Lowland Meadow Creation

What is Lowland Meadow?

Marden Meadow SSSI, one of the best examples of unimproved neutral grassland in Kent, is a Marden treasure. Farmed with pre-WW2 methods until the death of its last farming owner, it is now owned by Kent Wildlife Trust. It is also Lowland Meadow Priority Habitat. Orchid hunters arrive from all over the country to see the meadows at their peak in May when the green-winged orchids are spectacular. It is the Coronation Meadow for Kent.

In the last century, 97% of species-rich grasslands such as this have been lost. You can’t simply sow orchid seed into fields and expect them to grow. Creating wildflower meadows is complicated and takes a long time.  So, what are we doing about this in Marden?

Improved Grasslands

Most UK-produced lamb and beef is fed predominantly on grass, hay, and silage, with minimal cereal inputs, in contrast to more intensive systems elsewhere in the world. Our temperate climate grows good grass, and animals grazing in the open air are healthier and better able to express their natural behaviours than those raised indoors.  All the time spent on pasture is time when livestock are not filling slurry lagoons, and their grazing on pastures increases biodiversity. There is science to suggest that meat which is more slowly raised on grass may be higher in micronutrients than intensively reared meat.

Most modern grass meadows are termed improved grasslands, which have been sown with a mixture of strong-growing grasses. Hybrid strains of rye-grass (Lollium) and timothy (Phleum) grow vigorously to provide grass for livestock and produce silage or hay for winter feed.  These high-performance leys, sometimes with the addition of clovers for protein, need applications of fertiliser to boost growth, and often herbicide control of weeds such as docks, thistles, or nettles.

Improved meadows tend to look green and even for most of the year. Grass leys are often renewed every few years by reseeding. Grasslands usually have higher soil carbon content than arable land, and the grass  cover and roots protect the soil from erosion.

‘Improved’ Improveds?

Some farmers prefer to produce livestock less intensively to reduce artificial inputs, so will sow mixtures including many different grasses and herbs which are less dependent on fertiliser inputs. The legume plants in the mixture help feed the grasses in the mix, as well as supplying protein to grazing animals. More species in the mixture can bring in pollinators, such as bees, wasps, and hoverflies.

Regenerative farmers use different grazing techniques such as mob grazing, and the many plant species in their swards improve soil health. Fast-growing ryegrass leys are not suitable for this.   Healthy soils produce more grass for less fertiliser, reducing the carbon footprint of meat production.

Traditional breeds of cattle are more suited to a lower-input diet, for example our own local Sussex cattle, bred from the cattle that roamed the Weald hundreds of years ago, and which were used for ploughing as well as for meat.

Semi-improved Grasslands and Species-rich Grasslands

Permanent grasslands with a range of grasses and herbs. The distinction between these two categories denotes the number of different plant species in them.   They are not routinely reseeded, so the local flora has a chance to establish naturally over time. In Marden, where soils hover between pH 5 and 7, the natural grassland type is neutral or mesotrophic grassland.  Our local grasslands have a very different flora to downland meadows, but at their best are as complex and biodiverse. Management of these grasslands is critical to their success as habitat, with no fertiliser input other than the occasional cowpat.  The aim is to have low levels of the major plant nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorus in particular) so that flower species can compete better with more vigorous weeds and grasses. In permanent grasslands, soil carbon content increases and is retained.  Recent data for local meadows shows a 100% increase in soil carbon content in 4 years.

Lowland Meadows – Unimproved or recreated

Our best local example of these is Marden Meadow SSSI.  Classifying a meadow as Lowland Meadow means that it is registered on the Priority Habitat Inventory as a Section 41 habitat of Principle Importance.  It can’t be ploughed up and must be considered in local planning matters. The plants in the meadows are the tip of the iceberg, as there are communities of wildlife dependent on the habitat’s condition being maintained for their survival.   Notable insects in Marden’s Lowland Meadows include Small Heath butterflies and Long-horned bees.  Hunting over them at night are Serotine bats, a declining species. What we can’t usually see is the hidden life of the soil, its bacteria and fungi, whose influence is hinted at by the plant species above ground.

Lowland Meadow plants

Can you create a Lowland Meadow?

We hope so.  There are some grasslands, such as the SSSI, which have not been ploughed in living memory. We hope to replicate them in time.  Lowland Meadow is not considered irreplaceable habitat, in the same way as Ancient Woods are, but we know that they take a long time and precise management to achieve.   We have no way of knowing, without detailed analysis of soil fungi, how far our younger meadows have progressed towards parity with the SSSI, but the signs are good.  Meadow indicator species are increasing in them, along with an increase in meadow invertebrates. Natural England farm officers have been advising throughout the project and are encouraged by its progress. It was highlighted to Tony Juniper, NE’s Chair ,when he and others from NE visited Marden in November 2023.

Cattle and sheep grazing and haymaking after midsummer are vital management tools to produce a flower-rich sward. Different grazing species have different jaw anatomies and nutritional needs, so provide differing grazing ‘services’ to the formation of the meadow.  Cattle trample the sward, opening gaps for flowers to germinate. Trampled plants break down in the soil and keep it healthy.   With local conservation meadows, cattle grazing is more desirable in summer, but cattle must come off the pastures when the autumn rains start, otherwise these heavy animals can damage the sward.  Sheep as follow-on grazers are useful for taking the sward down low ready for spring flowers to emerge. This is a technique used on the SSSI, to encourage Green-winged orchids.  It’s important to make any hay cuts after midsummer to allow meadow flowers to drop their seed back into the meadow before the hay is collected.

Spreading green hay (fresh-cut grass which is full of wildflower seedheads) or even freshly baled dry hay, can be used to spread plant  species from one site to another.

Some agents of meadow restoration:

Yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor)  a hemiparasitic plant, is often found in old haymeadows, and is a conservation aid.  Although able to photosynthesise, it takes nutrients from surrounding grasses, suppressing their growth and allowing other flowers to thrive. It gets its name from the rattling sound of ripe seeds when the plant is shaken.

Yellow meadow ants (Lasius flavus) have been found to increase species diversity in plants and invertebrates if present in meadows, to the extent that in establishing conservation meadows. It may even be desirable to introduce them where they haven’t already established.