(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

hay field issue

Ellis Kinney

Ellis Kinney

Well-known Member
Location
Northern Ky. 30 miles Southeast of Cincinnati
I need advice. Northern Ky. area about 30 miles
east of Cincinnati. Yesterday morning I had
some dozer work done in one of my fields. I had
a high ridge pushed into a low spot to level
the field and make haying easier. SWIMBO
allowed this. At 4 PM I was disking, at 5 PM I
was sowing seed. Ky 31 tall fescue and rye
grass for quick color. At 6 PM it was raining
fairly hard and kept it up for about 1 and 1/2
hours. Rain came up out of nowhere. I had planned on running the cultipacker
over the field as soon as I finished seeding.
Right now it is slip and slide time in the
field. It will probably take about 2 days to
dry out. I bought several bales of straw to put
down but I will have to wait a while. I also
bought fertilizer and granulated lime. That
will have to wait also. I think the cultipacker
is out, correct? I think it would just pack the
mud. When should I fertilize and spread the
lime? Should I also spread the straw as soon as
I can get in the field? To keep this tractor
related, I did the work with a Super MTA and a
John Deere disk. Thanks, Ellis
 
Forget the cultipacker now. The rain did that job for you! Just wait for it to dry out and then go in and apply your fertilizer, lime and straw. The rain was what you needed....it just came "out of schedule" with what you had planned.
 
May I ask why you planted Kentucky 31, that if I remember right is not endophyte free? I planted tall fescue for the first time this spring, but it was endophyte free. Correct me if I am wrong! Tom
 
You should keep an eye on the field when the seed sprouts to see if the rain washed any of the seed away. You should be able to broadcast seed over any area that has a sparse catch of seed.
 
I would assume you put the straw on to keep the soil from washing away til the seed sprouts. A little late for that now too. I guess I'd assess the damage after it drys out. You may want to start over.
 
Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) here is to broadcast seed/fert/etc with a 'spinner'(fertilizer cart).Roll/cultipack to cover,then 'mark'(water furrows).Havent used a drill for years.
 
We never cultipack here either, of course we don't really have many hills to speak of in this area. If you have my luck, all of your seed is at the bottom of that hill.
 
Fescue can have an endophyte that can cause problems with livestock - abortion in horses and fescue foot in cattle.

Early strains that eliminated the issue resulted in poorer quality grasses that were not as hardy. So they went back to the drawing board.

Newer strains eliminated the problems and restored the hardiness of the grass.

Read up on the strain you planted.
 
I'd have mixed the lime in before seeding - but either way, I'd do the lime first, and wait 6 months or so on the fertilizer.

I only know enough to be dangerous. But I believe the logic is that it takes that long for the lime to actually raise the ph to the right level - and you need the ph to be at the right level for the soil to effectively use the nitrogen from the fertilizer. So you'd just be wasting your money if you put it no now.

Again - I'm no expert - but since nobody seemed to mention it - I thought I'd throw it out there for discussion.
 
Since the seed was spread after disking, the rain eliminated the benefit of the cultipacker. The cultipacker is used to get good seed-to-soil contact.
 
Lime should get worked into the ground. Takes a couple months to really start having an effect. It is better worked into the soil than just sitting on top. But, here you are happens to the best of us, spread it when conditions are good and you don't hurt the seedlings.

P and K is better worked into the ground as well. P doesn't move much, spread on the surface it will as likely wash away in the next month as work into the root zone. K should work out ok. Same as lime, spread when you don't hurt the seedlings.

Nitrogen there are many types, some are better if worked into the soil, a few are very stable no big deal, anyhow here you are, spread on the soil right before a rain, the rain will soak the N into the ground, otherwise a lot of it might gas off in the 2 days spread on the surface.

Cultipacker helps level the ground but mostly helps firm up seed to soil contact. The rain did this for you, can put the cultipacker away.

Here is we put a tiny bit of oats along in with the seed, it comes up fast and no need for a multch. So not sure how or when to apply a multch in your case.

Paul
 
Familiarize yourself with the signs of fescue foot and the things you can do to aid its prevention. I"ve had some trouble. It is one of those things that when you see the signs it is too late.
 
Ellis, it may depend on how much rain you got. Seed washes pretty quick. Sit on it for a week or so and see how much sprouts, and more importantly, where. If there are big thin and bare spots, be ready to go ahead and lime and disk it, then reseed and cultipack it, then cover it.
 

Maybe the storm was a blessing in disguise. I agree that lime and Potash need to be incorporated a few inches in before seeding. most of my seedings are done with a Brillion, which packs before and after the seed drops, in order to get good contact. An old rough rule of thumb is your pick-up truck tires should sink in just one and a half inches in a good seed bed. If it is deeper the soil won't hold enough moisture for the plant to get started.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Keeping this tractor related
Replies
2
Views
337
Texasmark
T
O
Grass identification
Replies
8
Views
218
miner09
miner09
Steve in VA
Still can't get lime
Replies
9
Views
422
Steve in VA
Steve in VA
R
Poor hay
Replies
13
Views
619
Doug Wi
D
T
Graham Hayeme chisel plow usage and soil type
Replies
8
Views
316
Texasmark
T
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top