Paddock Topping
Paddock Topping
Paddock topping is a vital aspect of pasture management, ensuring healthy grass swards, fewer weeds, and better grazing quality. At Greenside Maintenance, we specialise in paddock topping services across Surrey and West Sussex. Whether you manage land for horses, sheep, or cattle, our expert team helps enhance pasture growth, reduce undesirable vegetation, and maintain lush grazing conditions.
What Is Paddock Topping?
Paddock topping—sometimes referred to as bottoming—involves cutting tall, coarse grass, weeds, and old stemmy vegetation at a lower height than standard mowing. This process rejuvenates the pasture by:
- Stimulating fresh grass growth from the base
- Removing seed heads before they shed, reducing weeds
- Thickening the sward for greater resilience and grazing yield
Why Paddock Topping Matters
Promotes Stronger Regrowth
By cutting at a low height, topping encourages new shoots and healthier grass regrowth, making laminated pastures denser and more nutritious.
Controls Weeds Early
Removing stalky weeds such as thistle, ragwort, docks, and nettles before they flower helps prevent seed dispersal and future infestation.
Enhances Grazing Quality
Livestock prefer fresh green shoots rather than thick, fibrous plants. Topping promotes palatable pasture that supports better animal nutrition.
Increases Stocking Potential
A vigorous sward can sustain higher stocking rates—helping maximise pasture usage without compromising grass health.
Supports Pasture Management Cycles
Topping fits within pasture rotation plans—followed by grazing, harrowing, and reseeding—to support long-term pasture health.
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What we offer
Our Paddock Topping Services
We offer tailored paddock topping plans to suit your pasture and management needs:
Topping
Using flail or rotary mowers, we trim vegetation to around 100 mm (4 in), creating a clean, fresh sward bed—a height often ideal for grazing stock.
Topping
Topping during mid-spring to early summer aligns with peak grass growth. Late summer topping can refresh pastures before autumn dormancy.
Clearance
Ideal for neglected or overgrown paddocks, preparing for re-grazing or reseeding.
Designed across multiple paddocks or estates to maintain consistent pasture conditions and controlled grazing cycles.
We combine topping with harrowing, rolling, aeration, overseeding, and weed control—ensuring a holistic pasture improvement plan.
Benefits of the Greenside Maintenance Service
We understand grazing cycles, soil conditions, and pasture species common to local farms and landowners.
Our skilled teams use flail mowers, rotary cutters, tractors, and safety gear to deliver clean, efficient topping.
Topped vegetation is left to wilt and dry before grazing—preventing digestive upset in livestock.
Early topping suppresses seed heads, reducing reliance on herbicides and supporting organic approaches.
Quotes based on paddock size, access, vegetation type, and follow-up needs—no hidden fees.
Our Service Process
We assess field conditions, vegetation type, livestock schedule, and operational access.
We propose a tailored schedule—including topping frequency, seasonal timing, and optional services.
Our team performs precise topping, collects arisings if required, and ensures even pasture bed preparation.
We recommend leaving cuttings to dry for 7–14 days, depending on weather, before animals return.
We offer follow-up visits for harrowing, reseeding, aerating, or weed action as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Late summer is an essential time to remove any saplings and weeds that have not been grazed. Topping during this period helps maintain pasture quality. Topping at other times of the year will depend on pasture condition, weather, and the grazing rotation in place.
However, topping should be carried out frequently enough to prevent weeds from maturing and setting seed.
We typically trim to around 100 mm (4 in). Cutting lower risks damaging grass roots and bare patches.
Yes, if required, but let the swath dry and breakup first Harrowing removes minor humps breaks up clumps and helps to aerate the ground, while rolling flattens uneven areas—both improve seed-soil contact and drainage.
No. We advise a drying-off period—7–14 days depending on weather—to avoid digestive issues.
Absolutely. Topping prevents weeds from seeding and can be part of an integrated weed management plan.
Yes. We work with all paddock sizes, using suitable equipment to access restricted plots, garden paddocks, and estate parcels.
We can add selective weed control, harrowing, overseeding, and rolling, also ditching land drainage to improve grassland productivity.
Book Your Paddock Topping Survey
Maximise pasture potential and grazing quality with Greenside Maintenance’s expert paddock topping services in Surrey & West Sussex. From small paddocks to large estate runs, we deliver healthy, weed-suppressed, and productive grassland
service@greensidegardeners.co.uk
01428 645152