says that tetraploids and hybrids will often perform best as they emerge faster and are larger seeded, so have better reserves for competing.