Top Seeding Productivity

[xbredcattle]

I'm sure this has been discussed before but I'm curious who has top seeded their annual ryegrass onto short cut bahia fields?
What results did you have and what was your stocking rate @ the time ?
More economical compared to complete seedbed preparation but will the cows keep it ate down to before you get a chance to fertilize?

area south Louisiana

 

[1982vett]

Throw it out with your fertilizer.

I prefer oats, but oats need to be pasture drilled in. With oats you get earlier grazing, with ryegrass you extend your grazing....which means if you don't get it glazed down or baled off it can effect your warm season grass.

Ideally, you would limit graze both the ryegrass and oats. Use it as a supplement to hay or stockpiled grass. For me and this technique, about half an acre per cow. Really varies due to your other pasture conditions.

 

[Jogeephus]

Here, on bahia, I don't know if its worth the money. IF we have a wet winter it seems to do really well but on average it seems to just lay there till spring and starts growing real good just about the time the bahia starts growing. It will outgrow the bahia and you will get some grazing out of it but if we don't have a spring and the season jumps right into summer like it normally does you don't get much grazing out of the expense. Just to many ifs for me so I don't do it. Of course I may be doing it all wrong.

 

[callmefence]

If your expecting early winter grazing like vette said you want oats. Like mentioned above ryegrass will sprout and the just kinda hang up until longer days.
Where we use ryegrass overseeding is in the areas leased for hunting. And we keep it away from the good warm season Grass as much as possible. There won't be cattle on it for 31/2 months. :roll: the ryegrass gets a opportunity to grow and provides very good late winter early spring grazing. And gives our warm season grass ( only a little bit of Bahia here.) A chance to get ahead. :2cents: