Fall is a critical time to take care of some important aspects of managing pastures. It is the time to protect those cool-season forage roots such as orchard grass and tall fescue so they will continue growing and have strong spring regrowth. It is also the ideal time to apply lime or fertilizer to correct soil fertility needs.
Test soil
One of the most important things to do in the fall is to soil test those pastures and add the nutrients that are lacking. It’s a great time to apply both phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) to prepare established pastures for winter. Phosphorus helps grass stands improve root growth and tillering in the spring, and potassium will increase the winter hardiness of the plants.
If your soil test shows a pH below 6.0, now is the time to apply lime to raise that pH level for next year’s seedings. Many pasture problems can be avoided with proper fertility levels. Low pasture fertility can lead to weak grass stands that are susceptible to stresses that include winter injury and weed invasion.
Control weeds
Weed control is another chore that can be beneficial in the fall. Scout pastures for current and emerging weeds now. Many perennial, biennial and winter annual weeds are much easier to control in the fall than waiting until next spring.
Some perennial thistles and biennial rosettes such as dandelion, buttercup and wild carrot should be sprayed now while the plants are moving nutrients down to their root systems for winter. Some herbicides are best applied in October, while some must be applied as dormant applications during the winter. The fall application window for herbicides is to treat about two weeks before the first hard frost while leaves are still green and active.
Avoid overgrazing
Finally, let’s talk about grazing management. We must avoid overgrazing pastures in the fall. Grasses need to accumulate energy reserves for winter and they need plenty of leaf area to accomplish that. Avoiding overgrazing allows plants to store sugars in their roots and crowns for spring regrowth.
Mow or drag
Now is an excellent time to possibly mow or drag those pastures. The stop-grazing height of 3 to 4 inches is recommended for cool-season grasses such as orchard grass and tall fescue. Mowing pastures to that height can be helpful in controlling weeds and reducing overgrown areas of the pastures that were not grazed efficiently. Dragging pastures this time of year helps get manure nutrients to different areas of the pasture and helps manure decompose faster.
Fall is a very busy time of year for most of us, especially those who are harvesting field crops. But fall pasture management is important for overwintering our pastures to promote healthy regrowth and make our pastures successful next year.
