Seeding in the fall may seem like a foreign concept, but in our area it is a great way to capture the winter moisture we hope we get this year.
Planting after Oct. 15 for dryland pasture is a great way to prepare for the growing season next year. Seeds planted after Oct. 15 will remain dormant until soil temperatures are warm enough for the plants to germinate in spring. The other benefit of dormant winter planting is a full growing season for seeds to build roots and become well-established.
Other options are planting in the spring or just before the monsoons, which come around in late June or early July. Spring may be a difficult time to plant because you’ll have to wait until the area is dry enough to plant, losing that valuable winter moisture. Also, lately, May and June have been drier months.
Native, introduced species?
The other major question you may have for dryland grass seeding is whether to plant native grass species or introduced species. The pros of the native species are that you’ll mimic the surrounding landscape. Introduced species tend to green up quickly, tolerate soil and site deficiencies and cost less.
Native species take longer to establish, may not offer much forage in the short term and cost more. Introduced species will appear visually contrasting to the landscape, and may not persist as long as native species.
So what grass species should you be looking for?
In general, the Natural Resources Conservation Service recommends intermediate wheatgrass, smooth brome, timothy and orchard grass as your introduced species for a quick ground cover and establishment. Just be aware that smooth brome can be aggressive and spread. Smooth brome can do well on sites with poorer soils or sites that struggle to get other species established. Timothy establishes well in wetter soils and may not persist at drier sites.
If you are in piñon pine/Utah juniper ecosystem, recommended grasses are Indian ricegrass, western wheatgrass, mutton grass, bottlebrush squirreltail and galleta. If you live at a higher or lower elevation, call the conservation service for help finding a mix to suit your environment and specific needs.
Establishing seeds
The next decision is to determine how to get seeds established. It is critical to make sure seeds get around ¼ to ¾ of an inch of soil cover. The low-cost, high-labor method is to use a seed spreader and hand rake, though the seed rate willl double because of inadequate soil cover for vulnerability to birds and animals.
The other end of the spectrum is to rent a no-till drill seeder or similar equipment to drill seeds into the soil at a specified depth spaced uniformly across the landscape. This method can be expensive. Whichever method you use, dryland seeding has a 50 percent success rate.
In general, it’s best to control weeds before seeding. Seeding into a bed of noxious weeds can only exacerbate the weed populations.
Shaan Bliss is a rangeland management specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Call him at (970) 731-3615 or email shaan.bliss@co.usda.gov.