How to overseed new pasture - work seed in or not?

[Timmer92]

Good morning,

This is a bit off the tractor topic, but there is a tractor involved, and you all are awesome at answering my questions!

We are preparing a field to be a cow pasture next spring. Last fall we disced it several times, spread winter rye grass using a broadcast spreader, and then went over it with drag harrow (no tines, just the chain link fence style). The rye came in nicely before winter and is greening up as we see warm days here this spring. Our next step is to broadcast overseed the area with a pasture mix once the ground warms up. My question to you is if I should do anything to work this seed in? My better half thinks not because it will harm the rye. I'm thinking there has to be the right tool for the job that will work in the seed but not overly impact the rye. Thoughts?

We live in sand so there isn't a ton of natural nutrients. although it's been producing corn and soybeans for longer than I've been around. I don't know how much time and effort it takes to have the soil tested. Is there a recommended course of action you would take to make sure I'm getting the most production? Apply lime, fertlizer, at certain times etc?

Thanks!

 

[RalphVa]

Way back when, before the world was formed and before many of you were born, they (homeowners then, before I became one) used to run a heavy roller over grass seed thrown onto the ground. This would press it very firmly in contact with the soil. Give water, it would sprout and send roots right into the ground rather than sprout and roots shoot out horizontal to the ground and die out from lack of moisture.

Barring not having a roller, you could roll over it with your tractor tires.

Ralph

 

[Timmer92]

Way back when, before the world was formed and before many of you were born, they (homeowners then, before I became one) used to run a heavy roller over grass seed thrown onto the ground. This would press it very firmly in contact with the soil. Give water, it would sprout and send roots right into the ground rather than sprout and roots shoot out horizontal to the ground and die out from lack of moisture.

Barring not having a roller, you could roll over it with your tractor tires.

Ralph

I was thinking a roller might do the trick, but I wasn't sure if it would be too heavy and harm the rye. The next challenge would be seeing if I could find one to rent.

 

[Ford850]

If you're still getting good freeze/thaw cycles, you could seed now to get it incorporated. I roller or cultipacker after a few of those cycles would be even better.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Good morning,

This is a bit off the tractor topic, but there is a tractor involved, and you all are awesome at answering my questions!

We are preparing a field to be a cow pasture next spring. Last fall we disced it several times, spread winter rye grass using a broadcast spreader, and then went over it with drag harrow (no tines, just the chain link fence style). The rye came in nicely before winter and is greening up as we see warm days here this spring. Our next step is to broadcast overseed the area with a pasture mix once the ground warms up. My question to you is if I should do anything to work this seed in? My better half thinks not because it will harm the rye. I'm thinking there has to be the right tool for the job that will work in the seed but not overly impact the rye. Thoughts?

We live in sand so there isn't a ton of natural nutrients. although it's been producing corn and soybeans for longer than I've been around. I don't know how much time and effort it takes to have the soil tested. Is there a recommended course of action you would take to make sure I'm getting the most production? Apply lime, fertlizer, at certain times etc?

Thanks!

An overseeder or no-till drill is probably the best tool for what you are doing. Locally, ones available from our soil conservation office. The Kubota place had one to rent, but rumor is he sold that one. They cost about $7000 for a six footer.

Restore pasture using overseeder - YouTube
Seeding the Pasture at Bob Ralph's Farm with Great Plains 66NT Drill - YouTube

 

[Timmer92]

Thanks all for the feedback!

An overseeder or no-till drill is probably the best tool for what you are doing. Locally, ones available from our soil conservation office.

Great information! I called the 2 soil conservation offices we work with for tree planting on our land. It just so happens one of them has a no-till drill for rent!

 

[Timmer92]

Good morning,

We live in sand so there isn't a ton of natural nutrients. although it's been producing corn and soybeans for longer than I've been around. I don't know how much time and effort it takes to have the soil tested. Is there a recommended course of action you would take to make sure I'm getting the most production? Apply lime, fertlizer, at certain times etc?

Thanks!

Still looking for guidance on the coarse of action to ensure the most production. Thanks everyone!

 

[searcyfarms]

Still looking for guidance on the coarse of action to ensure the most production. Thanks everyone!

how big of an area are you talking about ? what kind of tractor do you have access to? how wide is the no till drill you will be renting?

 

[mjw357]

Depending on the variety of rye, it may die anyway.

A 10’ no-till drill will require a 65-75 hp tractor with rear remote to operate.
A drill set to a shallow (1/8”) depth will give better results than spreading and dragging.

