Aug 25, 2017 5:41 PM

In keeping with the theme started last weekthat fall is for plantingI was going to continue this week with some more tips on several perennials that you can divide now and enjoy next summer. But, while looking around the property during the week, I realized it might be a good idea to review some lawn care this week and get back to other planting work next week. So, this week, a few ideas on renovating or patching your lawn.

For one reason or another, you may be noticing spots or patches on your lawn where the turf is thin to nonexistent. Yes, its been a remarkable growing season for most of our lawns, and it is the first time in about 20 years I can remember our lawns not taking a break. We can usually depend on the warm and dry months of July and August resulting in the grass growing more slowly, and cutting it once a week, or even stretching it out to 10 days now and then, has been the norm. But not this summer. This year, the lawn has stayed green and lush right from the first spring flush of green. In fact, the lawn has actually been getting ahead of us, and I found I had to cut twice in one week in August.

And yet there are those spots where I screwed up. I spilled something in one spot, a local dog left a spot in another spot, we pruned some large trees that left an area where no grass would grow to an area now in full sun and it has to be seeded.

The store shelves are filled with all kinds of lawn patch products and bags of pre-mixed seed blends, so whats a homeowner to do, and what will you use?

Im a little old-fashioned here, and I like to keep it simpleno gimmicks, just a little science, seed, soil and moisture. If youre looking for a more complicated explanation or a good introduction to lawns and how to take care of yours, there are some great links at the end.

So, this time, Im only going to speak about renovating small areas of your lawn. In other years, weve gone over over-seeding, full renovations and soddingbut this year lets concentrate on the small areas that need to be filled in with grass plants before the weeds settle in and take over.

The first task is to get these areas ready for seeding so that in the next two to three weeks they are all prepped and seeded and well on their way to being established and ready for winter.

But, before you begin to rake out these spots, make sure you have all your tools, seed, fertilizer and mulch. Tools can be as simple as a fan rake or short-toothed tine rake. Youll use these to scratch out the dead grass and weeds and also to rough up the soil below to a depth of a half inch to an inch.

Remove any stones and debris, and if theres actually a depression, you will want to fill it in with some good screened topsoil thats loose and friable. If it comes out of a bag or dumped from a truck, you might want to screen it so its consistently granular as opposed to clodded.

Mix in a very small amount of starter fertilizer. Its very important that you only use starter fertilizer and use it sparingly, as too much can damage the young grass plants.

Spread the soil over the area to be seeded, and let a little blend into the surrounding grass, feathering it as you move to the edges. You can use your rake and ever so gently pull it over the soil to create very shallow furrows.

Now, youre ready for the seed.

Instead of pre-packaged seed, go to a local garden center and ask if they have custom seed mixes. The better garden centers will have several that they have made just for our area, and they will be different blends of grasses for shade, sun or both. These mixes will contain some combination of Kentucky bluegrass, fescues and ryegrasses, and we usually use all three in varying percentages, as each has attributes that the others may be missing.

A good garden center salesperson can be very helpful hereand you wont find this kind of help at the big-box stores. And this is the one place where you dont want to skimp. You can buy what is called a builders mix, which is cheap and fills in really fast, but it will have you reseeding again next year.

Know how many square feet youll be needing to cover, buy a good blend, and ask how much you should use for new seeding for 100 square feet then do the math to know how much you need for your 5-, 10- or 20-square-foot spots.

Seeding is done by hand by filling your palm with a few ounces of seed and gently spreading it over the prepared area like you were putting sprinkles on a cake, keeping the application even and uniform. When done, there should be 10 to 15 seeds per square inch.

Now, turn your rake overtines pointed up, not down, for a fan rakegently pull the rake over the seeded area. For a stiff, steel-tined rake, use the rake like a tamper and gently push the flat side of the rake against the soil. The object is to bring the grass seeds into contact with the soil. Only a small portion of the seed needs to contact the soil, and the seed should never be entirely buried.

The next step is to water. Gently spray the area with water so the soil absorbs it. Dont sprinkle, sprayor youll create puddles and the seed will get washed into the puddles and ruin your great seeding job.

Theres more to watering, but we need one more step first, and thats the mulch. Now that the seedbed is moist, you want to add a mulch that will keep the sun off the seed bed but still allow it to warm during the day and cool at night without totally drying out.

