Winter Ryegrass

[Running Arrow Bill]

Would broadcast seeding perennial ryegrass in Fall work in Texas Panhandle? (No...I won't consult Exten. Svc., they're minimal help on anything we're doing).

Assuming the birds didn't get seed before it germinated, would we need to do any "special" minerals (we use a quality "full spectrum" molasses/mineral tub year around) due to Fall/Winter Ryegrass growth for cattle?

Any comments greatly appreciated!

 

[bigbull338]

bill i would just broadcast the ryegrass. the birds wont bother it.b/c the seeds will go into ground as cows walk on it.scott

 

[BC]

First thing you need to do is find out what ryegrass varieties perform well in your area. In East Texas we use annual ryegrass instead of perennial ryegrass because of survivability (too hot in summer). Perennial ryegrass is grown in more temperate climates that do not have the extremes that we do. The annual ryegrass will have to be planted every year.

Scratch the surface with a disk. You can just turn the blades straight, but you need to get some soil contact with the seed. Where I live, it is sandy enough that we can use a grain drill right into the sod if the grass is short enough, otherwise we need to disk to set the grass back and get the seed to soil. If you lightly disk, throw the seed out and drag the field with a cattle panel or something. I have seen producers just throw the seed on top of the ground as Bigbull mentioned. You normally do not get any grazing so to speak until late February or first of March this way.

 

[BC]

You need to keep out hi-magnesium mineral while cattle (especially cows that are nursing calves) are grazing winter pastures.