Post by colburg on May 5, 2015 13:29:44 GMT -5
Please comment if you have experience with any grasses listed or recommendations.
These are my notes in an attempt to keep things straight in a 4-way email conversation.
We live in an area that gets below freezing, but not much and not for very many days. I've been talking with 3 NMSU professors and forage specialists about planting perennials in our orchard that won't mess with pecan harvest, and will provide forage all year. My main goal is winter forage from post-harvest(December) to Mid-April that I don't have to re-plant every year. I'll pull all of the animals out about 1-2 months before harvest and shred everything just before nut drop starts if needed. I'm also trying to not mess up pecan harvest too bad. Is there a mix/combo that would work well in tandem with each other? We haven't sprayed herbicides or pesticides or tilled in 4 years so they'll have to compete with everything else that tries to grow. I've never heard of a verticutter until now, but it appears as though it may take care of the clump issues of most perennials(if I can afford one), but would prefer to not go that route if possible.
Professors:
Mark Marsalis, Superintendent, Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas
Extension Forage Specialist, Extension Plant Sciences
1036 Miller St SW, Los Lunas Nm 87301
505-865-7340
Mr. Leonard Lauriault, Certified Forage and Grassland Professional
College Professor - Superintendent and Forage Crop Management Scientist
6502 Quay Rd AM.5, Tucumcari, NM 88401
Phone: 575-461-1620 x 103
Bernd Leinauer, Ph.D. Professor and Turfgrass Extension Specialist
New Mexico State University
Department of Extension Plant Sciences
N230 Skeen Hall
MSC 3AE / P.O. 30003
945 College, Las Cruces, NM 88003
(575) 636 3496 Phone
Here are their recommendations:
Bernd: Poa Supina - is found in Europe on dairy pastures and it might be interesting to check whether or not it works in our climate. However, clumpiness can also be the result of spotty light conditions under tress as grasses obviously grow best in sun spots and not so well in permanent shade. Unfortunately these conditions are common under trees.
Coley: It does appear to do very well in the shade, but it may have a fungal problem when it receives too much water.
Mark: IF THE FIELD IS WELL DRAINED, THE FUNGAL ISSUE MAY NOT BE A PROBLEM. SHADE TOLERANCE IS GOING TO BE THE BIGGER ISSUE.
Bernd: Fine Fescue(Festuca Rubra)
Coley: May be water competitive. The pecans are my primary crop and the cattle/chickens are secondary. Is this more competitive for water than plain ole Bermuda or some of the other perennials?
Mark: I DON’T HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH EITHER POA SUPINE OR CREEPING RED FESCUE. LEONARD?
Leonard: Smooth Bromegrass
Coley: This may be what I already have on trial in the orchard. Maybe it's Rye(see attached pictures). It's been doing very well for 2-3 yrs. Clumping is only a minor issue so far during harvest. The sweeper and harvester may miss 10 lbs per acre of nuts in these areas. Does the verticutter prevent clumping, or disperse the clumps after they've formed?
Mark: LEONARD, THOUGHTS ON THE VERTICUTTER YOU BROUGHT UP?
Leonard: Smooth bromegrass can be turfy, but it needs to be verticut every couple of years because it can become very sodbound and will form thin spots that lead to larger clumps. We have a pretty good stand here that had grown under shade.
Leonard: Creeping Red Fescue
Coley: May be water competitive. The pecans are my primary crop and the cattle/chickens are secondary. Is this more competitive for water than plain ole Bermuda or some of ther other perennials?
Mark: I DON’T HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH EITHER POA SUPINE OR CREEPING RED FESCUE. LEONARD?
Leonard: RS Hybrid Wheatgrass
Coley: Very interesting but can't find any info on shade tolerance. Also ran across AC Saltlander wheatgrass which is very interesting, but couldn't find shade info. The intermediate also looks very good.
Mark: I SPOKE WITH ONE OF OUR NRCS PLANT MATERIALS CENTER AGRONOMISTS AND HE THOUGHT THAT WESTERN WHEATGRASS MAY BE A BETTER PERFORMER THAN THE INTERMEDIATE TYPES. AS LONG AS IT STAYS MOWED/GRAZED IT WILL SPREAD VIA RHIZOMES. I DON’T THINK ANYONE HAS A GOOD FEEL FOR HOW THESE SPECIES WILL DO UNDER SHADE.
Leonard: Intermediate/Pubescent Wheatgrass
NRCS PLANT MATERIALS CENTER AGRONOMIST: Western Wheatgrass(Cultivar?) - MAY BE A BETTER PERFORMER THAN THE INTERMEDIATE TYPES. AS LONG AS IT STAYS MOWED/GRAZED IT WILL SPREAD VIA RHIZOMES. I DON’T THINK ANYONE HAS A GOOD FEEL FOR HOW THESE SPECIES WILL DO UNDER SHADE.
Leonard: Summer obligatory dormant tall fescue (Prosper Cultivar??? is endophyte free) - It also shouldn’t compete too much with the pecans during summer for water. A key for success would be a high seeding rate to promote turfiness early and close grazing when livestock are there. Regarding close grazing, that would be sort of similar to close mowing. Turfiness of tall fescue even in turf types is maintained by close mowing and mowing often enough to maintain leafiness. It would take a higher level of management but that can easily be simulated with either short-term intensive grazing without regard to stocking rate (number of animals – just move the animals to another pasture when you’ve removed 30-50% of the leaf canopy height), or continuous stocking with careful attention paid to stocking density (number of animals over a period of time – keep animals in place to maintain sufficient leafiness to maintain canopy height (2-3 inches) such that growth is equal to removal).
Leonard: Perennial Ryegrass would be another option, but that does clump after a few years under any management.