You can use a special mulching material thats sold in bags and is lightly spread over the seedbed then watered. These materials, such as Penn Mulch, contain a form of cellulose that will absorb the water, expand and, if applied correctly, be a perfect light cover. You also can use salt hay, or specially cut hay, or straw that is seedless or headless. Dont just use any hay or strawit must be seedless, or youll contaminate your seedbed with seed from the parent hay or straw plants.

Once the mulch is down, you can now sprinkle the seedbed with water. Keep it moist for several weeks by watering lightly once or twice a day, unless theres rainfall or a series of cloudy days.

Moisture, at the right amount, will result in great germination and a perfect patch. Depending on the seed mix you used, you should have germination of some seeds in a week, and all of the seeds within three weeks.

When the grass plants are filled in and about 3 inches tall, the first mowing can be done.

For those of you who want more detailed information on grass seed, here: http://bit.ly/2xu8btz. And on lawns in general, they have great information here: http://bit.ly/1HidWKO. There are dozens of links to other lawn grass topics.

So if you can, read up, but time is of the essence. Get those brown spots and lawn renovations done in the next few weeks, and youll see the results this fall.

Keep growing!

See more here:
Lawns: How To Patch And Repair - 27east.com

I get a lot of questions on plant pests in late summer. The signs of insect feeding and symptoms of diseases are often not very visible until late summer so they go unnoticed as the pests develop. Gardeners are usually seeking a remedy and oftentimes apply pesticides that have no effect on the pest because they are just treating the symptoms and not the developing pest.

Most plant pests in our region start their development in early spring and complete their life cycle by the fall. These pests are also most vulnerable to treatment early in their development prior to when they have done significant damage to plants. In fact, control practices for most diseases and some insects need to be applied prior to when they start their life cycle.

Despite it being too late to control many problems, this is a good time to of year to identify pests and to determine their severity. Most pests will reoccur to varying degrees every year as long as their host plant is present. Identifying the common problems in your landscape will allow you to plan preventative measures for next season, if appropriate. Most plant pests only cause aesthetic damage and do not require control; however, some can be more serious.

There are a few pests for which fall treatment is appropriate. I will touch on a few lawn tips here and cover other timely pests as fall progresses.

Now is a great time to focus on lawn weeds or other problem areas in your grass. Most perennial weeds are best controlled in early fall. This is also a time when your lawn grass is producing new plants that will displace weeds that are controlled. It is also a good time of year to plant new grass seed in thin areas. Problem crabgrass areas can be lightly tilled to dislodge crabgrass and new grass seed can be put down to displace it.

Fertilizing your lawn in early fall will promote vigorous vegetative propagation without excessive leaf growth that is experienced with spring fertilizer. This allows your grass to fill in thin areas and to store up carbohydrate reserves for next spring's new growth.

Fall is also a good time to aerate lawns. Aerating is most important on high-fertility lawns that have thatch built up. Aerating brings soil to the surface, allowing it to filter back into the thatch. This helps decompose excess thatch and transforms it into new topsoil. Aerating is also useful when over-seeding thin areas to loosen soil and create a good seedbed.

Fall is also a good time to dethatch. Lawns that have excessive thatch will feel spongy if you walk on them when they are wet. The moisture that is held by a thick thatch layer creates good conditions for lawns disease, so addressing thatch problems in fall can reduce disease pressure the next year.

Dethatching is only a benefit under conditions of excessive thatch. Otherwise it just removes valuable organic matter.

Late August through September is a great time to focus energy on lawns. Effort now will really impact the quality of your grass for next season.

Doug Courneya is owner of Courneya Horticulture Services. Doug has bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture and is a certified arborist with more than 25 years of experience. Send plant and garden questions to life@postbulletin.com or email Doug directly at dcourneya@charter.net.

Read the original post:
Let it Grow: Now is a good time to prep your lawn for next spring - Post-Bulletin

Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. Email Allen Wilson at allenw98663@yahoo.com.

I have decided to replant my back lawn. Is this a good time to plant? Would you recommend sod or seed?

This is actually the very best time of year to plant a lawn. It fits the natural cycle of grass growth. Where grass is not mowed it matures seed about this time of year. The seed falls on the ground and sprouts.

Whether seeded or sodded, the cooling temperatures are ideal for grass growth as it multiplies quickly and forms a strong root system. The soil is still warm so seed sprouts quickly and develops rapidly.

