Pasture Reminders for April 2005
Jim Green
Crop Science Department
North Carolina State University
There are always many things to do in April and setting priorities can often get hectic, but the following list might jog you memory on what can be done.
If cool season grasses have not received fertilizer it is getting late and you may want to hold the amount of N to 50 lbs/acre; additional N could/should be applied in late August to spread out the distribution of growth for the year.
Limestone, phosphate (P2O5) and potash (K2O) may be applied on most soils any time during the year, however, on sandy textured soils consider splitting the Potash with some put out in spring and some in mid summer. K is subject to leaching much like N and S on such soils.
Fertilize warm season grasses (bermuda, bahia, dallis, switchgrass, bluestems) as soon as the green leaves emerge.
Fall planted fescue, orchardgrass, and clovers should be established well enough to graze from 6-8 inches down to 2-4 inches. If clover is in the new plantings, do not let the grass shade it out. Lack of light reaching the growing points of clover is one of the main things that discourage clover success. Keep the grass grazed below 4-inches during the first month following overseeding, and do not let it reach more than 6-8 inches during the April-May period.
Plant weed-free bermudagrass sprigs before new shoot growth emerges. Some hybrids are best planted from clippings of mature above ground stems (Tifton 85). Plant seeded varieties of bermuda in April or May.
Seed bahia grass, crabgrass, switchgrass during mid April or May, but be aware of the amount of competition from weedy grasses.
Harvest smallgrains for silage or hay between the boot and soft dough stages of growth. For cereal rye and Triticale (boot stage) this may be in late March and for the others it will likely be in April.
Harvest or graze winter crops (cereals, ryegrass, and prairiegrass) which were overseeded onto bermuda or other summer crops to minimize shading during the spring “green up” in April and May. Bermuda can be significantly thinned or almost completely killed by allowing winter crops to go to full head stage during April-May.
Native warm season grasses like Switchgrass may be grazed when they reach 16 inches height, but do not graze below 6-8 inches.
Scout for alfalfa weevil and consider controlling by grazing or insecticide.
Winter annual pastures should be completely used before grazing begins on other pastures, which may be harvested as hay.
For best compromise between yield and quality of hay harvest fescue, orchardgrass and other cool season pastures or hay fields as soon as the seed heads begin to emerge from the flag leaf but certainly before flowering ends.
Harvest alfalfa in the flower bud stage (before flowering begins).
Endophyte fescue fields which are targeted to be replanted to endophyte-free or “friendly endophyte” fescue, orchardgrass or other species should not be allowed to produce seeds during April-June. Such seeds will result in volunteer seedlings of endophyte infected fescue the subsequent fall.
Grass tetany may be a problem as rapid grass growth and cool, wet weather prevails. Consider using supplement with Mg.
Growth of pasture plants will be rapid during this period and one may be able to rotate back onto previously grazed pastures in 10-18 days. Strive to graze pastures between 6-10 inches back to 2-4 and when it appears that some pastures have too much growth for efficient grazing consider skipping them until they can be harvested as hay/silage.
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