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]

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]

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.

 

[IslandTractor]

Thanks guys, the two pass drag harrow technique sounds like a reasonable start. I am dealing with relatively sparcely covered reclaimed pasture and I just want to get some low maintenance grasses growing. I'll contact the local ag service for further advice.

 

[heymack]

Call and get your local NRCS reps out there to do a site inspection. They'll help identify what type of grasses you currently have and make recommendations from there. With the size of your tract, there's even a good chance they'll split costs ~50% with you to do improvements.

At the present time I'm doing something very similar to what you want to do. I've had several biologists out as well as agents from the US Fish and Wildlife and NRCS. Most recently I met with my county extension agent. Interestingly enough, not a single one of them hs recommended a soil sample (I'm doing a few anyway just because I think it's a good idea). Rather, they're telling me since I'm not interested in growing non-indigenous species, there's not really a need. In other words, if merely reintroducing native grasses, it's proven that they'll grow without addition of anything.

 

[flusher]

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!

I have a similar problem on my 10-acre place (flat, pasture land, hasn't been plowed in decades, if ever).
When the rainy season starts in Nov I'll use my 6-ft wide offset drag disk and MF-135 diesel (33 hp on the drawbar) to plow the ground. I want to plant a hay crop to replace the weeds.

Your JD 5205 is considerably more powerful than my 135, so you could consider ripping the ground with a 3 or 4-point chisel plow prior to discing.

Check out the local farm equipment auctions. You may be able to get a nice disc and plow for a few hundred bucks.

 

[dentonsisk]

Central Virginia = very acidic soil. Very.

Most farmers around here use lime only and very little nitrogen on their primarily fescue (KY-31) fields.

Burning late winter helps a little but it does leave the ground a little prone to erosion if you get strong spring rain.

I have never used lime or fertilizer on my 15 acres of field which includes river bottom (nice) and about 10 acres of the worst soil I have ever seen. Very very tight clay. I have found that a subsoiler really helps to break up the ground and has really improved my pasture. I ran it on a grid an area a little at a time. Little by little I have broken up most of it. The rain holds much better and the trees I have planted here and there are responding positively as well.

I am near Lynchburg. I just priced a load of lime and the current rate is about $38 per ton spread. The COOP says generally they will spread from betwen 2-4 tons per acre.

 

[mars1952]

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!

As suggested by others I would add lime and maybe rock phosphate, drag a couple times and then overseed. Here in WNC the ag extension office has an overseeder that they loan out. (They are trying to encourage farmers with steep pastures not to cultivate.)
Good Luck, Marshall

 

[40_acre_mule]

Around these parts, it mostly depends on how much of a hurry you are in.
If there's no rush, then all we do is keep mowing it close several times a year. After 5 or 6 years, we've got a good stand of native grasses. The stuff that comes up voluntarily will probably be a lot hardier than non-native seed grass, especially during times of drought.
If you're in a hurry, I reckon most of the advice you've already got sounds pretty good.

 

[Glowplug]

When is the best time to overseed? Is it in the fall or spring?

My pasture currently seems to have a mixture of ryegrass, orchard grass, and WEEDS. With the later making up a considerable portion. I don't want to start over but I would like to spray for weeds, then keep it maintained (mowed) so that the grasses become better established. I would then disc it, and then overseed it with a pasture mixture of something like fescue, Timothy, and alfalfa. Something that would be good for horse foraging and hay. After overseeding I would run over it with a chain harrow.

I don't mean to hijack the thread. This point just seemed to be missing in the thread and I thought many could benefit from it.

 

[AKfish]

Lot's of well reasoned advice offered. A few options may prove to be unnecessary after you consult with your NRCS agent.

Much will depend upon how fast you'd like to get this project finished and what your final objective for the land is --- pasture, hay production, scenic meadow, etc.

Once you discuss the various options with your extension people, you may reason a whole new direction for the property.

The local office in So.Central AK has 2 different sized overseeder/no-till planters for rent. With our short growing season, you can save yourself 1-2 years getting a pasture into production by "cutting" the seed directly into the existing cover and using a broadleaf herbicide to kill the invading willows, wild roses, etc.

Keep us posted on your pasture "project". I'd like to hear what the "green thumb" folks have to say.

AKfish

 

[Z-Michigan]

My pasture currently seems to have a mixture of ryegrass, orchard grass, and WEEDS. With the later making up a considerable portion. I don't want to start over but I would like to spray for weeds, then keep it maintained (mowed) so that the grasses become better established. I would then disc it, and then overseed it with a pasture mixture of something like fescue, Timothy, and alfalfa. Something that would be good for horse foraging and hay. After overseeding I would run over it with a chain harrow.

Working on my own pastures and hayfield right now. IMHO, I think all you need to do is get someone to spray a broadleaf weed killer, then keep the pasture mowed. Around here ryegrass and orchardgrass are considered good choices for horse pasture. I know your climate is warmer than Michigan and adding fescue may be good (as long as you never plan to have pregnant mares on the pasture, or are willing to deal with all the endophyte-free hassles if you are) but I don't think it's necessary. Also, I don't think you want timothy in your pastures - it does well only in very cool, mild weather and even then is a slow growing, slow establishing grass. I know timothy is often considered excellent horse hay but although it's really palatable I think its low production is a huge drawback.

I would not plan on discing unless your spray of broadleaf weed killer fails to do the job. As for overseeding, I would see that as really optional if the weedkiller works, and my views would depend on how hot your climate is - haven't looked up what part of Kentucky you're in so I don't know if it's upland or hotter lowland. I might add fescue or another grass that performs in heat if you're in lowland. If a milder climate, I would personally just leave the existing grasses, which must be doing fairly OK.

 

[RickO]

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!

I would spray 2-4-D to kill broadleaf. Wait 14 days for it to kill to the root, then burn it off with fire. Your grasses should come back green your weeds will not come back because they were killed to the root. Soil test is also good. But I doubt you need to add anything unless your really wanting green grass.