This time of year you can have a full thick lawn in 6 weeks from seeding. If you can water frequently and keep the kids and dogs off of it for that long. The cost is considerably cheaper than sodding often a third or less.

If you need quicker results, then sodding is immediate. Even a sodded lawn should be babied for a couple of weeks until the grass is well rooted.

If you have a heavy clay soil which has not been amended with organic matter, I would recommend tilling in several inches of organic matter such as bark dust or peat moss. This will insure better long term performance of your lawn.

If you kill the existing grass and weeds, you can rototill in the dead grass with a large rototiller. It will take several passes to get the grass chopped up finely.

The grass itself is a good organic amendment but I would still add some bark dust.

I have had good success using a short cut method. Spray the existing lawn and weeds to kill them. Then scalp mow the remaining top growth to a 1/2 inch height. About one week later apply a top dressing of soil mix from a nursery or bulk soil and bark supplier. It takes about 1 1/2 yards per 1000 square feet of lawn area. This can be raked to smooth any bumps or dips in the lawn.

Fertilize and lay sod or broadcast seed directly on this soil mix. The old grass will gradually decompose. Roots grow well into it. Seed should be raked so that about ?/3 of the seed is covered.

A newly sodded lawn requires daily irrigation or rainfall to keep the top inch moist for about 2 weeks. A newly seeded lawn requires irrigation at least 3 times a day to keep the top of the soil constantly moist for about 3 weeks. Then irrigation can be reduced to once a day.

If you have the time and energy, you can plant your own lawn using one of these methods. If you would like more information on lawn planting send me an email.

Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. Email Allen Wilson at allenw98663@yahoo.com.

Read more here:
Now is right time to replant, sod lawn - The Columbian

Believe it or not, late summer and early fall are the best time of year to give your lawn a little TLC.

Personally, caring for turf grass is not my favorite gardening activity by far. I'd much rather work on my flower or vegetable gardens. But we have some problem areas this year that are beginning to bother even me. So that says a lot.

The grasses typically seen in yards in our area are cool season grasses, like Kentucky bluegrasses, perennial ryegrasses, and fescues. These grasses prefer cool spring and fall temperatures, and turn brown and go dormant during the heat of the summer if not watered.

Sometimes you see lawns planted in warm season grasses, like Zoysia. These grasses do their best growing in the heat of the summer and are brown and dormant in the spring and fall.

When a friend moved to St. Louis a few years ago, she frantically texted me pictures of her lawn that spring, worried something was wrong since it was brown and looked dead as a door nail. It was just Zoysia grass, sitting dormant in the cool spring weather as it was supposed to do. Once the summer heat set in, her Zoysia grass came back to life.

Most lawns in Central Illinois are planted in cool season grasses. Late summer and early fall are the best times to start a new lawn in our area because not only do the cooler fall temperatures encourage grass growth; the soil is thoroughly warmed up.

While we all look forward to the green blades of grass that signal spring is here, the spring air warms a lot quicker than the soil. Even if the temperature outside is perfect for grass seed to germinate, grass seed planted in the cold soil will just sit there. The longer that seed lies in the cold, and often wet, soil, it is more likely to rot than germinate. But in fall, soil and air temperatures are perfect for seed germination.

Whether you are starting a new lawn or over-seeding an existing lawn to fill in some thin or bare spots, it is critical that the grass seed has good soil contact. A common misconception is that you just need to scatter seed and call it good. If youre scattering your seed on top of existing lawn, its highly likely that the seed will just sit on top of the grass or thatch without touching the actual soil. Without soil contact, the seed will not germinate. At least use a garden rake to scratch the seed into the soil to about a -inch depth after broadcasting seed.

Besides soil contact, grass seed needs consistent moisture to germinate. You may need to water a seeded area multiple times a day depending on the weather. Keep the top two inches of soil moist but not muddy after seeding to encourage rapid germination.

Consider renting a slit seeder, especially if you are planting grass seed over a large area, whether a new or overseeded lawn. This machine makes little cuts in the soil and drops grass seed directly into these slits. After several failed attempts to broadcast seed to establish part of our lawn, my husband finally rented a slit seeder. It was a night and day difference. We finally had grass growing in that part of the yard! Good soil contact makes all the difference.

