Undersowing/direct drilling

Undersowing puts new seed into an existing pasture without ploughing it up. A direct drill cuts narrow slots through the sward and places the seed in them, so the paddock stays in grass while the new plants come through.

It is a way of lifting a pasture that has thinned out, rather than starting again. DairyNZ's guide to pasture renewal methods says undersowing works very well in the narrow window when a pasture has thinned out but has not yet been overtaken by weeds, and suits large areas after extended dry conditions or after winter pugging damage.

Direct drilling is used for new grass and new crops as well. The seed goes straight into the ground with little or no cultivation, which saves passes over the paddock. Where a paddock does need working up first, our cultivation and planting service covers that.