Planting grass Advice

[Bfields30]

Guys I have a 10-15 acre used hay pasture on my place hasn’t been used In forever for grazing thinking about when and what should I plant I was thinking rye but don’t know much about planting it any advice would help. Old timer in town told me I should plant it grows like crazy he said he put some out where It gets muddy around his hay to help the grass grow back in those places. Any advice would help. Just would like to do half of it if I could if I couldn’t do all.

 

[Bfields30]

When is best time to plant

 

[bird dog]

If you want some fall grazing, you plant Rye and other cool season grasses in September/October in our area. Otherwise I guess late February would work but its not very economic as it will die back in May. Drilling it is far superior than broadcasting it, but both will work. Moving your hay rings and throwing seed out where the ground is trampled up is a good way to get some Rye grass going on small acreages. You can do that all winter and just use a hand seeder. It works well if you get the seed out and the pull a drag or harrow over it. Repeat the process over a number of years is very beneficial.

 

[Bfields30]

If you want some fall grazing, you plant Rye and other cool season grasses in September/October in our area. Otherwise I guess late February would work but its not very economic as it will die back in May. Drilling it is far superior than broadcasting it, but both will work. Moving your hay rings and throwing seed out where the ground is trampled up is a good way to get some Rye grass going on small acreages. You can do that all winter and just use a hand seeder. It works well if you get the seed out and the pull a drag or harrow over it. Repeat the process over a number of years is very beneficial.

how much do you think I should buy ?

 

[bird dog]

If you are just spreading around hay rings, just buy one 50 lb bag of gulf rye grass at a time. About $40 or so. It goes a long way spreading by hand. You can also spread it by hand where you have bare dirt or between clump grass. Again it helps if you drag it.

A Chain harrow works very well. On my old place I fed in a small 8 acre paddock but scattered my rings around it. Once every couple weeks the wife would drag that chain harrow around to bust up the manure pads, clods and rough areas around the rings. I came in behind her and used a small hand crank seeder and sprinkled out rye grass seed. It was a bare crappy lot when we started but after a few years we had some good patches of rye grass that would come back the next year and spread. It also improved the soil and when I shut it off for a few weeks, the warm season grasses started coming back.

 

[Stocker Steve]

If you are just spreading around hay rings, just buy one 50 lb bag of gulf rye grass at a time. About $40 or so. It goes a long way spreading by hand. You can also spread it by hand where you have bare dirt or between clump grass. Again it helps if you drag it.

A Chain harrow works very well. On my old place I fed in a small 8 acre paddock but scattered my rings around it. Once every couple weeks the wife would drag that chain harrow around to bust up the manure pads, clods and rough areas around the rings. I came in behind her and used a small hand crank seeder and sprinkled out rye grass seed. It was a bare crappy lot when we started but after a few years we had some good patches of rye grass that would come back the next year and spread. It also improved the soil and when I shut it off for a few weeks, the warm season grasses started coming back.

Cows first.
Seed second, if needed.