Seeding grass in previous corn field

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Part (a few acres) of the land my wife and I bought has been getting used for corn growing by a farmer. We've communicated to him that we're ending that arrangement and will be using that land for our homestead. That makes me feel a little bad, but oh well. Anyways, I will be planting some trees in those sections but more importantly I want to restore it to a tallgrass prairie, which is the purpose of my coming here

The farmer ended the season last year by tilling the corn under, which of course means the land is all clumpy :/. He says he'll come flatten it out this spring but what I'm wondering is if I should cast my grass seed now (in the snow) and let them germinate and sprout and then get flattened or wait until he flattens it. Looking for any advice from previous experience

The pros and cons (my perspective):

Sow now
Pros:

1. Easy to do for a one man operation
2. Potential to germinate as spring hits with less of a chance of blowing away (I don't have the cash for straw blankets for a couple of acres)
3. Don't have to worry about watering

Cons:

1. Waste of money if it doesn't work :/
2. Seeds get put under many inches of dirt and will fail to germinate

Sow after flattening

Pro:

1. Sprouted grasses wont get run over by field flattening equipment (I have no idea what the process is)

Cons:

1. Wind may just blow the seeds away
2. Watering to germinate may be a challenge
3. ?

So, that's it. Looking for thoughts on if I should cast my tall grass and wildflower seeds now or wait until after flattening. I have no clue if the flattening would hurt the sprouted seeds beyond repair, or put them so far under dirt that they would fail to see sunlight.

Thoughts?

 

[baymule]

A year of cover crops qould be awesome for new pasture!


Wheres bay? Shes the one with the super fertile pastures

Haha, I have ONE super fertile pasture, it's where I kept pigs. The horse pasture is mainly woods, the pipeline is beach sand, the sheep pasture is sand, but thanks for the compliment! I know what you are talking about, that deep lush clover from last spring!

Want a super lush pasture? Put pigs in it!

 

[Chic Rustler]

I would wait until its flattened out as well.

Its gonna be tough to get the biology going again after gmo corn. All the herbicides, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides really do a number on microbes.
Compost, compost tea, worm castings, manures, organic matter like free coffee grounds from coffee shops grass clippings, leaves, etc and mulch will help. Follow that with controlled grazing (maybe let cattle on or mow when its a foot tall for a short period) and you should develope a deep root system that will bring the soil back to life.

Legumes like clover are a great idea as well and you can mix that in with your grass seed

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I really have no idea. But, I'd be tempted to wait until after the farmer does his bit of leveling in the spring. One thing I'd do is contact your county Agricultural Extension office. Have them put you in touch with the person who can best advise you regarding your goal. Can the farmer pull a manure spreader through that pasture? When you get ready to seed the area, you could drag an old bed spring to help cover the seed a bit. If you do your seeding before some rains are predicted, it should get going ok, even without spreading hay or straw over it.

However, I'd ask him what the "leveling" entails. If it involves heavy soil compaction, I'd pass on that! Talk to your county ag agent!!!! You might also get some advice re: an appropriate seed mix. You might even consider sowing a year's worth of green manure crops. It all depends on what your time line is.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

I would wait. The farmer may come out plow and disc the land, and pull out a lot of those clumps. That would give you a really nice area to grow your seed. Meanwhile i would watch the craigslist freestuff postings in your area and see if you can pick up any free mulch hay or straw to use to hold your seed (and water) for after you plant.

 

[sumi]

You can kickstart the soil activity with raw milk. The ratio is 3 gallons raw milk to 17 gallons of water. Spray the field. I don't know how many gallons to the acre.

I just learned something new!

 

[Chic Rustler]

This guy likes pigs and cover crops. He said rye and pigs turned his pasture around

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

I really have no idea. But, I'd be tempted to wait until after the farmer does his bit of leveling in the spring. One thing I'd do is contact your county Agricultural Extension office. Have them put you in touch with the person who can best advise you regarding your goal. Can the farmer pull a manure spreader through that pasture? When you get ready to seed the area, you could drag an old bed spring to help cover the seed a bit. If you do your seeding before some rains are predicted, it should get going ok, even without spreading hay or straw over it.

However, I'd ask him what the "leveling" entails. If it involves heavy soil compaction, I'd pass on that! Talk to your county ag agent!!!! You might also get some advice re: an appropriate seed mix. You might even consider sowing a year's worth of green manure crops. It all depends on what your time line is.

I was planning on waiting until a day when a rain was in the forecast

I don't have the option for pasturing pigs, horses or cows. We don't even have a barn right now and no adjoining farms have any of those animals.

Yes absolutely call your county ag extension!!

I didn't evwn think of the extension, which is hilarious since I'm a Master Naturalist in my area

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Yeah, I bet there's close to zero bacterial activity going on in there . Looking forward to some nice healthy big bluestem growing out there

 

[NH Homesteader]

Yes absolutely call your county ag extension!!