1. Grazed grasslands
A sward at a range of heights, including some short grassland and some dense tussocks, will provide ideal conditions for a wide variety of plants and invertebrates. The sward should be at its longest in the summer, while plants are flowering and setting seed. Most grassland species germinate in the autumn or spring. The sward needs to be shorter at these times, so that there is light and space at ground level for new growth.
Neutral and acid grasslands
- Spring (April to May): Allow sward to grow to a height between 5 and 20 cm.
- Summer (June to August): Graze to maintain a sward height between 5 and 20 cm.
- Winter (September to March): Graze to reduce the sward height to between 5 and 15 cm.
Calcareous grasslands
- Spring (April to May): Allow sward to grow to a height between 2 and 15 cm.
- Summer (June to August): Graze to maintain a sward height between 2 and 15 cm.
- Winter (September to March): Graze to reduce the sward height to between 2 and 10 cm.
Measuring sward height in grasslands
The picture below shows how to measure grassland sward height. This is done by placing a hand on the sward to feel the level that most of the grass leaves reach. The flowering heads of grasses and herbs are not included in the measurements.
To check your sward height, you should walk over the whole grassland and stop to measure the height at 20 random points as you go. The sward height should be within the ideal heght range at 16 or more stops out of the 20.
2.Cut grasslands
A single cut is usually not sufficient to harvest the year's growth so hay meadows should be grazed after cutting. In the autumn, graze the sward down to between 5 and 15 cm.
Where grazing is impractical, two cuts per year are usually necessary to harvest the year's growth, so a second cut is normally required. The second cut mimics the effect of aftermath grazing on a hay meadow and should be either in late autumn or in spring. Cuttings must always be removed or they will smother the underlying vegetation.
Species-rich grasslands should not be cut more often than twice per year.
All cut grasslands
- Spring/Summer (April to mid-August): Allow sward to grow.
- Late summer (mid August to mid-September): Cut to a height between 5 and 10 cm and remove cuttings.
- Autumn (September to October) or Spring (April to May): Cut again to a height between 5 and 10 cm and remove cuttings.