Something we do every fall is lawn aeration. Aerating, or circulating air through your lawn loosens up compacted soil, and is an effective way to break down thatch. Compaction is one of those lawn problems that creeps upit tends to get worse slowly over time. If the high-traffic areas of your lawn tend to grow nothing but flat, ground-hugging weeds like spurge, you may have issues with compaction. We have a high-traffic area in our yard that is compacted and wearing thin. We need to aerate and reseed it before weeds move in worse than they have already.

Please ignore the aerating devices out there that are just spikes that stick into the ground. They don't help and may make compaction a little worse since they are compacting the soil around each spike as they penetrate the soil.

The best way to aerate your lawn is by using the specialized machine that removes plugs of turf and soil from the lawn and deposits them on the surface. Actual removal of a plug is crucial for breaking down thatch.

Thatch includes all the dead stems, roots and nodes of turf grass that do not break down readily. Bringing some soil to the surface by way of aeration plugs exposes the thatch to microbes in the soil that help decompose the thatch.

A common homeowner myth is that leaving grass clippings on your lawn will cause thatch. This is simply not true. Clippings are 75 to 85 percent water and decompose readily.

You dont need to declare war on all thatch though. Its beneficial to have a small layer of thatch less than -inch thick. A thin layer of mulch protects your lawn from rapid changes in temperature and moisture. It also gives your lawn a bit of cushion and springiness for sports and other recreation.

The major cause of excessive thatch in most cases is over-fertilizing. Encouraging too much top growth of turf creates a situation where the plant cannot support all that green growth, and it dies. Then the homeowner puts on more fertilizer because they think the lawn is not as plush and green as it should be, and the cycle begins again. The dead plant parts create thatch.

Thatch can be a serious problem because it may get thick enough to keep the lawns roots from reaching the soil. If your lawns roots arent in good contact with soil, your lawn will tend to dry out very quickly since it cannot access deeper soil moisture and will be very weak as a result.

Applying a fall fertilizer formula as one of the last lawn projects of the year in November or so is one of the best things you can do for your lawn. It helps the turf recover from a stressful summer, and a stress-free plant is less likely to succumb to disease and winter weather. Fall fertilization encourages turf root growth; turf with a well-developed root system will be well-equipped to survive the summer heat and drought in the next growing season.

Jennifer Schultz Nelson shares practical ideas and information to bring out the gardener in everyone in her blog at http://www.groundedandgrowing.co.

See the original post here:
Jennifer Schultz Nelson: Lawns need TLC in early fall - Herald & Review

My colleague Dr Helen Sheridan expands further on these swards elsewhere in this week's edition, but perennial ryegrass continues to dominate grass seed sales in this country.

There are many very good reasons for this, not least the potential of ryegrass to produce high quantities of high quality feed. It is also highly tolerant to grazing but it must be managed appropriately.

Ireland's geo-climatic conditions make it ideally suited to growing grass.

For some, reseeding is a central part of their grassland management protocols.

For others, reseeding is seen as the beginning of a journey to improve grassland management. Unfortunately, this is where some lose the value of reseeding.

Reseeding is an expensive procedure, costing up to 300 per acre (750 per ha) depending on the method employed. So we must ensure we get value for this investment.

The main objective with a perennial ryegrass reseed should be to grow and utilise more grass, but many factors need to come together to achieve this.

Soil fertility and lime

Soil fertility particularly soil pH and phosphorus and potassium status must be correct, or corrected at reseeding.

This gives the newly established sward the optimum chance of performing. Soil pH is lower than optimum on the majority of Irish farms, and can be corrected through lime application. Lime application has declined dramatically since the 1980s though there has been an increase in recent years. Lime is often referred to as the cheapest fertiliser available. Perhaps this is part of the problem - do we confuse low cost with low value?

Applying lime will raise soil pH which will increase the availability of many of the key nutrients in the soil to support plant growth.

As with any biological system, and the soil is not different, things are not black and white. There are different lime types and different soil types and these must be matched to achieve the desired outcome.

Nitrogen

Perennial ryegrass has a high nitrogen requirement, and this nitrogen must be supplied through bag fertiliser or nitrogen fixation from associated clover inclusion in the sward. If the reseeded sward is not fertilised appropriately then non-sown species can enter the sward and take over under certain circumstances. Once again this means we lose the value of the reseeding.