 

[Timmer92]

My pasture is around 4 acres. I have a Kubota L3901. I have a large capacity broadcast spreader, but no equipment to work the seed into the soil. I'd likely be looking to rent or borrow, unless I can justify using the equipment on an annual basis or something.

I have an opportunity to rent the following according to their details: "Truax FLII-812. It is 12’ wide and plants 8’ wide rows with 12 disks at 8” spacing. A 50hp tractor or bigger is needed to pull the Truax which has a pin hitch. Two hydraulic hoses have pioneer ends with o-ring attachment." I live in sand and last fall was able to quite easily use a disc that was supposedly far too big for my 37hp tractor. Can I get away with this unit if I go slow and take it easy? Or am I feeling foolishly invincible because of the disc experience? I also don't know about the hydraulic attachments. I'm not familiar with the styles and am not by my tractor at the moment to confirm what it has.

 

[ovrszd]

My offerings are based on my location, Northern Missouri.

I would not have disced the field. I would have pulled the no-till drill over the crop stubble. Would have drilled 2 bushels of wheat per acre. In the small seed box on the drill I would have put my pasture mixture. The drill is designed to drop the small seed at the rear end of the machine with the only thing following is the row packer wheels. One pass would have done everything. The wheat would have gave you ground cover. As the wheat matured this Spring it would have provided shade protection for the grass seedlings to get started. When the wheat matured early Summer the pasture mix would have been established and became the pasture you desire. So maybe for next time that method might be considered.

The local Soil Conservation Office is there at your service. They have Agronomists on staff that can offer you guidance and educational material to help you achieve your goal.

With all that said, Mother Nature does not disc, harrow, roll or cultipack it's crop. The seed is dropped on the ground in late Fall/early Winter. It lays on the ground and gets worked into the soil surface by rain, snow, freeze, thaw. It's common here for Cattle Rancher's to overseed thin pasture in early Winter for that very reason. Ford850's suggestion was on the mark.

I guess were it me I would broadcast my pasture mix and hope for the best. Letting the existing rye offer some protection for the new seedlings.

In Missouri, seeding in the Fall is best because it allows the seedlings to get themselves established and have an early start in the Spring so they can survive the hot/dry Summer to come.

Good luck with your venture!!!

 

[dieselscout80]

Broadcast it and then mow the rye to let the clippings cover the new seeds and if you can run a cultipacker over it afterwards.

 

[ovrszd]

Broadcast it and then mow the rye to let the clippings cover the new seeds and if you can run a cultipacker over it afterwards.

That might work. The biggest concern is burying the small grass seed too deep. Agronomists say a seed should be no deeper than 1.5 times it's diameter. That's pretty shallow.

 

[searcyfarms]

i wouldnt waste time with teh drill, its too big for your tractor, i would overseed it with teh broadcaster, its far too wet here to do ANY kind of soil work so just letting it go would be best until you can get out and drive on it if you want with vehicles, 4 wheelers, tractors, anything to press the seed in a lil like these guys are saying, if you disked it that much last fall, its going to be soft regardless of teh rye on it should squish in nicely let mother nature do the rest as these guys say

my input if from NW MO and central MO experience and soils

 

[gsganzer]

I'd hit it with a disc harrow set on the least aggressive angle. Broadcast the seed and then pull your drag harrow to incorporate the seed. Your rye should bounce back in a week or so.

 

[Hiptfarms]

I'd just broadcast the seed then drag over it with an old chain link gate or something similar. Or, if you have access to a spike harrow, run that over it. The no-till is too big for your tractor.

 

[Deereho]

I planted a lot of grass seed on our for years and years
Plant winter wheat in September
And in spring the earlier the better germination would be
Like in mid March here western NY
I have driven through snow drifts had great germination was hard to believe
All we every did was broad cast the seed
That’s it
In the dry Summer one or two times we used no till drill which put seed down inch in dirt where the moisture was
But earlyspring was best and just board casting seed

 

[MHarryE]

I’m in Northern MN. I have winter rue planted and when the snow melts (we still have about a foot snow cover), I will be broadcast seeding grass seed and a bit later adding urea. This has worked well for us in the past. Our drills basically drop grass seed on top of the soil between the rows. If it was sod I would do it different but as you have already worked up the field and Mother Nature has done its thing this winter, broadcast should work fine - it has for me but I do have a different soil type. Mine is defined as loamy clay with 45% clay, 44% loam, and 9% sand.