broadcast annual ryegrass

[BILL CLAYLAND]

I bought some annual rye grass seed for a couple acre pasture.
Is it to late to broadcast this,(Oct 4th) we've had a lot of rain and raining now.
I'm just a couple miles south from the Pennsylvania line in Maryland.

I had read in a farm newspaper to hold off on perennial rye??

Bill

 

[Douglas]

Too late for significant fall grazing, but fine for spring grazing or hay. There is a lot of info on the net on how to best get it established. The better the soil contact and the weaker existing sod help in establishment. And of course rainfall is a key.

 

[agmantoo]

This is slow to load but it has some good information pertinent to your area.
http://extension.umd.edu/publications/pdfs/fs775.pdf

 

[johndeerefarmer]

The ryegrass will germinate just laying on top of the ground with the first rain, but if the next one doesn't come in a timely fashion the grass will die. Now if you slightly disk the soil and cover the ryegrass with soil, the ryegrass has a lot better chance of survival.

 

[iowafarmer]

Are you trying establish a completely new stand or are you just trying to add it to your existing stand? If your are establishing a new stand I would a legume, since legume's fix nitrogen. Also perenial rye is considered a cool season grass so I would add a warm season grass to also so that you have constant growth throughout the grazing season. If you are establishing a new stand I would disk up your existing stand and get it worked up nice and break up existing sod. Then I'd drag it to break up and clods and sod even more. Then broadcast your seed and then drag it again. You don't want your seed any deeper than 1/2 an inch though. If your planting into an existing stand I would drill it in for best seed to soil contact.

 

[BILL CLAYLAND]

Im a no budget operation, presently putting a hay field in pasture and soon that will be open.
I just used a broadcast seeder and weave had a lot of rain lately and its coming up, these are existing pastures ive closed till spring.

Thanks for the input.