Warm season pasture helps during droughts

[JTM]

We have a pasture that is about 18 acres that contains Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, Gamagrass, and Birdsfoot trefoil. We have only had it for about 5 years but it has saved us about two of those years because of the lack of rain. What I did this year is mow the pasture around June 15th for hay, then let it grow back during the summer when the other cool season grass isn't growing very well. About the time we run out of cool season in August the warm season pasture is full of forage and ready. This has worked out pretty good and really helped in years of drought. One of the problems we are having are the weeds. It is really hard to keep the weeds down because of the slow growth of the grasses in early spring when the weeds are starting. I wish there was something I could spray that wouldn't kill the trefoil. Anybody know of anything?

 

[SFASUshowman]

I cant think of any herbicide you could spray that wouldnt kill the trefoil...and most of them are gonna reak havoc on grass as well.  I dont think its the fact that the grasses are warm season though that helps with you drought, I think its more the fact that some of those grasses are much more drought tolerant.  Down here in Texas the large majority of the year is Warm season for us, and we get a lot of drought, I have yet to find something that can handle some of the droughts we have had!

 

[JTM]

Yeah, I agree. Those grasses are very drought tolerant and grow very tall with very little rain.

 

[CAB]

Burning off the pasture in the fall can be a big help in controlling competition for your grasses. Another thing that can help a bunch is a well timed clipping right B4 the warm season grasses take a big growth spirt and B4 the weed seed get mature. If you want you could possibly roll up the clipping.