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Mowing K31 Fescue

H

hearnc843

Member
Newbie to pasture management here:

I have a couple small K31 pastures that I keep a couple horses on, and I was wondering if there is an optimal time to mow it. Both pastures are new and were first tilled/seeded in September 2019. I tilled about 5-6 inches deep, then smoothed it and planted the K31. The horses eat a lot of it, but in patchy areas. In the tallest area the grass is about 9 inches.

I'm in central NC. There is a couple inches of sandy topsoil, with hard clay underneath. So many rocks you would think I was growing them.
 
I'm not familiar with your type of grass, but basically you should keep it from bolting and making seed, so I would mow it down to six or ten inches, or to what ever level causes it to send up more leaves instead of stems.
 

Ky31 is a very durable grass, for pasture use just keep it clipped low enough that it doesn't poke the horses eyes, I usually set my mower at 6-8".
Here in Ky we mix in orchard grass and some type of clover with the fescue, I use white ladino clover in pastures, red clover in hay.
 
Horses tend to poop in the same places. A harrow or chain link fence will scatter it some. Cut it kinda high.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I gave it a mow at 6 inches the other day. As far as adding clover- I have read about that but I have been using 2,4-D seasonally to keep the dandelions at bay, and the 2,4 D would kill any broadleaf. Being a fairly newly established pasture, the grass is not super thick yet, and the dandelions pop up here and there.

I am thinking that once it gets thicker, I can ween off the 2,4D, rent a no till drill and sow clover into it.

Is there a better choice of herbicide for fescue/clover pastures?
 

It' kind of a catch 22 thing, as long as the grass is thin you'll get weeds, once it gets thick it'll try to choke out any clover you sow.
Drill in some clover seed in late fall or broadcast in Feb, once established 2-4-D will ding it but it should survive and it'll help choke down the weeds.
 
I planted Ky31 a couple of years ago and my first experience with it. This year, just as the seed stems were starting to emerge, groth was spotty and varied in maturity....looked like pffffft. I mowed it down to about 3", had a couple of good rains on it and you wouldn't believe the gorgeous pasture I now have. Round baled it at about 12" and was surprised at how little I lost in chaff for a crop that short with no stems using a round baler.
 
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