Pasture Renovation-Planning for Success

College Park, Maryland (May 9, 2008)--Spring is here, summer is on the way and you might be thinking that your pastures need some help. This article is meant to serve as a general guideline to help you determine what to do and when over the course of the next few months in order to reseed a pasture using cool season perennial grasses such as orchard grass, tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. If you are just making the decision to renovate, realize that you may need more time to plan, which means you may not be able to reseed until next year.

Fall-planted cool-season grasses are often more successful than spring-plantings. This is because the grasses don’t have as much competition from weeds as they do when planted in March and April. Contact your local Maryland Cooperative Extension Office for advice and guidance as to what forage species to use in your pasture.

Step 1. Obtain a soil sample and correct any deficiencies in your soil such as low pH and/or nitrogen. Lime applications require time for the soil pH to actually change. One of the leading causes of failed seedings is a low pH, so fix this now before you plan to seed next year!

Step 2. Control the weeds in your pastures. For common annual weeds, this means frequent mowing to prevent seedhead formation and possible use of an approved herbicide. Perennial weeds are harder to control – mowing helps, but you will probably have to use an herbicide to kill the root system so that the weed doesn’t come back next year! Read the herbicide instructions carefully – there may be a period of time required between application and seeding. Most hard-to-kill perennial weeds will be best controlled by application of an herbicide 2-4 weeks prior to the last frost. Even broad-leaf herbicides can be damaging to newly sprouted tender young grasses, so it won’t work to seed and then spray. If you’ve already got low weed populations, you can proceed to step 3.

Step 3. Soil/field preparation. If you’re planning to till your soil (plowing, disking and harrowing), get this started as close to planting as possible to avoid erosion and runoff. Tilling can be useful if you have weed problems and may even be essential if your soil is heavily compacted. Otherwise, for a no-till seeding, this is the one time when you can allow your animals to overgraze the pasture. Put your horses out and allow them to graze close to the ground – this way, the sprouted seed won’t have competition for light.

Step 4. Time to seed! The best time to seed in Maryland is between mid-late August and early September. Time it as close to predicted rainfall as you can – new seedlings require moisture and if you seed during a drought, you won’t have a successful establishment. If you end up seeding later than you had hoped, you may run into problems with seedlings not being able to withstand the first frost, so timing is important. Seeds need good seed to soil contact; in other words, broadcasting your seed is not going to be as effective as actually putting it into the soil. A no-till drill allows you to plant the seed at a Ľ - ˝ - inch depth giving you a better shot at success. Some county Soil Conservation District offices have no till drills available for lease to use with a tractor with a PTO, or you can hire a custom operator to do it for you. If this isn’t possible and you have to broadcast your seed, follow your seeding with a good harrowing to increase the seed-to-soil contact.

Step 5. Wait. This is probably the most important and most often forgotten step! Your new pasture won’t be ready for grazing until spring of 2009. A good way to know if it’s ready is if you’ve had to mow it a couple of times before putting the animals on. Use this new pasture lightly the first year or two to enhance the root growth and give the new grass it’s best shot at the pressures of grazing.

Contact:
Erin Petersen
petersdr@umd.edu