Everyone seems interested in easier ways to establish or renovate pasture other than with a full tillage program. Complete tillage achieves the best results and all other methods less. For discussion, let us consider full cultivation as 100% effective. Yes, there are other ways to plant. The most basic method is frost seeding which relies on the early spring freezing and thawing of the ground surface to work the seed into the soil. Clovers are the seed of choice and annual or perennial ryegrasses also do well. Generally, other cool season grasses such as tall fescue, orchardgrass, timothy, brome, and reed canary just aren’t aggressive enough to compete with the existing stand. This is also true of most legumes. Frost seeding may be 25% effective on average. This number, seemingly unpredictable, can range from 0 to near 100%.
Next up the effectiveness scale is broadcasting in the early spring or late fall, followed by harrowing and good cultipacking or rolling. This covers much of the seed and gives the seed its needed soil contact. This method often gets good results with maybe as high as 50% seed establishment.
No-till seeding is next up the ladder. Using herbicides, one can establish most, if not all, grass species into either a killed sod, or into a still living but burned back stand of existing forage. Clovers respond well to no-till methods while other legumes can be more of a challenge. Get local recommendations from you area Cooperative Extension Service. Good results are often obtained when no-tilling ryegrass without the use of herbicides. It is important, in this case, to drill into very short grass, either just after mowing or a close grazing. No matter what method you use it is important to keep machinery and livestock off the field until the seedlings are established and firmly rooted, or you risk ending up where you started. This is why many people choose to do their renovation in the fall (late summer) and remove the livestock for the season. This gives the seedlings a chance to grow without damage. We recommend the Aitchison SeedMatic™, a special New Zealand made no-till drill. It is designed to drill seed into an existing sod, which makes it unique. It does a great job and can achieve upwards of 80% germination. (www.tigercoinc.com)
One method of establishing a new pasture is the oft forgotten chisel plow. The chisel plow is superior because it breaks up and stirs the top six inches of soil without inverting it and burying the topsoil, the surface fertility, and microorganisms. Here is a low-tech seven step method, which doesn’t use an herbicide:
#1 Get the grass short.
#2 Irrigate (if dry) to make the soil moist or wait for a good rain so the soil will pack.
#3 Chisel plow in NS and EW directions breaking up the existing sod.
#4 Rototill (shallow) just until the sod clumps and soil clods are broken up. Some lumps are OK and unavoidable. Do not over-work the soil!
#5 Cultipack the ground until it is firm.
#6 Broadcast seed at the high end of the recommended seeding rate.
#7 Cultipack again in NS and EW directions.
If perennial ryegrass is planted, the new pasture will be 95% new grass and 5% old. Other species will be less successful, probably resulting in 80% new and 20% old. The method is quick and simple, and the pasture is back in service in less than 12 weeks with perennial ryegrass and perhaps 16 - 20 weeks with other species such as orchardgrass and tall fescue as these species are slower to establish.
In northern areas (and in southern areas especially for KY-31 eradication), it is common to kill an existing stand using herbicides in the fall. The existing sod has an opportunity to die and decompose over the winter. Frost seeding is not recommended in these situations but the amount of tillage required to establish a good stand may be reduced.
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