Corn Field To Grass Field

[Crash20]

I like to have 5 Acres of old corn fields converted to grass. Any and all help will be appreciated.
Thanks Don

[Egon]

What will the Grass Field be used for?

[Crash20]

It will make that area look alot better, and just more mowing!

[AllWaysBreakinSomething]

I assume since you have a woods finish mower you will want to cut with that. I'd suggest grading the corn field somewhat to get rid of evidence of rows. There rough on finish mowers. If you don't have grass already you may want to borrow a scrape and level them somewhat. If you have your soil tested, you may want to spread some lime and fertilizer if seeding.

If you have all the money in the world and want a beautiful constantly having to cut field (We use this on our farm to maximize hay from fescue), Then add fertilizer, lime (if needed), lightly run a cultivator over it and spread seed.

If you have a dog.. Teach him to chase birds in his spare time. This will help with the grass seed disappearing.

Since we are in winter you may want to start with just the grading part. You will get some free grass before spring. Seed, fertilize, cultivate in spring.

Any leftover corn stalks will rot quickly if you chop them up with a cultivator. You will want to do this as early as possible to give them enough time to rot before spreading your seed.
Good luck...

[schmism]

sounds like it needs to be disk'd and something like this afterward to smooth it out.

called a conditioner i think



then spred your seed. search for it on the boards. there was a good discussion earlyer in the fall about spreding grass seed. i was shocked at how many pounds of seed it takes. (its a lot relitivly speeking)

[drssg]

Our property had about 24 acres of corn stubble when we bought it in 2001. There a some areas where we have done nothing but bush hog it, and it looks remarkably green during the summer. If you look close, it's obviously not lawn quality grasses, but it looks OK from a distance.

For other sections, we rented a PTO driven rototiller and ran over it a couple of times. Then we went over it with a chain harrow a couple of times to smooth it out. Then we rented a 3PH seeder. The grass came in quite nicely. There are probably better or easier ways, but that's what we did.

[Crash20]

Can I ask what kind of field grass seed and how much per acre should I purchase, when I should seed it?
Thanks Don

[MarkV]

Don, 5 acres is a lot of old corn field to smooth. Think I would look for a local farmer with a good size disk to come and make a few runs on it. After that you could come in and drag it smooth as the moisture conditions allowed. Type of seed and amount per acre is going to vary regionally. The best bet is to take a soil sample to the county extension service and talk to the agent about what works best in your area.

MarkV

[andrewj]

you are in luck. I have been converting cutover woods, with stumps, roots, rocks, etc. You are already starting with fertile rock free, flat ground! harrow it when the ground is dry enough to "shatter." earlier when it is moist, and you have made a huge mistake. after silage is mostly harrowed in, add nitrogen. corn is a heavy feeder and the ground likely needs it. chicken litter will do just fine. you should be able to broadcast fescue and have it grow, better to drill it in with grain drill. you will be just fine.

[farmerjim]

depending on what the field looks like now and how long it was used for corn, if possible i would mold board plow it first. then harrow it up and pick out the rocks, then smooth it out and plant your grass. the plow will bury any weed seeds that may have been growing within the corn. definately take a soil sample b4 planting grass as corn likes lots of N (nitrogen) for growth and some grasses may not do well. again i would check around b4 deciding what grass to plant. there are many theorys on rotating crops from corn to grass, since i was a kid my family has always done what i mentioned above when going from corn to grass on the farm and it has always done well, but different areas may differ from my location. cornell university has some really good guidelines for doing what you want to, you may want to look into that.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Resource Center & Store :: Agriculture :: 2007 Field Crop Guide