Pasture mix grass

[bigbluegrass]

How do you go about figuring how much of each kind of seed to plant in a pasture mixture? I am planning to plant Fescue, Orchardgrass, timothy, meadow brome, Perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass, white clover, red clover and birds foot trefoil in a mix. I might add some crabgrass, big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass to the mix also for summer growth. This is just cow pasture. I am hoping that by planting a wide variety of plants to have something green and growing almost all of the time. :?:

 

[sstterry]

Your local extension agent should be able to tell you pretty quickly.

 

[Dave]

How do you go about figuring how much of each kind of seed to plant in a pasture mixture? I am planning to plant Fescue, Orchardgrass, timothy, meadow brome, Perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass, white clover, red clover and birds foot trefoil in a mix. I might add some crabgrass, big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass to the mix also for summer growth. This is just cow pasture. I am hoping that by planting a wide variety of plants to have something green and growing almost all of the time. :?:

Call your extension agent, conservation district or NRCS. When I worked at the conservation district I had a spreadsheet that I entered the amount of seed per square foot (generally 300). The percent of each species desired (about 15% of the total mix in legumes and 85% of the total in grass in the mix). It would give me an answer that was in pounds per acre of each species.

 

[Ebenezer]

Seems a spring seeding, summer seeding and fall seeding would be better for all you mentioned and NWS grasses will not plant well in a conventional drill. Once you get it all planted the chore will be to manage it to protect the most vulnerable species for their time of year of overgrazing. One thing I learned long ago was to not plant the ryegrasses when I wanted other stuff to do their best. Ryegrass is a huge competitor due to excellent root development and can out compete perennials in the early stages. And the NWS grasses need minimal competition from any other species during establishment.

 

[Banjo]

I have been hearing good things about cicer milkvetch......anybody got any of that?

 

[bigbluegrass]

It'll be broadcast seeded.

I realize NWSG and birds foot trefoil don't like competition. I realize ryegrass will compete aggressively. Crabgrass is a pretty strong competitor also. I plan to scale back the more aggressive annual plants (ryegrass and crabgrass) to give the perennials a better chance. I was including them in the mix to hold the weeds down the first year. Ryegrass will die off in the summer from my experience. I could eliminate ryegrass and crabgrass completely from the mix if they will be a problem.

I have not tried cicer milkvetch.

 

[bigbluegrass]

How do you go about figuring how much of each kind of seed to plant in a pasture mixture? I am planning to plant Fescue, Orchardgrass, timothy, meadow brome, Perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass, white clover, red clover and birds foot trefoil in a mix. I might add some crabgrass, big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass to the mix also for summer growth. This is just cow pasture. I am hoping that by planting a wide variety of plants to have something green and growing almost all of the time. :?:

Call your extension agent, conservation district or NRCS. When I worked at the conservation district I had a spreadsheet that I entered the amount of seed per square foot (generally 300). The percent of each species desired (about 15% of the total mix in legumes and 85% of the total in grass in the mix). It would give me an answer that was in pounds per acre of each species.

Thanks Dave. I was looking for a rule of thumb that the extension office programs use. I thought I read that each type should be divided by the total number of similar/competing types. As an example, fescue, Orchardgrass, timothy, Perennial ryegrass and annual ryegrass are all cool season grasses, so I would divide each one by 5 :?: If the recommended seeding rate in KY for fescue in a monoculture is about 20 lbs/acre; then that should be divided by 5 to get 4 lbs/acre :?: The recommended seeding rate for orchardgrass in a monoculture is 15 lbs/acre; then that should be divided by 5 to get 3 lbs/acre :?: Perennial ryegrass is recommend at 20 lb/acre. I might put that in at 2 lbs/acre :?: Annual ryegrass is recommended at 20 lbs per acre. I might put that in at 2 lbs/acre (maybe 1 lb) :?: Does that seem right?

I can call the extension office tomorrow and see what they say.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Native warm season grass seed doesn't broad cast threw a regular spreader. They make special spreaders to broadcast it with. It won't do much mixed with fescue anyway. It needs to be in it own plot of ground. It needs to be burned yearly to do good.

 

[Dave]

How do you go about figuring how much of each kind of seed to plant in a pasture mixture? I am planning to plant Fescue, Orchardgrass, timothy, meadow brome, Perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass, white clover, red clover and birds foot trefoil in a mix. I might add some crabgrass, big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass to the mix also for summer growth. This is just cow pasture. I am hoping that by planting a wide variety of plants to have something green and growing almost all of the time. :?:

Call your extension agent, conservation district or NRCS. When I worked at the conservation district I had a spreadsheet that I entered the amount of seed per square foot (generally 300). The percent of each species desired (about 15% of the total mix in legumes and 85% of the total in grass in the mix). It would give me an answer that was in pounds per acre of each species.

