Rejuvenating pasture

[Pat]

You can't always just pick whatever grasses you think wold be nice and be successful over time as some of the grasses are way more agressive than others and the one will crowd out the other(s) so before you spend a lot of $ on various seed, check out the compatablility.

SOIL TESTS and then find out the nutritional needs of what it is that you select to plant/grow and ammend the soil to support your choice(s). I can't recommend totally avoiding chemical sprays, as any sort of religious dogma) in all situations but proper management practices can reduce your dependence on them, perhaps to the point of not needing them to get acceptable results.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Farmwithjunk]

Land that's been in use as pasture for years USUALLY suffers from soil compaction. Animals will "pack" soil like a steam roller.

Continued use as pasture or hay field will reduce soil nutrients over time. (fertilizer?)

Pastures, by their very nature, have lots of manure applied. That effects soil PH. Lime is ALMOST always needed.

Horses to a greater extent, and cows to a somewhat lesser extent will leave weed seed, and digest the "good stuff".

I'm currently renovating several pastures. I've been in contact with county extention agents, and a couple university websites. (Univ. of Kentucky and Purdue)

What is recommended varies from location to lacation, and in accordance to site conditions. But there are a few "common themes".

Have the soil tested. Not just for basic nutrients and PH, but for micro-nutrients also. Then develope a plan for applying such nutrients. If there is a need for a LOT, consider applying in stages, so the soil has a chance to absorb them before they leach away. That is especially usefull when applying lime, as soil generally takes up lime at a very slow rate. (Example.Say the soil needs 4000lbs per acre. Apply 2000 now and 2000 next spring, or next fall, then re-test)

After balancing the nutrient needs, consider tilling, chisel plowing, moldboard plowing, discing, or any number of ways to reduce compaction. (Chisel plowing or deep ripping being the best choice) You MAY want to total-kill the existing grass or weeds (via Glyphosate) before tillage, or as an option to tillage.

Then seed as needed. Use a good mix of species. Local seed vendors can usually be of great assistance in this area. They can tell you "what sells" and "what works", based on their experience. (I'm not talking about the cashier at Home Depot. Go to a "real" AG seed dealer)

Seed at highest recommended rates, but don't go OVER that. Over-crowding new grass or forage crops is as bad as it sounds.

Re-test soils every year. Adjust your plan as needed. Re-seed every year or two.

Once you have a cover established, keep it mowed at a constant highth. (Not too short either) That promotes good plant health, as well as eliminates some weeds. NOTHING works better to minimize weed growth than crowding it out with lush, healthy grass.

Finally, develope an annual weed eradication program. (For instance, if you have grass only, spray with 2,4-D in the early spring. You don't want to do this if you're growing clovers or alfalfa.) (2,4-D kills broadleaf plants/weeds) (Grazon is a good RESTRICTED USE chemical to keep pastures and hayfields weed-free)

There are as many GOOD ways to accomplish your desired results as there are seconds in the day. Get all your information together, then develope a "start to finish plan", and stick with it.

[Pat]

Grazon P+D is a good reason to take the time to get an applicators permit.

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[pigfarmer]

Hello, this is my first post though I've been lurking for awhile. I don't want to hijack this thread, but my question seems to go along in with this thread. I have a bit more than 6 acres (4-5 in pasture) in NW Washington State. My pasture is growing rather slowly for this time of year and I seem to have a lot of moss in the mix. I suspect that I need to lime it at a minimum. Can I lime over the existing grass, or do I need to bare the land? And, If I can lime over the grass, how long would it take to be able to graze the horses on it again?
Thanks for any and all help,
Steve

[Pat]

Steve, I'm not saying you can't visually appraise your land and know your soil condition (you might be psychic or prescient, or extremely experienced or... BUT... the best bet is to take some soil samples to your extension agent and for just a few bucks actually KNOW how your soil analyzes. Tell them what you want to grow and the sample analysis will tell you what you need to add to optimize that/those plants/grasses/whatever. Call your extension agent and he will tell you how to take the samples, how much dirt they need, and may even loan you a sample taking tool (not mandatory but simplifies the process.

Every year all around me folks are wasting money and time guessing how to fertilize/ammend soil based on anything but science. What is on sale at the store, what uncle Henry used that one time he won the prize for tomatos, what the OUIJA board recommends, etc. You waste time and money putting out nutrients that aren't needed and you miss an opportunity to put out the right thing if you don't know what it is or how much you need.

The only dumber pasture/lawn care activity I see all the time is putting out the wrong chemical herbicide, at the wrong time, at the wrong applicatiion rate based on the good ole boy down the way was doing it this week or it was on sale, or more is better, or whatever mumbo jumbo for whatever reason seems more appealing than identifying your target, selecting an effective chemical, and then applying the chemical at the right time to get more efficiency.

Can you believe people going out in drought or near drought conditions and wasting herbicide thinking the drought would be helping kill lthe weeds by stressing them! If it ain't growing it ani't gonna take in the poison! //RANT-MODE=OFF//

Nothing like making decisions based on solid information.

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