Renovating Black Gumbo Soil ?

[Stocker Steve]

I purchased a farm that has a low side to almost every field. There is enough slope in most places but the soil on these low sides is a heavy clay where the alfafa and the improved fescue dies out in a couple years and then it comes back to bluegrass and dandelions. We got 5 3/4" of rain in one shot and now this "bluegrass" is yellow. I am going to re fence this fall and pasture these low sides. I was also thinking about plowing it up and putting it into reed canary, but that will be a 3 year project... The alternative is to feed hay on it after freeze up to avoid compaction and/or inter seed red clover.

Any renovation tips for gumbo soil?

 

[Anonymous]

The low stuff I would just put down some millet or any other grain/grass that tolerates wet feet.

 

[agmantoo]

Stocker Steve
Land here is terraced from practices dating back 70+ years. Modern farming doesn't adapt readily to these ditches/mounds and the farmers remove them. In place today most of these hillsides have waterways. These waterways are typically seeded to KY31 fescue. I have seen KY31 tolerate submerged conditions for 10 days and still survive. Blend in some legumes with KY31 and learn to work with the endophyte would be my approach.

 

[john250]

Steve,
I have a little reed canarygrass. I don't want anymore. Pretty coarse feed/pasture. Sorta like grazing a pine plantation. TDN sorta goes away.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Steve,
I have a little reed canarygrass. I don't want anymore. Pretty coarse feed/pasture. Sorta like grazing a pine plantation. TDN sorta goes away.

How tall is it before you graze it?

 

[Galloways1]

Reed canary and red clover work well. If water stands red clover not so much. Garrison foxtail works, but slow to establish.