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Fertilizing hay fields

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Big Muddy rancher

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has anybody done any fertilizing of dryland Crested wheat fields?
My hayland is getting to be older stands of Alfalfa/ Crested Wheat,I have seen the effects of bale grazing or other spots that for some reason or another get a bit more nutrients and they repond well. It's just not possible to bale graze or spread manure on enough ground.

How did you apply and what type of fertilizer did you use.
 
I do some dry fertilizer 150#s to the acre. Its about like buying hay but the quality of the hay you do get is better. I live 2 miles from the fertilizer plant so I just pick up a 5 or 6 ton batch. The best farmer/ranchers here spread it on everything then bale it and graze the regrowth they wean 600 plus weight calves each year so it looks as thou it pays for them. I myself am going to use more and spread it on pastures also seeing if I can increase my cowherd from 200 cows to 300 on the same land base.
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
has anybody done any fertilizing of dryland Crested wheat fields?
My hayland is getting to be older stands of Alfalfa/ Crested Wheat,I have seen the effects of bale grazing or other spots that for some reason or another get a bit more nutrients and they repond well. It's just not possible to bale graze or spread manure on enough ground.

How did you apply and what type of fertilizer did you use.
Click to expand...

Ya just need to start feeding longer. :wink:
 
We've grown crested wheatgrass for seed production. Gave it 100 lbs of actual N/acre. Broadcast urea as late in the fall as you dare. A solid seeded stand gives us three years of production and is pretty well done. I think an old hay field would take a lot of $ to see a real improvement. The first 50 lbs would just make the grass darker green.
Denny's right, it's about like buying hay.
It would be hard to duplicate bale grazing with chemical fertilizer. Bale residue gives back all your macro nutrients and is a terrific environment for your soil 'bugs'.
 
Down here you don't have a choice of whether to fertilize hayground or not. With 60+ inches of rain each year, the water leaches the nutrients from the ground.

Calcium/Lime + 50 lbs. of actual Potash for every ton of hay removed is a rule of thumb. Plus enough Nitrogen to get good top growth.
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
has anybody done any fertilizing of dryland Crested wheat fields?
My hayland is getting to be older stands of Alfalfa/ Crested Wheat,I have seen the effects of bale grazing or other spots that for some reason or another get a bit more nutrients and they repond well. It's just not possible to bale graze or spread manure on enough ground.

How did you apply and what type of fertilizer did you use.
Click to expand...

My father in law had some crested that was old farm ground, formerly strips that you could still see.

He started seeding sweet clover into every other strip, and hayed the other 50% of strips that he'd seeded the yr before. Said he got about same amount of hay and only had to go over half as much ground.
 
One thing about using dry fertilizer. You have to be careful when you apply it. Under certain condition ie not getting rain to put it in the ground, but getting foggy or dewy conditions or even very high humidity makes it highly volatile and a lot will be lost and never make it in the ground. I have used dry before, on farm ground and had to come in later cause crops were showing N defitiantcy. I prefer liquid, it cost a little more, but not near as volatile. Without having a soil sample I am just guessing here, but if you have been bale grazing the pasture and cows have had plenty on manure here you should have ample amounts of phosphorus, and should only need to apply nitrogen.
 
This ground is seeded hay that is getting to be old stands. This country can be hit and miss for getting a stand established. It has not been bale grazed or even grazed just hay being harvested.
One site i was reading had much better response to the 100lbs of N when they added 25 lbs of P. The only thing is P doesn't move in the soil much so I'm not sure just how you would apply it short of knives or a coulter system.
:?

This country doesn't need potash as this is where it's mined. :D
 
The problem with an old stand of hay is that you are only delaying the inevitable with fertilizer, and like Denny sais, you are basically buying hay next year. If you are committing to fertilizing every year it I would want to pencil it out against rejuvenating it with maybe some fertilizer to make sure it establishes well.
 
