Dry Land Pasture Overseeding advice

[eljuncal]

Hi, I have a couple acres of natural grass, dry land range I'm seeking to restore (post new-build which disturbed the dirt and left many bare patches). This is front-range colorado ... I know what seeds to use for a mix of cool and warm weather grasses, etc. What I need advice with is ... what implement(s) should I use to overseed this plot of land? Last year it was drill-seeded and then covered with anti-erosion webbing .. which in some areas seemed to work and in (too many) other areas ... produced bare soil or just weeds.

A new drill-seeder is like, multiple thousands of dollars. My county office will rent me one but ... it is 10 feet wide and my little B2601 is not up to that job ... My local Kubota dealer also offers one on rental but again .. for a larger tractor ...

Other ideas?

 

[SDT]

Hi, I have a couple acres of natural grass, dry land range I'm seeking to restore (post new-build which disturbed the dirt and left many bare patches). This is front-range colorado ... I know what seeds to use for a mix of cool and warm weather grasses, etc. What I need advice with is ... what implement(s) should I use to overseed this plot of land? Last year it was drill-seeded and then covered with anti-erosion webbing .. which in some areas seemed to work and in (too many) other areas ... produced bare soil or just weeds.

A new drill-seeder is like, multiple thousands of dollars. My county office will rent me one but ... it is 10 feet wide and my little B2601 is not up to that job ... My local Kubota dealer also offers one on rental but again .. for a larger tractor ...

Other ideas?

Timing is everything. Best time is fall.

Why not hire someone to properly slit seed it?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I used to take a bushel of rye and toss into 5 , 5 gallon buckets, then walk them out ,more or less evenly spaced over the then 2/3 acre veggie patch. Just hand broadcast the seeds. yeah boring, kinda tiring ,but I'm NOT in a hurry...... After that ,ran the tandem discs though, straight, no weight, ONE pass.. In two weeks field looked like I'd used a drill.

 

[ken erickson]

Hi, I have a couple acres of natural grass, dry land range I'm seeking to restore (post new-build which disturbed the dirt and left many bare patches). This is front-range colorado ... I know what seeds to use for a mix of cool and warm weather grasses, etc. What I need advice with is ... what implement(s) should I use to overseed this plot of land? Last year it was drill-seeded and then covered with anti-erosion webbing .. which in some areas seemed to work and in (too many) other areas ... produced bare soil or just weeds.

A new drill-seeder is like, multiple thousands of dollars. My county office will rent me one but ... it is 10 feet wide and my little B2601 is not up to that job ... My local Kubota dealer also offers one on rental but again .. for a larger tractor ...

Other ideas?

You might want to reach out to your local Pheasants forever, DU chapter or other local conservation type organization to see if they own a smaller seeder. My local Pheasants Forever owns a small 4 foot drill type seeder that could be pulled even with an ATV. Just a thought.

 

[Russell King]

Look at broadcast spreaders and see if the seeds you are growing can just be broadcast on top of the soil.

There are ver that are tractor mounted, pull type, walk behind and bag (carried) types.

 

[mrmurph1965]

You might want to reach out to your local Pheasants forever, DU chapter or other local conservation type organization to see if they own a smaller seeder. My local Pheasants Forever owns a small 4 foot drill type seeder that could be pulled even with an ATV. Just a thought.

View attachment 94952 View attachment 94951

These are nice but at $8500 they are quite rich for my blood.

 

[jyoutz]

Hi, I have a couple acres of natural grass, dry land range I'm seeking to restore (post new-build which disturbed the dirt and left many bare patches). This is front-range colorado ... I know what seeds to use for a mix of cool and warm weather grasses, etc. What I need advice with is ... what implement(s) should I use to overseed this plot of land? Last year it was drill-seeded and then covered with anti-erosion webbing .. which in some areas seemed to work and in (too many) other areas ... produced bare soil or just weeds.

A new drill-seeder is like, multiple thousands of dollars. My county office will rent me one but ... it is 10 feet wide and my little B2601 is not up to that job ... My local Kubota dealer also offers one on rental but again .. for a larger tractor ...

Other ideas?

Most local soil and water conservation districts have contractors with drill seeders to do this work and will also cost share the project. You should also check with USDA/NRCS. I did this 15 years ago and they showed up with the tractor and seeder. I just had to provide the seed and a minimal cost per acre.

