If you've been in a drought and the ground is really dry, it won't work. The seed won't take and you won't even be able to drill it into the ground.
Grass seed drill without discing?
Hi all,
I live in sand and already struggle with healthy pasture grass, but then we had a terrible draught for most of the summer. The pasture thinned out and weeds set in. Our beef cattle go off in a couple of weeks. Once they are gone I will be spaying for weeds and I'd like to put down some pasture grass seed either immediately or in the spring. I've got a 3 pt broadcast spreader I could use to over seed. I've tried other's recommendations 1) mowing before seeding in order to ensure the new grass isn't choked out and has plenty of sunlight, and 2) mowing after seeding in order retain moisture from the laid down grass and ensure the seeds sprout, and haven't had great success either way. I have a line on a grain drill with grass seed hopper which in my mind would ensure better seed growth. My question is whether I could use that to overseed without discing first? I really don't want to start my pasture completely over. I am aware that no till drills exist, so I assume a standard drill must have a limitation, but would it be completely unusable or just difficult? As noted I'm on sand so I have more leeway than other soils (eg, no problem using a disc that is too big for my tractor and hp).
Thanks in advance for your wisdom!
I live in sand and already struggle with healthy pasture grass, but then we had a terrible draught for most of the summer. The pasture thinned out and weeds set in. Our beef cattle go off in a couple of weeks. Once they are gone I will be spaying for weeds and I'd like to put down some pasture grass seed either immediately or in the spring. I've got a 3 pt broadcast spreader I could use to over seed. I've tried other's recommendations 1) mowing before seeding in order to ensure the new grass isn't choked out and has plenty of sunlight, and 2) mowing after seeding in order retain moisture from the laid down grass and ensure the seeds sprout, and haven't had great success either way. I have a line on a grain drill with grass seed hopper which in my mind would ensure better seed growth. My question is whether I could use that to overseed without discing first? I really don't want to start my pasture completely over. I am aware that no till drills exist, so I assume a standard drill must have a limitation, but would it be completely unusable or just difficult? As noted I'm on sand so I have more leeway than other soils (eg, no problem using a disc that is too big for my tractor and hp).
Thanks in advance for your wisdom!
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Thank you for the feedback! We have finally gotten rain, quite a bit actually, in the last couple of weeks. I can certainly wait for spring after the ground thaws as well. Any thoughts in general of using the drill without discing?If you've been in a drought and the ground is really dry, it won't work. The seed won't take and you won't even be able to drill it into the ground.
it wont work..........when someone tells me that ,i usually have to prove them wrong Get the drill out and plant seed It wont do anything in the bag let us know how it turns out
You essentially have nothing to loose minus the cost of seed... you’ll know by spring whether anything has come up or not.. if it doesnt work you can come up with plan B in spring.. if you could seed right before a good rain chance that would be a best case scenario.. my Alf/grass mix field was getting light in spots last year so I dumped 2 bags of orchard grass in a IH soybean special drill and rode it out.. nothing fancy the seed will go somewhere and it came up just fine.. set the rate low to get started until you can get a rough idea of how much you are putting out and do some rough figuring to cover the whole field..ride til it’s gone
good luck
good luck
It should work but make sure it’s a rainy day so the soil is moist and the disk will cut in fairly easy.
I'm not saying it won't work because I'm speculating, I'm saying it won't work because I've been there, done that, got the shirt, and lost a lot of money in this situation...trying to drill into rock hard ground in drought. The drill wouldn't even cut the surface. I don't want to waste the OP's money. If he gets some rain and the ground softens, it will be better.it wont work..........when someone tells me that ,i usually have to prove them wrong Get the drill out and plant seed It wont do anything in the bag let us know how it turns out
Need that seed to soil contact. Seed on top of ground won't take even with rain. Being in Minnesota the time for the grass the come up good and establish is going away quickly.
Broadcast the seed and drag it over with a chain drag. Make sure you do it with rain on the way, or the seed will just lay dormant until you get some moisture. Most pasture grass seed doesn't tolerate being drilled in very deep.
And you might not see good results this season. Next spring after a freeze/thaw cycle you'll just see it "pop"
Not sure what part of the country you are in...but sandy soil is ideal for Crabgrass. Quick N Big Spreader or even Dal's Red River are two varieties that LOVE sandy type soil. I saw a post somewhere here where they recommended filling a grain drill...removing the tubes so the drill more or less broadcasts...and pulling a light harrow behind. Sure sounded ideal to me. Crabgrass wants to be right at or just slightly under the surface.
Broadcast the seed and drag it over with a chain drag. Make sure you do it with rain on the way, or the seed will just lay dormant until you get some moisture. Most pasture grass seed doesn't tolerate being drilled in very deep.
+1. Been there, Done that, wasted $250 in seed. Grass can be drilled, but no more than 3/16" deep and under perfect weather conditions for moisture to reach the seed. Problem is, most drills go minimum 1/4", which is too deep. I have my drill cranked all the way up and it is barely touching the soil yet still drills 1/4" or more.
This year I broadcast the seed and it took very well. I now have new grass and far far fewer weeds than previous years.
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