INDIAN HEAD, Sask. – Seeding native forages is a tricky business, says a Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration agrologist.
There is no guarantee the plants will establish no matter how many things a grower does to decrease the risk, said Don McLennan from PFRA’s range and biodiversity division in Medicine Hat, Alta.
“If you do one thing wrong, there is an almost certain guarantee of failure,” he said during a field day at the PFRA Shelterbelt Centre. “When conditions are good, just about everything works. When conditions are bad, nothing works.”
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To mitigate risks, McLennan offered four P’s of forage establishment – planning, preparation, planting and patience.
Producers first need to look at soil and climate in their areas. Different plants are more adapted to different types of soils and climatic conditions.
McLennan said producers should seek help from agrologists to determine the appropriate seed mix. He recommended a three-species blend, but noted some plans could be limited by the cost of native seed.
Mae Elsinger, from the Brandon PFRA office, said the percentage of aggressive starters in the mix should be minimized and the seed should be weed-free because native plants are slow to develop and don’t need the competition.
A pre-seeding burnoff is required to give the plants the best possible chance.
“After seeding, there are limited registrations as far as herbicides,” McLennan said. “And if you include a legume, it becomes even more limited.”
Elsinger said a forage seeder should be used and seeding depth should be shallow.
McLennan said most native plant seeds are small and not that active.
“They don’t have much strength to grow very far before breaking out of the soil.”
He suggested people seeding into standing stubble should offer the seeds a firm seedbed and protection from erosion.
Seed should be planted in early spring to take advantage of early moisture, although dormant fall seeding is also an option.
McLennan said the concern with fall seeding in southwestern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta is that good fall weather can create conditions that cause the seeds to sprout.
But fall seeding at a higher rate could help compensate for that, he added.
In any event, forages like cooler weather.
“July isn’t the right time to be seeding,” said McLennan.
Patience is the key throughout the entire process – waiting for the right seeding conditions and then waiting for the plants to appear.
Some seeds won’t result in plants for a couple of years. And producers who want to use native forage for grazing could be waiting three years before being able to use it.
“You’d better think about what else you’re going to be (using for forage) in the interim, perhaps grazing some annuals,” McLennan said.
Native forages are best grazed in late summer through fall and winter. He suggested they be first grazed in fall, and if they have to be grazed earlier, it should be at a lower rate.
