By Sjoerd Willem Duiker
Having vigorous plant cover is one of the best ways to protect soil from erosion and improve soil health. A thin stand of perennial grass or legume may need to be thickened up to improve soil health and increase spring forage production. While it is too late to plant perennials it is still possible to overseed a winter cereal into your pasture or hayfield.
Having vigorous plant cover is one of the best ways to protect soil from erosion and improve soil health. A thin stand of perennial vegetation may not meet this standard. It may therefore be desirable to thicken up a stand. Reports are coming in that farmers are still overseeding perennial cool season grasses or legumes into their hayfields or pastures. Because of the dry fall they might not have done this earlier, and the recent showers have made the soil conditions fit for planting. The problem is that we are way past the time that perennials should be established. Recommendations in The Penn State Agronomy Guide are to plant alfalfa at least 8 weeks before the first killing frost, while perennial grasses are to be planted in August.
This week most of Pennsylvania was affected by the first killing frost, meaning we are about 2 months late to establish these perennials. An interesting alternative at this time is to plant a winter-small grain into a thin perennial pasture or hayfield. At this time it is still possible to plant triticale, rye and wheat. It is too late to plant oats (which will always winterkill) or annual ryegrass (which are unlikely to make it through the winter when established at this time). Although perennial vegetation is about to go dormant for the year, winter-hardy cereals like rye, triticale or wheat can still take advantage of the rest of the fall to get established.
Field selection and basic management requirements have to be taken care of first – make sure that pH and fertility is adequate, and that the field does not suffer from poor drainage. If a pasture is overgrazed, overseeding a winter cereal to provide winter cover and spring grazing or haylage production can help boost overall production.
Up to 20 pounds of nitrogen and all of the phosphorus and potassium (but no more than 15 lbs N/A or 30 lbs N+K2O) may be broadcast prior to planting the winter cereal. Topdress nitrogen (50-60 lbs/A) at green-up in late winter or early spring. No nitrogen has to be applied if overseeding into alfalfa. Make sure you use a no-till drill that places the seed at the 1-1.5” depth and closes the seed slot, and plant at 2 bushels/A.
The field can be grazed in the spring or harvested for silage. You may continue to keep the pasture or hayfield next year or it can be terminated to allow for establishment of a new stand of forage. A perennial pasture or hayfield can still be established in May, but an alternative is to plant a warm-season annual such as sorghum x sudangrass next spring and establish your perennial next August, as late summer is a good time to establish perennials.
While it is too late to overseed perennials into your pasture or hayfield, winter cereals can still be overseeded to increase soil cover, improve soil health, and provide spring forage for your livestock.
Source:psu.edu