Sward type

We need to consider what type of sward we want. Is it a grazing only sward? One cut of silage and grazing? Or a more intensive silage sward? The correct varieties must be selected to meet these objectives. Recently monoculture swards have gained some traction, but more commonly three or four varieties will be included in the reseeding mixture. The pasture for profit index (PPI) ranks ryegrass varieties on their potential to influence farm profitability, and should be consulted in deciding what varieties are to be used.

Weed spray

Post emergence weed spray is a must in my opinion. The one area where I've seen farmers 'get away' without using one, but even here it is questionable, is following three or more years of tillage, where much of the weed control has taken place.

When reseeding permanent pasture the existing seed back contains plenty of weed seeds, and the newly reseeded ground is designed to support seed germination.

A surprising number of reseeds do not receive a post emergence spray and the results are obvious to see. Any decisions on herbicide product used must be cognisant of whether or not clover is present and what the weed challenge is.

Grazing infrastructure

Now that we have established the new grass, the farm must be set up to utilise it. Grazing infrastructure is critical here. Paddock fencing is one of the best investments that can be made on a livestock farm. Costs of establishing paddocks are very different on a dairy compared to a sheep farm, with each metre of fencing being significantly more expensive on a sheep farm.

Even a relatively simple five-paddock rotation system as practiced at Lyons and Teagasc Athenry will greatly enhance the capacity to utilise the grass. Additional actions like grass measuring and budgeting will further increase the potential to utilise grass.

The comments above relate to reseeding in general, not just sheep farms. There are many other points to consider like when to reseed, the method of reseeding to use, seeding rates etc.

Benefits of reseeding include: swards which are more responsive to fertiliser, higher annual DM yield especially in spring and autumn, higher sward quality, increased grass utilisation and increased stock carrying capacity.

Assoc Prof Tommy Boland is a lecturer in Sheep Production at Lyons Farm, University College Dublin @Pallastb tommy.boland@ucd.ie

Indo Farming

Read the original here:
5 benefits of grass reseeding - Independent.ie

WENATCHEE-The city of Wenatchees first off-leash dog park is set to open later this month. Wenatchee Parks Director Dave Erickson said contractors are on site getting Hale Park ready for its grand opening on August 15.

Hale Park is getting close to completion, contractors are down there and they are spreading top soil for the grass area and picnic area on the north end of the park, Erickson said. Were getting very close, theyre hoping to have all the fence and top soil and grass seeding done by the end of this week and well have the final walk-through with the contractor early next week, and then put the finishing touches on everything.

The grand opening will start at 6 p.m. on August 15, and Erickson added that residents should carpool if possible as parking is limited.

We are limited to only 17 parking spots which will accommodate regular bulk park uses, but for an event like this it will be really full, Erickson said. We ask please just be mindful of people driveways, dont block those. Dont park on the loop trail, maybe park at Pybus and walk down. Please plan accordingly.

See the original post:
First city-owned off-leash dog park to open August 15 - NCWLIFE Channel (press release)

The city of Oregon has decided not to tear down and reinstall new baseball practice fields on city property adjacent to the Coontz Recreation Center, despite concerns they were not put in properly.

P.J. Kapfhammer, owner of Maumee Bay Turf Center, said at a city council meeting in June that the practice fields were substandard and not playable.

You can call them practice fields, call them whatever you want, Kapfhammer said to council. You should probably just bulldoze it. Start over. I watched it progress, and I bit my tongue, and I watched it and bit my tongue. And I cant bite my tongue anymore. I understand theyre practice fields. But if youre going to do them, make them playable.

Among his complaints: The backstops should not have been installed first.

The fencing never goes in first. Its not even an option, because you have to work around where that fence is. So youre going to either hit it an awful lot of times, or youre not going to do much work around that fence. And I got my answer when all of a sudden, the stone just got dropped. They didnt even dig it out. You dropped 900 tons of stone on top of the dirt. Theres no base to hold it now. So you have an eight to 10 inch lip that goes right from stone down to the ground. Thats unplayable, he said.

Kapfhammer also questioned the timing of scattering grass seed on the fields, and that there was no irrigation to deal with flooding after rainfall. The seed was thrown in June, without any cover or irrigation to deal with the warmer temperatures of July and August, he said.

Ive done plenty of jobs for the city. Its unheard of in this industry, he said. He asked Recreation Director Joe Wasserman, who was at the meeting, how much it cost the city to buy the seed. Wasserman said it cost $10,000. The total cost of the backstops, stone and seed was $40,000.

