Topping

One of the most satisfying aspects of grassland management is keeping weeds in check giving summer pastures a boost. It simply consists of cutting unnecessary seed heads therefore stimulating vigorous growth. Most weeds don't like being cut, so topping in July, before seed drop, results in them becoming exhausted and perish. Poisonous ragwort becomes more palatable to stock when cut and dried. So the plants should be pulled up and burnt before the clusters of yellow flowers appear. An environmental method of ridding your pasture of ragwort is to graze it hard with sheep in spring. 

Regular topping of your paddocks helps to improve the grass sward by encouraging young growth as well as stimulating new root development. It also prevents many of the undesirable plants such as docks, nettles and thistles from going to seed, thus reducing the number of these plants in the future.

Far from reducing the amount of grass you have available, regular topping of your paddocks actually helps to increase the amount. Areas which may have been densely covered with dock or nettle patches for years can be converted to grassland, following a regular regime of topping.