Thanks Dave. I was looking for a rule of thumb that the extension office programs use. I thought I read that each type should be divided by the total number of similar/competing types. As an example, fescue, Orchardgrass, timothy, Perennial ryegrass and annual ryegrass are all cool season grasses, so I would divide each one by 5 :?: If the recommended seeding rate in KY for fescue in a monoculture is about 20 lbs/acre; then that should be divided by 5 to get 4 lbs/acre :?: The recommended seeding rate for orchardgrass in a monoculture is 15 lbs/acre; then that should be divided by 5 to get 3 lbs/acre :?: Perennial ryegrass is recommend at 20 lb/acre. I might put that in at 2 lbs/acre :?: Annual ryegrass is recommended at 20 lbs per acre. I might put that in at 2 lbs/acre (maybe 1 lb) :?: Does that seem right?

I can call the extension office tomorrow and see what they say.

You could do it that way and be close enough for the girls I date. I don't know that your recommended rates are correct but using that method of calculation should get it pretty close. The clovers don't need a lot of pounds because the seed is so small there are a lot of seeds per pound. I always told people that the seed is the least expensive portion of a reseeding so use plenty of seed.
When I retired I didn't take spreadsheets with me. I did take some of paper stuff that nobody was using any more. I know I should have a cheat sheet for seed size. I have been looking for it. I use to do seeding rates using that cheat sheet, a piece of scratch paper, and a calculator. If I can find that I will quickly figure a rate.

 

[bigbluegrass]

Dave,

I am getting the seeding rates from:http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/agr/agr18/agr18.pdf

Let me know if you find your spread sheet. I would prefer to crunch my own numbers.

RBB,

Good point, on needing a special seeder for NWSG. Normally it is not recommended to seed NWSG the way I mentioned. I thought I might try it this way to see what happens. I already have the NWSG left from a previous seeding. Worst case it is a waste of seed.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

We planted several plots to native warm season on AGF land. They have spent quite a bit killing the fescue out of it to keep it from being crowded out. Seems to be expensive seed to waste to me.

 

[bigbluegrass]

What is AGF land? How is it managed?

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Arkansas Game and Fish commission. Its land the commission buys for public hunting here in Arkansas. I do contract work for AGF. Wildlife management Area. We do food plots both warm season and cool season. Ochard grass and clover hay fields that are maintained with co-op farmers paying for the fertilize for the hay. We do a lot of Wheat and rye for winter and millet sunflower haybean for the summer. The native fields are burned yearly and cut for hay on a rotating schedule.

 

[Ebenezer]

I always told people that the seed is the least expensive portion of a reseeding so use plenty of seed.

Not if you use improved selections. An armored car ought to deliver some of the seeds that are improved.

 

[bigbluegrass]

Is AGF land limed?

I know planting NWSG with fescue goes against all university studies. I have been told it simply will not work. I have been told it needs to be one or the other. Maybe I am trying to swim upstream. I over seeded a few acres of fescue with NWSG about 10 years. The fescue wasn't doing great. The soil test called for lime. I think the PH was around 5.7, going off memory. I put the cows on the area in the spring and fed some hay on it. They tore it up pretty good. I broadcast NWSG on the ground, I think I did big bluestem, switchgrass and indiangrass on that particular piece. I kept the cows off it for a full year. I was surprised how much NWSG came up. It took it a full two years or more for it to really show up. Today, some places have only a bit of NWSG. It is still in all of the areas to some extent. One area, maybe 1/4 acre, is a high percentage NWSG. The fescue is still there also. On hotter and drier years, the NWSG does great. On cooler and wetter years, the fescue does better. I rotationally graze with daily moves during the growing season. On shorter rotations, the fescue does better. On longer rotations, the NWSG does better. The NWSG only likes to be grazed about two times a year. Maybe I am just tossing expensive seed on the ground with little to no hope of success.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Every thing but the Native grass has been limed. We grow good stuff for the critters.

 

[bigbluegrass]

Ya'll are taking care of the wildlife!

 

[MikeBo]

Native grass is very tough to start in a worked seed bed with no competition, I wouldn't waste the money...just my 2 cents

 

[snoopdog]

You may be better off to dedicate a few acres with a prepared seedbed, and then bale at maturity and feed the bales where you want your stand.

 

[MikeBo]

WSG should be rolled into a prepared seed bed, the stuff is expensive. I would be afraid of a very low germination rate.