Strange dead spots in pasture. Can you guess the cause? (SEE PICTURES)

RSKY · Feb 24, 2016

From the overhead picture I would say that it is drainage. Sometimes fields are left without cover and the topsoil washes away. Different plants grow in different types of soil.

bigdeano · Feb 24, 2016

Is irrigation required there in the summer? Maybe it got too dry and died.

dirt ditch · Feb 25, 2016

Looks like salt or chemical damage. Have the same problem here with salt. State government makes lousy neighbors.

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roadhunter · Feb 25, 2016

Mixing in a product called Biochar will likely help absorb any toxins in the soil causing the problem. It woudl work best if you have a box blade with rippers so you could work the biochar into the soil. Let that sit for a few rains and then hit it with some compost before reseeding.

Gary Fowler · Feb 25, 2016

Definitely looks like standing water damage due to poor drainage. Look for a way to let the water drain off quickly and I think your problem will go away. There could be some chemicals on the run off that also complicate the issue but the easy fix will be to let the run-off water drain off and then you wont have concentration of chemicals or fertilizer standing on the low spots. This type of damage is not unusual in low spots.

KretZ · Feb 25, 2016

kcflhrc said:
Aliens

No way! It was sasquatch!

OldMcDonald · Feb 25, 2016

OP, I agree with Gary Fowler that it looks like standing water damage. You did ask us to guess, and I would think that like me, Gary has made an informed guess because he has seen it before.

Guessing again, I very much doubt it is salt (very extremely unlikely) or chemicals (extremely unlikely because it would not persist). When did you first see the land and has the situation changed since then? Do not spend any money until you are certain you know the cause.

sweettractors · Feb 25, 2016

If it turns out to be from water holding in those areas, I would try running a subsoiler as deep as it will go about 3 ft apart over the affected area. In lots of cases, this helps or completely fixes the problem. Ken Sweet

DrRod · Feb 25, 2016

We had a situation like this and our old farmer friend ran a shallow plow down the middle to make a ditch. Less than a foot wide and deep but it collects all the standing water in the immediate area. So you sacrifice a very small bit of land but it is an inexpensive way of rejuvenating a lot more of the field.

noobfarmer · Feb 25, 2016

Thanks all for the guesses/advice. I'm going to take some soil samples this Summer, which would confirm or rule out the salt issue. If the damage was due to runoff, it must have happened before I purchased the property a year ago. I'll keep an eye on things during the spring rains and see if there are elevation problems. Then I can subsoil, if needed to get rid of standing water. I'll post back here with the correct cause...once I confirm. Thanks again!