MHC Farm Stewardship, continued...


stress from high temperature and lack of moisture. Also, annual weeds are more of a problem with late spring seedings. Advantages of late summer seedings include less competition from


weeds, and damping-off (fungal) diseases are not usually a problem. Late summer seedlings need suffi cient time and heat unit accumulation for adequate growth before killing frost. T ese seedings should be made early enough to allow at least 6 weeks for growth after germination and emergence (Note: six weeks after emergence – not six weeks after seed- ing). Seedlings should be at least three to four inches tall before the kill- ing frost. Seedings made after September 1 for the mountainous region of western Maryland, and after September 10 for the rest of the state, are more subject to winter injury and possible winter killings since the plants do not have much time to develop and become established.


denser sod for grazing. T is is especially true for horse pastures.


Management During Establishment New seedings should not be grazed until the plants have developed


suffi cient root systems to prevent uprooting when grazed. One approach is to allow new plants to grow to 10-12 inches, mow to a height of 3-4 inches, allow to regrow to 10-12 inches and mow to 3-4 inches a sec- ond time. After the second mowing, let the plants again grow to 10-12 inches. By this time, the plants should be ready for horses to graze them down to 3-4 inches. Most forage grasses and legumes regrow from the crown buds and are usually not seriously damaged by cutting. However, clipping too frequently can reduce seedling development as well as for- age yields the following year. To test for adequate root development, grasp a handful of plant mate-


rial and tug on it. If you can easily pull it out of the ground, the root system is not suffi ciently developed to prevent uprooting by horses as they graze. If this is the case, another mowing and regrowth cycle is needed. Be sure not to graze plants lower than 3-4 inches and graze only when the soil surface is dry and fi rm. Never graze new stands during wet periods, especially on tilled seedbeds. If it is feasible to harvest the spring growth as hay, this is another op-


tion for allowing plants to develop a suffi cient root system before graz- ing. T e spring growth is allowed to grow to the late boot/early heading stage and then harvested as hay. Once the regrowth following the hay harvest is 10-12 inches tall, grazing can begin. Weeds often invade new seedings and the stand may be reduced if they


Seeding Depth


Seeding depth varies with soil type (sandy, clay or loam), soil moisture availability, time of seeding, and fi rmness of the seedbed. Seeds placed too deep are not likely to emerge. Seeds placed on the surface, at a very shallow depth, or in loose or cloddy seedbed often do not have adequate seed-soil contact. In these cases, dry soil conditions following seeding usually result in desiccation and death of the seedlings. T us a fi rm seed- bed is essential for proper seed placement, good seed-soil contact and successful establishment. Seed should be covered with enough soil to provide moist conditions


for germination. Under humid conditions, best results are obtained when placement is between ¼ and ½ inch deep. Under more arid conditions, such as sandy soils or to reach moist soil, the seed must be sown deeper. However, seed placed deeper than 1 inch may not emerge or be so weak- ened that survival is reduced. Generally, the optimum seeding depths are ¼ to ½ inch on clay and loam soils and ½ to 1 inch on sandy soils. Shal- lower depths within these ranges are better for species with smaller seed sizes and for early spring seedings. Deeper depths are recommended for species with larger seed sizes and for late summer seedings when mois- ture conditions are less favorable.


Seeding Rates Pasture seeding rates are higher than hay seeding rates to provide


are not controlled. Clipping, in addition to being a good management practice for developing root systems during establishment, will also re- duce the competition of weeds with the new grass and legume seedlings. But it should not be done too early. If clipped too early, only the tops of the weeds will be removed, leaving active buds on the stubble to pro- duce new branches and even more competition. Suffi cient weed growth should be allowed so that most active buds are removed when the new seeding is clipped. Even though the seedlings from late summer seedings may make con-


siderable growth during the late summer and fall period, they should not be cut or grazed. Clipping or grazing seedling stands weakens the plants and results in greater susceptibility to winterkilling. Grazing or clipping of new spring seedings should end four to six weeks prior to the average killing frost date to allow for buildup of reserves for winter. New seedings should be monitored for slugs, insect and disease prob- lems at least weekly for the fi rst six to eight weeks. It is diffi cult, if not impossible, to determine the cause of seeding failures when you don’t know what happened during that six to eight week period following seeding.


Summary T ere are no shortcuts or substitutes for good management practices


and procedures for establishing and maintaining pastures. Poor manage- ment before and after seeding can result in wasted eff ort and expense. After seeding it is necessary to follow up with good forage management, i.e., avoiding overgrazing and inadequate fertilization, to realize continu- ing benefi ts from a new seeding.


For more information on horse pasture management and other soil conservation and water quality practices, contact your local Soil Conservation District. Addresses and phone numbers can be found through


mda.maryland.gov/HOW. The Horse Outreach Workgroup (HOW) provides information to horse owners on pasture and manure management. HOW consists of representatives from local Soil Conservation Districts, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, University of Maryland Extension, and the Maryland Horse Industry Board.


www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION | AUGUST 2024 | 43


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