From that point, they were put in as practice diamonds, but strategically located so that down the road, when funds and resources avail themselves, we will turn them into game diamonds, said Wasserman. So basically, they were put in with just the stone, the seed and backstops for practice purposes. If they were going in as game diamonds, we would have looked at irrigation, drainage, additional fencing material, cutting out the dirt, bringing the soil, doing the subgrade and all of that. And obviously we would have gone to much more cost, and a lot more consultation from experts such as yourself. But at this point, they went in as practice diamonds.

Wasserman said the work has been completed. Backstops were installed, 900 tons of stone were dropped on the infields, and 7,000 lbs. of seed were scattered on 15 acres of fields.

I promise you, theres no chance it can ever grow, Kapfhammer said of the seed. Its not feasible. Even if there were some green nubs, that heat is going to hit with no root zone, no way to keep it cool, no water and its done.

In addition, the infields were flooded after a hard rain.

It pooled around all the infields. When you play softball and baseball in the spring, when everything is melting, its going to pool. The water table wont allow it to leave, he said.

He made phone calls to city officials to express concerns, he said.

In our own backyard, and nobody had anything to do with this. You have $40,000 in fields sitting out there now that are absolutely useless. I like Joe [Wasserman]. I get along great with Joe. I dont even blame him. Youre all here. You guys represent the city. The fields are 200 yards away from here, and it doesnt take much to see how badly its being done. You guys approved it. You could have done it right. It wouldnt have cost that much more. I would have come in here for free and showed you how to do it right. Its a shame.

Im thankful that you came and addressed this, said Walendzak. I think other council members have raised concerns also. Obviously coming from a professional perspective its what you do for a living - holds a lot of weight in what youre saying.

City Administrator Mike Beazley said the administration had asked the Recreation Department to develop the fields.

We were going to do some stone and plant some grass seed, said Beazley. In terms of the timing of it and the process, we asked the department to do it. We certainly will be following up very quickly after this meeting.

Councilman Steve Hornyak said he had repeatedly asked for updates on the fields.

The new fields were something we certainly approved. Then one day fences showed up. Then a couple weeks later dirt showed up, then stone. Im a little concerned that it does appear that we dumped some stone on the ground. So I think we need to revisit that.

Walendzak said he hoped the city can address it in a manner that makes it appropriate.

Reeves agreed.

I respect your opinion and what youre talking about. What can be done to salvage what we have? Reeves asked Kapfhammer.

Start over. You really have no choice, said Kapfhammer. The grass seed will not grow. The stone is sitting above. You have to give it something to hold it. Its not an attack on Joe personally. But this is how its been done. You have to excavate that all out. If you do it right the first time, its so much easier to maintain, and a lot less money going out. Bulldoze it. Knock it down and redo it. Its going to be a safety factor for kids.

Days after the meeting, Beazley and Seferian said the fields will not be redone.

At some point, they will be developed into baseball diamonds, which will require irrigation.

Theyre designed to be practice fields. They wont be ripped apart, said Beazley. The staff was asked to do them without drainage and irrigation, something you do with regular playing diamonds. We had a lot of rain, the grass is doing well. We might have to do some over-seeding, and some irrigation. Time will tell.

Could we have done it better? Of course we could have, said Seferian. Are we out $40,000? No. P.J. was right about a lot of things right about planting grass in June was nuts. But weve had a lot of rain and the grass is growing. We have a lot going on in this city. And we were letting recreation take care of itself. We have to pay more attention to that.

Read this article:
Concerns raised over new practice fields in Oregon - Press Publications Inc.

This past spring may have messed up your grass and alfalfa seeding plans.

The wet weather prevented some folks from getting their new seedings established in May. Some growers took the risk and planted them in mid- to late June while others have decided to wait to establish a late-summer seeding.

I would like to take this opportunity to review some of the management and details necessary for a successful summer seeding.

A late-summer seeding can be a very good way to establish alfalfa, grasses or mixed legume/grass stands.

There are both advantages and risks associated with a summer seeding. Weeds and insect pressures are generally much less than when compared to spring seeding. Your workload may not be as heavy this time of year.

Dry weather poses the greatest risk for a late-summer seeding failure. Early frost and poorer establishment techniques can also affect the success of the seeding.

In northern New York, summer seedings should be established by early to mid-August. Reed canarygrass and birdsfoot trefoil are two exceptions. They are slower to establish and should be seeded in late July. Later establishments could be damaged by an early frost.

