Strange dead spots in pasture. Can you guess the cause? (SEE PICTURES)

[noobfarmer]

I recently purchased 6 acres of pasture land which I hope to improve and perhaps put in hay. However, I notice there are several large swaths of what appear to be dead or poor-growth spots. Not sure the cause. And I'm hoping someone on this forum might have an idea. Here are some relevant facts:

• The land has received little maintenance in the past 30 years.
• 6 Horses graze on the land October through May.
• There used to be a high-flow ditch which passed along the NorthEast corner of the lot (i.e. where the patterns appear to converge or originate). Perhaps flooding?
• The dead spots are not devoid of vegetation. However, it's weedy and not much grass or green.

Any thoughts or advice are much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[wngsprd]

Could it be runoff? Does your highway department salt your roads in winter?

 

[noobfarmer]

That's a good question. We get a lot of snow around here. But this is kind of a low-traffic road. So I'm not sure if they use salt or not. I suppose a soil sample would tell me whether this is a salt issue. Right?

 

[JRobyn]

My guess is also salt. We are on a relatively low traffic road and the county prefers to brine/salt it as opposed to plowing/grading it.

 

[noobfarmer]

Let's assume this is salt (and I'll have to confirm this with a soil test). How big of a problem is this? And what's the best way to ammend the soil so stuff will start to grow better?

 

[mkr7734]

Get a hold of the local farm service in the area and ask for a soil test. They will be able to tell you what it is and what you need. All the areas look to be in low areas from the overhead view.
Good luck.

 

[RalphVa]

Maybe some good spots for soil samples from kits at your extension office. If you're commercial, the tests are free. Otherwise, they're $10 per.

Ralph

 

[MossRoad]

Could be herbicide that ran off and settled in the field after heavy rains. I know when we purchased our property, there was a circle about 50 or so feet in diameter where nothing but one type of weed grass was growing. Almost a perfect circle. Outside the circle, everything grew. Inside it, only that one type of grass. My forester figured misapplication of herbicide by a sprayer turning around, based on the perfect circle.

On your aerial photo, it looks to be in low places where water would run, so that's what I'd base my guess on.... something ran off and settled into that area.

As for salt from the road.... it would have to be a lot of salt. Also, salt never evaporates, so it would be mighty hard to remove it from the soil. Don't know how you'd neutralize it.

Probably best to take several soil samples from several places and have it analyzed.

 

[tcreeley]

Our drainage wet spots will be dead zones in the back field, but when the spring comes- they green up early. If it is really wet- that will kill some of the grasses that will be growing in the rest of the field.

 

[kcflhrc]

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