 

[jyoutz]

Look at broadcast spreaders and see if the seeds you are growing can just be broadcast on top of the soil.

There are ver that are tractor mounted, pull type, walk behind and bag (carried) types.

No grass seedings in our area (Rocky Mountain front range) do very well being broadcast on the top of the soil. They either dry out, blow away, or feed rodents and birds.

 

[jyoutz]

I used to take a bushel of rye and toss into 5 , 5 gallon buckets, then walk them out ,more or less evenly spaced over the then 2/3 acre veggie patch. Just hand broadcast the seeds. yeah boring, kinda tiring ,but I'm NOT in a hurry...... After that ,ran the tandem discs though, straight, no weight, ONE pass.. In two weeks field looked like I'd used a drill.

You’re in a more moist part of North America. This wouldn’t work on the Rocky Mountain front range.

 

[ken erickson]

These are nice but at $8500 they are quite rich for my blood.

I was suggesting that perhaps one of the Op’s local habitat organizations may have one to lend. I used this one and made a small donation to the local Pheasants Forever chapter.

 

[Sparky Prep]

Disk it a few times to break up the soil. Spread seed with a spreader. Run it over a few times with a harrow. Works for me on sandy soil in my cow pastures.

 

[Trustable]

this may be a stretch for that much land, but what renting renting a hydro seeding unit?

 

[Dave Ogren]

A hydo-seeder told me that he can have grass up in 3 days. I didn't ask about price. Sounds unbelievable.
Dave

 

[jyoutz]

A hydo-seeder told me that he can have grass up in 3 days. I didn't ask about price. Sounds unbelievable.
Dave

Maybe in a humid area, not the Rocky Mountains front range Great Plains. And the hydroseeder is probably using a quick germinating annual ryegrass, not perennial grass species.

 

[Trustable]

Maybe in a humid area, not the Rocky Mountains front range Great Plains. And the hydroseeder is probably using a quick germinating annual ryegrass, not perennial grass species.

I looked into the price to hydro seed after I posted that suggestion. I grossly underestimated the cost

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Depending on your seed and soil as other have said broadcast or walk behind drop seeder (a lot folks have to put fertilizer down)…or you can find small hand held/hand crank broadcast spreader pretty cheap (personally I think those are pretty good way to control and use on small odd shaped patches - that that would get old quick in a couple acres), there are also spreaders that should fit the tractor or an atv that have an electric motor agitator. Key really to a timing and good seed to soil contact. If you have an old section of fence you can drag and ruff up the surface and then seed and then drag an again after seeding it will help with soil contact. I have one of each of the three types mentioned above and the problem is you really only need them a couple times then they take up space in the shop. Good luck.

 

[jimh406]

I've had mixed results with broadcasting (pull behind ute) and covering with a harrow. I've only tried it for a few years. The first year, it worked really well. The last two years we've had drought, so although the plants started, they didn't make their full potential.

The biggest concern is will you get enough water to develop the plants to full growth. Unless you irrigate, you have to be lucky even with plants that are supposed to do well in drylands.

Frankly, I'd also consider frost seeding and hope for snow. From what I've read, the germination time is dependent on ground temperature. In my area, it seems that planting early seems to make more sense because we typically have precipitation early, and it rapidly lowers even on non drought years.

One other word of advice if this is a larger area, do think about how you can tell if you've covered an area or not.

 

[eljuncal]

Hello and Thanks to all who posted ... turns out my local Kubota Dealer offers for rental an APS1560 all purpose seeder ... single day is like $250 so, much less than buying one ... even if I have to rent a larger tractor to do the work, it seems like this is the best solution for our Front Range dry-land pasture .... yes, planning to seed here as soon as the ground permits (late winter, early spring) and then, seed again in the late fall ...

 

[Trustable]

Hello and Thanks to all who posted ... turns out my local Kubota Dealer offers for rental an APS1560 all purpose seeder ... single day is like $250 so, much less than buying one ... even if I have to rent a larger tractor to do the work, it seems like this is the best solution for our Front Range dry-land pasture .... yes, planning to seed here as soon as the ground permits (late winter, early spring) and then, seed again in the late fall ...

Glad you found a solution! Let us know how it works out!