According to Jerry Cherney, Cornell University, a late-summer seeding of reed canarygrass may be better than a spring seeding.

Weeds are usually less of a problem in summer seedings. Chemical weed control is not needed because the first frost will kill any of the annual weeds that come in. Perennial weeds, such as quackgrass, must be controlled before you plant the seeding. Any of the glyphosate products will take care of the quackgrass prior to establishment.

Do not use any companion crop to try to choke out the weeds. A companion crop will compete for moisture with your forage seeding.

Lack of rainfall and inadequate soil moisture are some of the greatest risks associated with summer seedings. The decision to establish a summer seeding should be based on current soil moisture and the extended short-term weather forecast. Dont take the gamble and plant in a bone-dry seedbed. If it is too dry and it does not look like Mother Nature is going to cooperate, keep the seed in the bag.

Summer seeding establishment principles are the same as spring seedings. Proper soil pH and adjusting starter fertilizer rates according to soil tests are necessary.

A good seedbed and correct seed placement also contribute to a successful summer seeding. There is no need to adjust seeding rates at this time of year.

Soil tests take the guesswork out of your lime and fertilizer applications. If your soil needs a boost in pH, hopefully the lime was applied last fall.

Alfalfa or alfalfa/grass mixes do not need any nitrogen in the starter fertilizer. Refer to the Cornell Guide for Integrated Crop Management or your current soil test for suggested phosphorus or potassium rates needed for establishment.

The next step in establishing a successful summer seeding is proper seedbed preparation. A very firm seedbed will not dry out as fast as a loose or lumpy seedbed. Test your seedbed by walking across the field. Pack the seedbed firm enough so that your footprints are hardly visible. You should sink in no more than half an inch. A cultimulcher or cultipacker is a good tool to use just before planting. Depending on your seeding equipment, packing the soil after seeding may be needed.

The seed planting depth should be about one-quarter inch and no more than half an inch deep.

Dont assume that the seed is being planted properly. Get off the tractor and look to see how deep you are planting those many little seeds. If you are not seeing a few seeds on the surface, chances are you are planting too deep.

Harvesting the seeding this fall is not a recommended practice.

Those tender, young plants do not have a strong root system yet. Dont harvest until next spring.

Late summer can be a good time to establish alfalfa, grasses and legume/grass mixtures. If you are interested in trying a summer seeding and have any further questions or comments, feel free to contact Mike Hunter at 315-788-8450 or Kitty ONeil at 315-854-1218.

Michael Hunter is a field crops and soils educator with the North Country Regional Ag Team.

More here:
Late-Summer Seedings in Northern New York - Lancaster Farming

Grasses that once covered Nebraska have now spent another 50 years growing and flourishing in farmers pasture.

WINNETOON, Neb. (AP) James Wagner has lived on the family farm in rural Winnetoon for most of his life.

He was born here and went to grade school right across the road. Hes seen things change, but hes also seen much that has stayed the same.

One constant for the past 50 years is a pasture that Wagner planted in 1967 as part of a government program. To commemorate Nebraskas 100th anniversary that year, Wagner said he could participate in a centennial seeding program. The program required planting a mix of native grasses.

Wagner originally participated in the program mainly because of the conservation benefits.

The ground was washing, Wagner said.

Grasses that once covered Nebraska have now spent another 50 years growing and flourishing in Wagners pasture, the Norfolk Daily News reported . But it wasnt easy to get them started.

The first year, I got so disgusted. The ground was just like now: dry, dry, dry. Of course, grass, when it comes out, its just a little string. You can barely see it, he said.

Even planting the grass was challenging.

It was very hard to get big blue to seed through the seeder. Its so hairy, feathery, he said.

With patience, Wagner said, the grass eventually began to grow and would produce its own seeds to help the pasture expand and thicken.

Eventually then when they drop their own seed, it seems like they spread out, Wagner said.

Despite the program ending, he kept the native grasses and managed them through grazing. He has never had to reseed it, and he doesnt mow it.

I just leave it alone, he said.

The native grasses include a mixture of warm- and cool-season grasses.

Big blue and little blue, thats bluestem. Indiangrass. Now it doesnt seem like theres any of the grama grasses. Ive never seen any there. Generally, you get them, too. And then wheatgrass, probably western wheat. Its a cool-season grass. Presumably, thats for early grazing. ... Warm-season are just starting to come on real good now, Wagner said of what he sees growing in the mixture now.

