Planting in Central Texas

   / Planting in Central Texas #1  

weldingisfun

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2006
Messages
1,823
Location
West Bell County, Texas
Tractor
Mahindra 4500 4WD w/FEL, and Scotts S2048 lawn tractor
I've been raising goats for the past 7 years. Now I want to plant some grass for them to browse. My initial thoughts are to plant Coastal Bermuda. That is the kind of hay I feed them in the winter to supplement their feed and they seem to like it.
I have about 5 acres spread over my 40 that I consider tillable. At least the topsoil is more that 1 inch deep.
Having never done this before, I am coming to the forum for advise.
You can see the implements I already own, should I add a tandem disk or a spring tooth cultivator?
Based upon your knowledge and experience am I wrong in both areas? If so, what do you recommend?
 
   / Planting in Central Texas #2  
I think most folks sprig coastal. There was a big discussion on this on Eddie's creating a lake post, cause he wanted to get grass going around his lake. Lot's of responses. Might jump over there and read that right quick.
 
   / Planting in Central Texas #3  
You can see the implements I already own

I answered this post on Countrybynet, but your implements are not listed over there as they are here.;)
 
   / Planting in Central Texas #4  
Coastal needs sprigged, which means a sprigger and sprigs to put in the ground. You can turn the soil, but you'll havta get someone to do the sprigging. Check w your county agent or feed store. You won't be doing it until may so you have time.
 
   / Planting in Central Texas
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks everyone.
It looks like the Coastal Bermuda is out.
KrumpsBrother, I'm checking into the Texas Sue Gammagrass. They are just 20 miles from me.
Bird, sorry about the CBN posting. I had forgotten that it has a very limited profileand thanks for your advice.
 
   / Planting in Central Texas #7  
weldingisfun said:
I've been raising goats for the past 7 years. Now I want to plant some grass for them to browse. My initial thoughts are to plant Coastal Bermuda. That is the kind of hay I feed them in the winter to supplement their feed and they seem to like it.
I have about 5 acres spread over my 40 that I consider tillable. At least the topsoil is more that 1 inch deep.

Disclaimer: I am no goat expert, so take what I suggest with a "grain of salt."

We have a few goats and feed them hay during the winter, but what they really seem to like is young greenbriars, poison oak, and browsing postoak and blackjack oak leaves off of low branches. Only after they browse their favorites do they start grazing on grass. The native little bluestem is always popular. They also seem to keep any weeds down too. Wild lambsquarter and pigweed are some of their favorites.

If I were making plans for coastal bermuda, I'd consider baling it for winter hay and trying to find a good browse plant for the goats in the summer. Of course, they always like corn and the $10 per bag goat food.:rolleyes:

Edit: I just thought about clover. It seems goats really like clover as a plant to graze/browse on. Clover might be easier to get started on your five acres. When I was a kid, my dad bought button clover hay for the cows and we put out bales at different places in the pasture. In a few years, we had button clover all over the place.

I think your plan for a disc or harrow would be good for soil prep, but after you do the five acres, what are you going to do with the implements? Will you have a continual use for them. Have you checked with your neighbors to see if anyone has one you can borrow or rent for awhile? I just hate to buy things that I only use once per year or use once and almost never use again. Maybe you could be lucky and find something used or at an auction. It is nice to have something for surface tillage and I see from your profile that you don't have many tillage implements.
 
   / Planting in Central Texas
  • Thread Starter
#8  
jinman
Agreed. I will be checking into borrowing or renting a disk.
You are absolutely right about goats. It seems that the last thing they eat is grass. That is why I am looking to plant something for them. It is to carry them over the non-growing season. That is when I feed hay and with the cost of hay this year, I would like to avoid having to go through this again.
I am planning on goats being goats and eating the grass last.Leaving it alone until winter.
I'm not sure if we get enough rain down this way to support your clover idea, but I will look at it more closely.
BTDT
I will take your advice too, and go back to Eddie's "Creating a lake" thread and take ideas from that.
Thanks again fellas.
 
   / Planting in Central Texas #9  
I spent a very long time watching the news paper classifieds, the free weekly flea market papers and ebay for a decent used disk. I stoped at everyone I saw for sale along the side of the road, and even drove different routes just in case I saw something. (That's how I found my dump truck)

Disks are hot items. They are always comeing up for sale. The harder you look, the more you will see, but they are either junk, or they have already sold. Every Thursday morning, I'd do an online search for one, and then call on it. They were always sold by the time I called the very morning the add would come out!!!

I stuck with it and found mine for $295. It was ten miles away and in good condition. It's a 5 foot disk with grease fittings on a angle iron frame.

I've done one acre food plots with it and find that it takes forever for it to break through the soil, but once that happens, it works very well. I just have to stick with it until the magic number of passes happens. It's kind of weird, because it seems like nothing is happening, then all of a sudden, the ground falls apart and turns to powder.

Good luck, the deals are out there, it's just a matter of how patient you are.
Eddie
 
   / Planting in Central Texas #10  
weldingisfun said:
Thanks everyone.
It looks like the Coastal Bermuda is out.
KrumpsBrother, I'm checking into the Texas Sue Gammagrass. They are just 20 miles from me.
Bird, sorry about the CBN posting. I had forgotten that it has a very limited profileand thanks for your advice.

WIF,
I've got a 40 acre stand of Dahl Bluestem, it's VERY draught tolerant and shades out most weeds. Makes alot of high quality hay too.

The seed fields for the Texas Sue are just down the road from my place. It's a beautiful tall wide blade grass. "Ice cream for cattle" is what it is known for around here. Mr. Lancaster (seed developer & grower) is very knowledgeable about both Dahl and the Texas Sue, as the original Sue grass came from his ranch.

Both grasses will require ground preparation to establish.

If you want to see both grasses let me know, both are within a few miles of me.

KB
 
 
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