Native grass pastures

[Jake]

Anybody fertilize or lime their native grass bluestem pastures? Have thought about soil testing them and seeing if there was any benefit and depending on what the economics are of increased production it may work with the way cattle are priced at the moment.

 

[TexasBred]

Anybody fertilize or lime their native grass bluestem pastures? Have thought about soil testing them and seeing if there was any benefit and depending on what the economics are of increased production it may work with the way cattle are priced at the moment.

Jake, bluestem being a clump grass, what little we have scattered around her is awfully thin and scattered. Fertilization may be just what it needs to help it thicken. I have no experience with it.

 

[Jake]

Anybody fertilize or lime their native grass bluestem pastures? Have thought about soil testing them and seeing if there was any benefit and depending on what the economics are of increased production it may work with the way cattle are priced at the moment.

Jake, bluestem being a clump grass, what little we have scattered around her is awfully thin and scattered. Fertilization may be just what it needs to help it thicken. I have no experience with it.

We have good thick stands, especially of little blue stem. I've heard of a guy putting 120 pounds of N on but seems like that would take a lot to pay off that kind of inputs compared to the production that we get without doing anything but letting it go.

 

[Stefani G]

Just went to a workshop on native grasses yesterday in Cedar Grove, NC. Everything they said there made it seem like the NWSG (native warm season grasses), like bluestem, do not require a lot of N. Most research shows that there are not substantial improvements in yield above 90 lbs of N/acre. As long as P and K are at least above "low" in the soil test, they are usually okay as well. pH should be >5.0, if it is there doesn't seem to be a need for lime. They don't advise N addition if it's in the first year of establishment. Not sure how helpful this is but I'd probably take a soil sample/test before adding any fertilizer/lime!!

 

[Jake]

Here is a picture of where we tendered fertilizer into the corn planter this spring. Not sure how much 10-34-0 got on this as it was over spray and drainage but it definately makes a difference.