At 88 years old, Wagner still grazes cattle on the native grasses and rotates them through his other pastures as well. This year the cows grazed the centennial grass from about May to July before being moved to another pasture.

The grass is allowed to recover and grow before Wagner will bring the cows back to graze it one more time.

Generally, you get enough moisture that it really comes back good in the fall, he said.

So theyll be in the next pasture about three months and then theyll come back over here toward fall, and then Ill sell the calves and the cows go out to the cornstalks.

Raising livestock is something that Wagners have done at their farmstead since James grandfather farmed here.

My grandfather bought it in, well, itd be about 110 years ago. My dad got it, and then I got it. He almost settled west of Creighton in 1871. But he bought a piece of ground and got out in this country here, he said.

The farm has seen cows and calves, horses, fattened cattle that were marketed in Sioux City, and even crops like corn and oats. Wagner stopped crop farming 10 years ago, and the horses and feedyard are long gone. He even has reduced his cow herd.

Im gonna have to quit. I cant outrun the cows, he said.

But with all that has changed in agriculture, in Nebraska and in the world over the years, Wagner still has his resilient native grasses from the centennial seeding.

Im starting to feel proud of it now, Wagner said of his native grass.

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Link:
Nebraska native grasses grow strong after 50 years - Capital Press

James Wagner has lived on the family farm in rural Winnetoon for most of his life.

He was born here and went to grade school right across the road. He's seen things change, but he's also seen much that has stayed the same.

One constant for the past 50 years is a pasture that Wagner planted in 1967 as part of a government program. To commemorate Nebraska's 100th anniversary that year, Wagner said he could participate in a centennial seeding program. The program required planting a mix of native grasses.

Wagner originally participated in the program mainly because of the conservation benefits.

"The ground was washing," Wagner said.

Grasses that once covered Nebraska have now spent another 50 years growing and flourishing in Wagner's pasture. But it wasn't easy to get them started.

"The first year, I got so disgusted. The ground was just like now: dry, dry, dry. Of course, grass, when it comes out, it's just a little string. You can barely see it," he said.

Even planting the grass was challenging.

"It was very hard to get big blue to seed through the seeder. It's so hairy, feathery," he said.

With patience, Wagner said, the grass eventually began to grow and would produce its own seeds to help the pasture expand and thicken.

"Eventually then when they drop their own seed, it seems like they spread out," Wagner said.

Despite the program ending, he kept the native grasses and managed them through grazing. He has never had to reseed it, and he doesn't mow it.

"I just leave it alone," he said.

The native grasses include a mixture of warm- and cool-season grasses.

"Big blue and little blue, that's bluestem. Indiangrass. Now it doesn't seem like there's any of the grama grasses. I've never seen any there. Generally, you get them, too. And then wheatgrass, probably western wheat. It's a cool-season grass. Presumably, that's for early grazing. ... Warm-season are just starting to come on real good now," Wagner said of what he sees growing in the mixture now.

At 88 years old, Wagner still grazes cattle on the native grasses and rotates them through his other pastures as well. This year the cows grazed the centennial grass from about May to July before being moved to another pasture.

The grass is allowed to recover and grow before Wagner will bring the cows back to graze it one more time.

"Generally, you get enough moisture that it really comes back good in the fall," he said.

"So they'll be in the next pasture about three months and then they'll come back over here toward fall, and then I'll sell the calves and the cows go out to the cornstalks."

Raising livestock is something that Wagners have done at their farmstead since James' grandfather farmed here.

"My grandfather bought it in, well, it'd be about 110 years ago. My dad got it, and then I got it. He almost settled west of Creighton in 1871. But he bought a piece of ground and got out in this country here," he said.

The farm has seen cows and calves, horses, fattened cattle that were marketed in Sioux City, and even crops like corn and oats. Wagner stopped crop farming 10 years ago, and the horses and feedyard are long gone. He even has reduced his cow herd.

"I'm gonna have to quit. I can't outrun the cows!" he said.

But with all that has changed in agriculture, in Nebraska and in the world over the years, Wagner still has his resilient native grasses from the centennial seeding.

"I'm starting to feel proud of it now," Wagner said of his native grass.

Visit link:
Native grasses going strong after getting re-introduced - Norfolk Daily News