Over Seeding a Pasture

An overview of the practice of over seeding a pasture.

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Howto & Style

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• Over Seeding
• Small Farm
• Small Farming
• Pasture Management
• Pasture Renovation
• Whatcom CD
• WCD
• Cattle
• Cows
• Pasture

[theffa1928]

What about using a no till drill to interseed your pasture instead of broadcasting?

[WhatcomCD]

@theffa1928 Yes, a no till drill would work and a conventional seed drill also can be used. A dairy producer in our area does just that. Just remember to not go too deep – a ¼ in or so. Getting seed pressed in firmly may be the most important part.

[WhatcomCD]

@BarrelsPolesandJack I’m not familiar with Bermuda grass; it is not grown in the northern part of the US, but perhaps it will work in your area. You might try a “critical areas” or “erosion control” seed mix: these mixes usually combine forages like bent grass, fine leafed fescues, perennial ryegrass and white clover. With horses it’s best to not graze below 3 or 4 inches of stubble ..........try turning them out for only an hour or two at time, once or twice a day.

[BarrelsPolesandJack]

@WhatcomCD I've got the front fourth of the pasture fenced in that I can put the horses in for a little bit, I guess. I was told to plant ryegrass so the horses will have something to eat on. Could I plant bermuda grass seed instead of the rye? Here is the thing: my pasture has been overtaken by weeds (mostly cockleburr bushes) for the past two years. Last year, it got really bad, and there wasn't any grass at all. It's already been shredded, and it's scheduled to have weedkiller put on it.

[WhatcomCD]

I don’t have enough information to evaluate your situation. You need to establish at least one small field for confinement, feeding, pasture recovery, feed intake management. If you aren’t prepared to change your pasture management then you will just be throwing your money away. Perennial ryegrass is not the best grass for making hay; tall fescue, orchardgrass, timothy and some festulolium hybrids (fescue/ryegrass) would be better. Ryegrasses also have higher levels of sugar.

[BarrelsPolesandJack]

@WhatcomCD Well, the thing is that my horses are ON pastureland, and I *CAN'T* move them off the pasture; that's just simply not an option. If I *DO* harvest it as hay first, will it be good quality hay that I can feed to my horses during the winter?

[WhatcomCD]

Yes, over seeding will work on a field that was over grazed (perhaps even better due to reduced competition), so long as good grazing management practices are used going forward. Some suggestions: reseed at a higher rate; don’t introduce livestock until plants are at least 8 to 10 inches high; leave plenty of stubble – don’t graze below 3 or 4 inches; stop grazing if too many young plants are pulled up; if possible harvest as hay first to provide extra time for root development.

[BarrelsPolesandJack]

Will this method work for a pasture that's already been overgrazed?

[WhatcomCD]

The best forage to over seed is perennial ryegrass; ryegrass/tall fescue hybrids (festuoliums) could also work; white & red clover can also be over seeded; sheep may bloat & their fertility may be affected by estrogen if they eat too much clover; you also want to plant forages that are free of aendophytes; pigs prefer forages that are in an early (vegetative) stage of growth. Both pigs & sheep will need to be closely managed to prevent overgrazing/rooting.

[bond196012]

what is the best to plant for pigs and sheep?