How to reclaim/improve pasture?

[felonius]

I have about 15 acres of pasture/fields in central Virginia that haven't been mowed and were only minimally grazed (by horses) for many years. I've spent the past year or so cutting monthly with a John Deere 5205 and a Woods 84" rotary cutter at progressively lower heights (I'm now at about as low as I can get with it). This seems to have taken care of most of the more scraggly stuff (privet, nettles, etc.) that had been growing in the field. Still there's lots of thatch and the grass is not that full or green.

What should be my next steps to improve the grass?

Get a finish mower to lower/improve the cut?
Get a rake or other implement to clear some of the thatch?
Rent some sort of aerator to open up the soil?
Get a soil test and lime and/or fertilize?
Overseed?

And in what sequence should I start with any or all of the above?

I'm new to all of this, so any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

[art]

The first thing to get a good stand no matter what you plant is to be sure that the field has the proper neutreints that it needs to grow a good crop. I'd be doing soil tests first as it may take a year to improve the field enough so the weeds don't win and you waste your time and money!
Lime is important to the fertilizer to even be able to work!!! The trade off would be twice as much as if the field would have a good PH rating. The other thing we've noticed, fields with good PH don't have as much trouble with weeds which like sour soil. Sorry but sweet soil is high in PH and sour needs it. A cooperative extension office would be able to guide you to a place for proper testing.
This should be done before any type of planting or tillage as I said earlier it often takes a year or two to bring the PH up to par depending on it's current levels.

[redlevel]

Soil test should be first priority.

What kind of grass is it? Some types of grass, if they go dormant during the winter, greatly benefit from burning in late Winter or early Spring. It really gets rid of a lot of thatch.

Most of the research I have seen here in GA indicate that the aerators and implements of that type don't really do that much good. I have seen recommendations here in GA for subsoiling with a subsoiler that cuts a very narrow trench. This helps do away with the hardpan, and allows water to go into the soil rather than running off. I believe the article I read said to do this on wide spacing, something like six feet, and to come back the next year in the middles.

Some perennial grasses respond to being disturbed, like by shallow discing or dragging something like a chisel plow through them. Of course, I'm relating everything to bermudagrass, which I am sure isn't what you have. Some of the same methods might work, though.

[felonius]

Ok, so the first thing I'm going to do (tomorrow actually) is to go to our local coop and get some soil testing done. I had dinner tonight with a long time famer who lives down the road, and he gave the same advice as both of your posts.

I'm curious about the burning comment. I have heard about this, but how is it done? The only burning I've seen done is a controlled burn in woods to clear undergrowth. Is it similar for a pasture? Do you burn the pasture in a controlled way so that the native grasses re-seed after the burn?

Not sure what grass is in the pasture now. Looks to me like quite a bit of some sort of fescue, but I'm not sure.

[Egon]

I'd recommend a soil test, cultivation and reseeding to desired grass species.

[Farmwithjunk]

First step is the soil test. I'd also contact local Soil and Water District/County Extention Agent for their localized recommendations. Those folks are mucho helpful around here anyway.

To deal with simular problems here, it's usually best to start over. Deep rip/subsoil/chisel plow to break up compaction. Then work FIRM level seedbed and seed. Some folks opt for chemical burndown (round-up) and no-till re-seed directly in to old sod, letting nature run her course to reduce compaction. (freeze/thaw "heaving" action, and earthworms) Over the years, I've seen a lot of people have a lot of success by mowing the pasture as short as they can, discing once or twice, then broadcast seeding, finally running a cultipacker over everything. Grass seed needs soil contact, firm seedbed, sunlight, and water. Not knowing if it's commonly grown in your area, consider adding some (to quite a bit) of alfalfa to your seed mix. It improves soil structure. Nature will deal with the compaction in time. Your part would then be to reduce or eliminate future compaction.

[Z-Michigan]

I have a similar setup now and will be doing the same thing in the near future! BTW I posted a thread in the projects forum back in January about creating pastures. Might be an interesting read.

I would be inclined to do something to scrape up the surface - like a disc, chisel plow or field cultivator - and then plant a fast growing grass like annual ryegrass to choke out all the competing weeds. Then I would plant my perennial pasture crop this coming fall - probably a mix including alfalfa or clover, for the same reasons farmwithjunk said. They add nitrogen and have deep roots that will help aerate the soil.

[IslandTractor]

Will a drag harrow (the type that looks a bit like a chain link fence with barbs) do a good enough job at scraping up the surface before overseeding? I have a landscape rake but that really rips the existing grass right off and what I really want to do is supplement the existing turf, not replace it.

[Z-Michigan]

Originally Posted by IslandTractor

Will a drag harrow (the type that looks a bit like a chain link fence with barbs) do a good enough job at scraping up the surface before overseeding? I have a landscape rake but that really rips the existing grass right off and what I really want to do is supplement the existing turf, not replace it.

That would probably work decently. Major question is what grass is in place now - if it is a sod-forming grass like bluegrass or brome, overseeding will be a lot more difficult than if it is a non-sod-forming grass (almost everything else that grows in the north).

There are dedicated overseeding tools that combine a mild scraping action with a seed drill and cultipacker. As you'd expect, they're ideal for overseeding. Probably way too much money to buy one if you aren't going to use it every week, but you might see if you can find one to rent.

[LoneCowboy]

Originally Posted by IslandTractor

Will a drag harrow (the type that looks a bit like a chain link fence with barbs) do a good enough job at scraping up the surface before overseeding? I have a landscape rake but that really rips the existing grass right off and what I really want to do is supplement the existing turf, not replace it.

Yes actually
do it twice
once on the agressive setting to tear up the ground a bit, then seed, then go over it with the harrow again (either flipped or on the least aggressive setting) to lay the dirt back down.

soil and grass conditions are very local.
What works in one locale may not work in yours. Talk with your county service agent, they can set you up correctly.