FORAGES
Establishing Cool Season Perennial Grasses DARRELL SIMPSON, MUHLENBERG COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT FOR AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
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ate August through mid to late September is an excellent time to establish cool season perennial grasses. Whether it be orchard grass, one of the novel endophyte fescues or even Kentucky 31, it is important that producers use the best management practices possible to ensure that their work and resources are not wasted in this effort. Hopefully, producers have taken some time to evaluate forage stands and have formulated plans to start the process of renovating fields if need be. Standard University of Kentucky recommendations are to take a soil sample, apply the necessary lime and fertilizer, review forage variety information at the UK website: ht t p: / / w w w .u k y .ed u / A g/ F ora ge/ , use certified seed, plant at the correct time, and at the correct depth for the seed being planted. I would also recommend that
producers order the desired seed well ahead of the seeding date. Finally, make sure that the field to be seeded has limited weed competition and prepare equipment well ahead of time so that it will be ready when the time is right to renovate or re-establish the forages. Soil sample depth should be based on whether a producer will no till or utilize a conventional seed bed. Three to four inches deep is sufficient if the field will be no till planted. Six to eight inches deep is sufficient for a conventional tilled seed bed. Regardless of the seed bed to be used, it is important to collect samples from the entire field. Producers can obtain a copy of AGR 16: Taking Soil Test Samples from their local county Extension Office or by going to w w w .c a .u k y .ed u and typing in the words taking a soil test in the search box. Producers should consult with their Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources if they have questions about the soil test recommendations once they receive the results. Remember, no matter how
James R. “Buddy” Smith and his grandson Austin Goodpaster from Anderson County make adjustments on the no till planter. Photo courtesy Tommy Yankee, Anderson County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources. 24
expensive the seed is or how well the planting operation went, neither make up for a low soil pH or poor fertility. Forage establishment and long term production are heavily contingent on soil pH and fertility. Match the plant to the location and the desired use. Some cool season perennial grasses do not produce well in droughty or excessively wet soils. Consider these things along with whether the forage will be grazed or utilized exclusively for hay. If grazing, consider which months during the year it will be grazed. Seed costs for some of the novel endophyte fescues and orchard grass varieties are more expensive than some other seed thus producers may not want to utilize a novel endophyte field as a winter pasture, especially one that will also be
the hay feeding area. Planting date and planting depth are important. Several of our cool season perennial grasses can be seeded from mid - August to late September. Contact the county Extension Office for a copy of AGR- 18: Grain and Forage Guide. It contains a list of nearly every forage and grain crop grown in Kentucky with seeding rates, seeding dates, seeding depths, first harvest date, and potential yield. Although AGR -18 does list Spring planting dates for cool season grasses, I predominantly recommend late summer or early fall seeding dates for them. Cooler temperatures, adequate moisture, and limited competition from other plants tend to provide for an ideal environment for the cool season perennial grasses to get off to a good start. Take some time
The field shown in photo number two consisted of briars and a number of other broadleaf and grass type weeds in the summer of 2015. The field was clipped as low as possible with a rotary mower in mid – August 2015, allowed to regrow for approximately a week and then glyphosate herbicide was applied two weeks prior to planting. Lime and fertilizer were applied according to the University of Kentucky recommendations. A no till drill was utilized in September 2015 to plant orchard grass and white clover. Photo: Darrell Simpson
Cow Country News, August 2017, A publication of the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association