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Winter Forages Require Sound Planting
Practices
 Auburn,
Sept. 24, 2003 --- Many
Alabama producers have already planted winter forage annuals into
prepared seedbeds as September draws to a close. But a forage
agronomist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System said there is
still time for producers to plant winter annuals.
Dr. Don Ball, an Extension
forage agronomist, said farmers still have the option of overseeding
their warm season perennial grasses with winter annual forages.
“Getting good stands of
winter annuals on sod is not difficult if producers take care and
follow a few basic rules,” said Ball. “Many of the factors that apply
to planting winter annuals in a prepared seedbed also apply to
overseeding into warm season grasses.”
He said fields selected
for overseeding should be well-drained and not prone to flooding.
Farmers should also have soil tests done for each field and apply any
needed lime.
Planting time is also critical. Overseeding of
winter annuals is usually done about four to six weeks after the ideal
time for planting in prepared seedbeds.
“It’s important not to
overseed too early,” said Ball. “Producers need to wait for their
warm season grasses to go dormant. If the summer grass is still
actively growing, it will compete with the winter annual seedlings for
water, nutrients and sunlight.”
Summer grass should also
be grazed down or mowed closely to remove as much surface residue as
possible.
“In one test, arrowleaf
clover overseeded on bahiagrass yielded almost 2,300 pounds when
planted in 1-inch stubble,” said Ball. “But that yield dropped to
just over 1,600 pounds when planted in 3-inch stubble and only 1,300
pounds when planted in a 6-inch stubble.”
Whether to use tillage is another factor producers
have to consider. The need for tillage is influenced by a number of
variables including amount of residue on soil surface, soil type,
species to be overseeded and planting date.
“If conditions are not
ideal, then some tillage, such as a light disking, can be beneficial,”
said Ball. “This can increase a producer’s chances of getting a stand
and can be especially helpful with bahiagrass, which tends to form a
tight, thick sod.
“Light tillage usually has
little adverse effect on warm season grasses,” said Ball. “On older
stands where a thatch is present, it sometimes may even improve growth
the following year.”
Producers also have to
decide if they want to overseed a single species or plant a mixture of
several winter annual forages. Potential profits can be reduced by
poor decisions about types of winter annual forages to plant. Small
grains (rye, wheat and oats), annual ryegrass and annual legumes (arrowleaf clover,
crimson clover, vetch, etc.), are the basic types of forages used
for winter grazing in Alabama.
“Annual ryegrass is the single most productive and
widely planted winter forage,” said Ball. “But mixtures of two
or more species are usually more productive and profitable than
using a single species because a mixture provides a longer
grazing season.”
Ball added that before producers make
species selections they should also consider their location and the
date to which grazing will be extended.
Location is important because some
forage crops are better adapted in certain areas of the state or on
certain types of soils. The date grazing is to be ended should
also influence species selection because some fields planted for
winter grazing are turned under in the spring before some winter
annual species have entered their main growth period.
He noted that
the primary contribution a small grain makes to a winter annual
mixture is more fall and winter growth than ryegrass or annual
clovers. Wheat and rye are small grains that can be used
successfully for grazing throughout Alabama, and oats are often used
in south Alabama.
“Most producers who plant winter
annuals for grazing will benefit by including annual ryegrass in
winter grazing mixtures,” Ball said. “The exception is when grazing
of winter annuals is to be terminated in early spring and the growth
of the ryegrass, which occurs in spring, will not be used.”
He added it can be very
profitable to plant an annual legume with small grains and ryegrass.
Legumes improve forage quality and animal performance. They also fix
nitrogen, which can reduce fertilizer costs. Finally, they can
increase total forage production and extend the grazing season further
into the spring.
“Crimson clover and
arrowleaf clover are generally considered the most logical legume
choices for winter annual mixtures in most parts of Alabama,” said
Ball.
After producers have
decided what to plant, it is critical that seed be planted correctly.
Small grain seed should be covered
with one to two inches of soil, so Ball said it is best to use a
drill-type planter for planting small grain seed. Annual ryegrass and
clover seed can also be drill-planted, but since they can germinate on
top of the ground, broadcast seeding is also an acceptable technique.
Finally, Ball said
producers must provide adequate fertility for maximum production of
cool season annual forages. Phosphorous and potassium should be
applied at or near planting time as recommended by soil test.
Grass-legume mixtures need
30 to 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre at planting and, if the legume
comprises 30 percent or more of the stand in spring, no additional
nitrogen is needed.
If only grasses are overseeded, 30 to
60 pounds of nitrogen should be applied per acre. An additional 60
pounds per acre should be applied in late February.
“It is best to delay fall nitrogen
applications until seedlings have emerged,” said Ball. “This allows a
producer to ensure there is a stand and reduces the chance of
stimulating warm season grass growth.”
(Source: Dr. Don Ball, Extension
Agronomist and Auburn University Alumni Professor of Agronomy and
Soils, 334-844-5491.)
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