How long to let a very over grazed pasture sit?

[Yander]

Gabe Brown – Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems

Gabe Brown is one of the mentor farmers who lead the way in regenerative agriculture.

www.csuchico.edu

 

[paulsharvey]

Take the advice of someone local over me, but up here, any grass put down in spring will germinate but they usually die in our typical hot and dry spell lasting July into early August. Again, seek local knowledge, but I won't be surprised if they tell you it's better to just deal with crappy rye thru next summer, and delay the cost of putting down Bahia until September. That is... unless they're selling seed, and have some interest in seeing you have to buy expensive seed twice!

When doing a new lawn without irrigation around here, we usually put down something cheap to get us thru the first summer (e.g. rye blends), and save the expensive tall fescue for late August or early September. If you have irrigation, then of course you don't need to mind the dry weather.

The rye will be dead by May, maybe June from heat. Our drought is normally spring, and we can go 60 days without rain, but a "typical" year, summer gets good rain, and another dry period in Oct/Nov, depending on tropical storms/hurricanes.

 

[WinterDeere]

The rye will be dead by May, maybe June from heat. Our drought is normally spring, and we can go 60 days without rain, but a "typical" year, summer gets good rain, and another dry period in Oct/Nov, depending on tropical storms/hurricanes.

Understood. But that doesn't necessarily change what I'm saying, in that young and fragile Bahia sprouts planted this spring may be equally dead before the conclusion of your mid-summer heat, at much higher cost.

Again, I know very little about Bahia and your climate. I'm basing this on making a corollary to planting Tall Fescue in Pennsylvania, so check with a local expert who does not have a vested interest in selling you more seed!

 

[Hay Dude]

Best time to plant hay grass stands in PA is late August/early September. That way they get enougha root system to take hold before frost, and have the winter & spring to continue to grow. Then it can handle June’s 1st hay cutting.

 

[paulsharvey]

I picked up 320# of pellet ag lime, 100# of 24-4-8 fertilizer, and 40# of Pensacola bahia. Thats going to be about 50% of my recommended lime, and just my first fertilizer application.

The Bahia, it's still too early to plant, but its not to far off, looks like "general guidance" is 2nd week of March. The rye is still doing well, but the small shoots are starting to get heat stressed already.

 

[paulsharvey]

The University of FLa and University of GA designer seeds both sounded very interesting, but also very pricey. I'm broadcasting, so that would get expensive. If I was drilling, the seed goes a Lot further, and $280/bag starts being less painful, when it stretches for 3-4 acres; but broadcasting, that same bag would likely do about 1 acre

 

[jyoutz]

Best time to plant hay grass stands in PA is late August/early September. That way they get enougha root system to take hold before frost, and have the winter & spring to continue to grow. Then it can handle June’s 1st hay cutting.

We plant native grass in early July, just at the start of the monsoon rains.

 

[WinterDeere]

I picked up 320# of pellet ag lime, 100# of 24-4-8 fertilizer, and 40# of Pensacola bahia. Thats going to be about 50% of my recommended lime, and just my first fertilizer application.

What's the size of this plot? Most of our fertilizers go down at 200 lb./acre. Our seeding rates are usually roughly 200 lb/ac. for overseeding, but more like 300+ lb/ac. for new seeding. Lime rates vary, but given most aren't tuning up for every 0.1 pH change, orders for lime are usually 500 - 1000 lb/ac.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Have you talked to the County Extension Agent? Not sure with all the budget/spending shenanigans there still are Extension Agents. But, if there are it would be worth taking to them.

 

[paulsharvey]

Have you talked to the County Extension Agent? Not sure with all the budget/spending shenanigans there still are Extension Agents. But, if there are it would be worth taking to them.

Yes, and I'm following, more or less their suggestions, while trying to spend as little as possible

 

[paulsharvey]

What's the size of this plot? Most of our fertilizers go down at 200 lb./acre. Our seeding rates are usually roughly 200 lb/ac. for overseeding, but more like 300+ lb/ac. for new seeding. Lime rates vary, but given most aren't tuning up for every 0.1 pH change, orders for lime are usually 500 - 1000 lb/ac.

It's not a full acre, it's actually closer to 0.78 acres. Mine called for 375#/acre, but also listed it as optional, as less than 1000#/acre isn't typically feasible.

160# Nitrogen
0# Phos
80# Pot
20# Magnesium

I dont trust their recommendation of zero on the Phosphate.

I think i actually misspoke above, I'm adding 32# N (over 3 applications), 4# Phos, and 8# Pot. Then I'm going to look for (recommendations?) on a Magnesium and Potash combo, to get those up.

I know the numbers I'm adding don't exactly meet the target, but 96# N/0.78a, 12# (allegedly need 0) and 24# (need 80#).

I think Magnesia-Sulphate, with maybe 2nd application will put me at almost perfect? Does that counter my lime though? Sulphate should be acidic?

 

[paulsharvey]

If my math is right, I'm adding the equivalent of 125# Nitrogen, 15# Phosphate, 32# of Potash per acre, and 385# of pellet lime. Not all at once though

 

[WinterDeere]

Don't worry about not exactly meeting the targets, you never will, and there's reasonable margin in the "ideal" nutrient levels anyway. You'll find that if you test and tune each year, you'll always be hovering slightly above or slightly below one rate or another. If this is just pasture, I'm not sure how rigorously you'll want to keep up with it, anyway.

In terms of lawn care, I collect samples mid-February every year, so I can have the analysis back around March 1st. I'm often putting down my pre-emergent between snow storms mid-March, as we're often hit with a surprise warm week by late March, and it's also nice to get that task out of my way before the gardening chores start up late March. But have a feeling we'll be a few weeks later than usual on everything, this year.

 

[paulsharvey]

I did have to go back and reread by soil tests, as one set if recommendations was for perennial hay/silage, and the other is for improved perennial bahia grass. I'm following the 2nd one, more or less.

 

[paulsharvey]

This not quite acre section is kinda also serving as a "test strip", for phase 2 and 3. I want to make sure I know what it takes before I bite off another 4ish acres of improved pasture from scratch.

 

[paulsharvey]

This is earlier today with the rye. That was right before I spread the lime.

 

[Rockbadchild]

It's starting to look pretty good

 

[paulsharvey]

So, I've got 2 windows on the bahia planting; 2nd week of March till 2nd week of April and then again in 2nd week if June into July. They recommend not planting in late April or May, as there are normally about 45+ days without rain for the spring drought, before summer rains, Hopefully start. I'm probably going to target 2nd week of March, and plan to do Some watering though April-May if needed.

 

[paulsharvey]

My original Bahia planting target date was around 3/15; but watching weather, and discussing it with a very experienced guy, he said "the pecans have budded, you should have already planted", and rain predicted today, I decided to plant. My set up was well less than ideal, just a 3 point broadcaster. I broadcast about 40# on the pasture, running empty as the rain started. I think tire rolled everything in the rain. Probably going to wait till late April and do a 2nd fertilizer application.

The field wasn't very smooth, so tire rolling everything served multiple purposes; seed to soil contact, as well as some smoothing/compacting

 

[paulsharvey]

I did save back about 10# of Bahia to spot treat any areas I missed, and maybe some areas as I clean up the over growth. Nature hates a vacuum, so I might as well give it something to grow rather than briars