BMR, best thing I've used is a water soluble mix we sprayed on. GSR Calcium, Soft Rock Phosphate, some compost tea and white sugar. Went like this I think:

Per 10ga of water:
90grams Grow Calcium
2lbs Soft Rock Phosphate
2ga compost tea
2lbs sugar

Applied that 3 years straight. On your ground where it's been hayed continuously, you're mining minerals out of your soil, so you have to replenish them. I would even consider - dare I say - plowing some strips, and seeding a green manure crop in them. Oats, ryegrass, milkvetch, whatever you think will grow. Let that green manure come up with whatever weeds want to as well, and plow them down when they hit 2' tall. Depending on the moisture, seed another green manure in the same year and plow it down just before fall.

Some Hutterites and neighbors I've worked with have done this, then sprayed the above cocktail on the soil in the fall. With 2 green manures and some added nutrients you feed your soil, and it pays big dividends.

I've seen it work real well for building worn out soil back up
 
a very successful stockman once told me don't fertilze for today fertilize for the next two years. a soil sample is your best bet . we have had great results with a awery on old stands of alfalfa. It splits the roots and sends up new shots. and since it is from the exsisting plant it don't kill it and it helps with the compaction just a idea
 
I am of the idea that you need soil tests to figure out what you need. Phosphate will move in the soil, just not very fast. Were it me, I would be tempted to apply liquid fertilizer. About a 100-35-0-10-10, then use your leveler shoes over the field, or even use the shovels, lightly.

I am a firm believer in sulpher and chloride in hay fields, but the soil test will tell you what you need.
 
LazyWP said:
I am of the idea that you need soil tests to figure out what you need. Phosphate will move in the soil, just not very fast. Were it me, I would be tempted to apply liquid fertilizer. About a 100-35-0-10-10, then use your leveler shoes over the field, or even use the shovels, lightly.

I am a firm believer in sulpher and chloride in hay fields, but the soil test will tell you what you need.
Click to expand...

Are your numbers actual---100# N, etc?

Do you know--ball park---cost per acre?

Thanks~~lj
 
That is actual. What I was going off of, is what we used to do around Salina Kansas. I have been out of the fertilizer business long enough that I have no clue as to price. I am sure it is expensive.
 
Here in northwest ks liquid nitrogen is about 52 cents a pound right now and phos is 72 cents a pound of actual.
 
Putting down liquid nitrogen and not getting a rain soon after is throwing your money away. Made that mistake a few times.
 
3 M L & C said:
Mike said:
Putting down liquid nitrogen and not getting a rain soon after is throwing your money away. Made that mistake a few times.
Click to expand...

Not if you put it in the ground.
Click to expand...

Correct. But no one knifes in Nitrogen around here anymore. Not even Anhydrous. We spray it on ryegrass in the spring for a big haycutting.
 
Mike said:
3 M L & C said:
Mike said:
Putting down liquid nitrogen and not getting a rain soon after is throwing your money away. Made that mistake a few times.
Click to expand...

Not if you put it in the ground.
Click to expand...

Correct. But no one knifes in Nitrogen around here anymore. Not even Anhydrous. We spray it on ryegrass in the spring for a big haycutting.
Click to expand...
Why wouldn't you inject it in? I have set up a couple different no-til applicators. They aren't all that expensive to setup and maintain, as long as you don't rent them out.
 
LazyWP said:
Mike said:
3 M L & C said:
Not if you put it in the ground.
Click to expand...

Correct. But no one knifes in Nitrogen around here anymore. Not even Anhydrous. We spray it on ryegrass in the spring for a big haycutting.
Click to expand...
Why wouldn't you inject it in? I have set up a couple different no-til applicators. They aren't all that expensive to setup and maintain, as long as you don't rent them out.
Click to expand...

It works very well sprayed over the top during Spring when rain is plentiful. Some of the Nitrogen is absorbed through the leaves and the rest gets watered down into the root system after a shower. Plus, our local sprayer guy charges only $2 per acre and can cover lot's of ground with his 80 ft. boom.
 

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