Managing Forages for Dry Weather

1. Before dry weather hits:

• Have a good maintenance program for your pastures. Conduct a soil test and follow recommendations though guidance from your Extension Agent for nutrients and lime. Good weather is a great time to manage troublesome weeds. During bad weather those weed problems tend to worsen.
• Organic matter increases soil’s water holding capacity so adding it to soil can help long-term but be mindful of nutrient buildup. When soil pH is too low or high, many nutrients are not available to the plant. Adding nitrogen during drought can be costly and counterproductive. Lime won’t dissolve very quickly without rain.

2. When dry weather hits:

• Don’t graze grass too short – bermudagrass in dry weather is best kept at 3” tall vs. in good weather at 2” tall. Fescue: 6” is optimum, especially if the weather is beginning to get dry. If you allow horses to over-graze, this removes too much of a plant’s reserves and it takes longer for the plant to grow

          back.  Rest periods are especially important, more so during droughts. Just like we need

         extra rest when it’s hot and dry, so do our forages.

  

• According to Liebig’s Law of the Minimum, lack of moisture is the first priority for our crops. If our forages do not have adequate moisture, then worrying about insects and diseases (priority number 7) is not a significant limitation on our forages compared to the other things plants need (Source: Havlin, J. L. et al. 2005. Soil Fertility and Fertilizers, 7^th ed.).

• Check nitrates before feeding and/or cutting for hay. You can take a forage sample before cutting or after hay has been baled. If sampling in the field, randomly snip grasses from the field at mowing height and add these clippings to a gallon-sized ziplock bag. If sampling from the bale, preferably use a hay corer and randomly remove about 20 cores. Mix the hay cores and add to a quart-sized ziplock bag. Submit the samples with proper forms to your Extension Agent for analysis at NCDA & CS Forage Lab. You can also ask the lab for a full analysis. If you do have high nitrates, check with your Extension Agent and talk about where your current levels are. There may be options for using the hay if nitrates are elevated: mixing with another hay to dilute nitrate, add alternative feeds (besides hay), or wrap to ensile hay. Do not turn hungry animals onto high nitrate hay!

• Watch fertilization timing and rate. Sometimes it’s not too much nitrogen; it’s the wrong time. Use your soil test to help determine the proper amount of nitrogen but do not apply nitrogen when plants are experiencing stress due to heat and/or low rainfall.

• Watch for toxic plants! Many plants that are toxic are drought-tolerant, some, such as horsenettle, even keep their green color during drought and may look more attractive than forages. Weigh the pros and cons of weed control methods. Many herbicides are not effective or very effective when soil is very dry, and plants will need adequate rain even when water is applied through spray solution. Sometimes the dryness causes forages to absorb too much of the herbicide and there is more damage to forage than usual. Wait until adequate rainfall for most herbicides. Mowing can give temporary control.

• Follow proper timing and rate for seeding and/or sprigging—for the coastal plain area of North Carolina (except heavy, darker soils), the best dates for seeding bermudagrass are April 1-May 15 but possible dates are March 15-June 7. For sprigging bermudagrass, best dates are March 1-March 31 and possible dates are February 15-April 15 or as late as July if irrigated. Sprigging or seeding later than these dates may increase the chances of dry and/or hot conditions interfering with establishment.

• Often when we experience prolonged dry conditions, seedheads form lower to the soil surface or stunting may occur. Even with adequate rainfall after seedheads have formed, growth could be significantly inhibited. It may be beneficial to graze the grass lightly to encourage regrowth.

3. Recovery Period:

• Once rain finally falls, weeds can grow very fast – be prepared! Know what kinds of weeds you normally have a problem with. A number of weeds can grow extremely fast once they have rain. In fact, pigweed can grow 2 to 5 inches in 3 days or less. Once you know what you have, pick a strategy: mowing, herbicides, and management. Always use herbicides according to the label, at the correct rate. A couple of benefits of herbicides in pastures is to remove undesirable weeds to increase quality and to decrease competitiveness for forage. Weigh the costs and benefits of herbicides closely and consult your Extension Agent.

• Fertilization is affected by when recovery takes place. Don’t over-fertilize right before dormancy of bermudagrass and don’t fertilize fescue in the heat of summer, particularly from April to August. If we are dry during May, June, and July then finally get rainfall in August, fertilize very lightly. Bermudagrass does not need a flush of growth just before dormancy.