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Fertilizer Recommendations for Forage Crops
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Fertilizer Recommendations For Hybrid Bermuda grass Hayfields
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| Nitrogen: 200 – 400 lbs Nitrogen per season. |
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Apply 75 to 100 lbs N per cutting. If the yield goal is for 7 to 8 tons of hay per acre per season, then 100 lbs N should be applied per acre.
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Phosphorus: Follow soil test recommendations. In many cases, all of the phosphorus can be applied in the spring.
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| Potassium: Potassium deficiencies in hybrid bermudagrass hayfields are not uncommon. Hybrid bermudagrass can remove about 50 lbs K2O per acre for each ton of hay produced. Split the recommended potassium into 2 applications. Apply half in the spring and the other half after the second or third cutting. |
| Sulfur: Each ton of hay will take up about 5 lbs of sulfur. If accounting for some loss from leaching and knowing that all applied sulfur will not be taken up, at least 10 lbs sulfur per acre per cutting should be applied. |
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Winter annual grasses
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Nitrogen: 40 to 60 lbs. of nitrogen at planting or when seedlings start to grow and another 60 to 80 lbs./acre in early winter.
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| Phosphate and potash: Follow soil test recommendations. Try not to skimp on these, they are essential to having good forage quality. |
| Sulfur: Sulfur is often overlooked, but it is essential to good forage also. A recent article in Progressive Farmer ("Sulfur's Big Boost", October 2000) included some important facts about sulfur fertility. Probably the best source of sulfur for fall crops is sulfate materials such as Ammonium Sulfate and K-Mag. Elemental sulfur fits into an annual fertility program, but cool soils may hinder its availability in the short run. The article mentions applications of 20 to 25 lbs. of sulfur per acre with 50 to 60 lbs. of nitrogen six weeks after planting annual grasses in Arkansas. |
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Other points mentioned in the article include:
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| Yield increases by 10 to 30% on Coastal Plains Soils. |
| Pasture value increases by $5 to $10 per acre because of better weaning weights. |
| Protein content in ryegrass improves by 1 to 2 percentage points, digestibility by 3 to 4 points, and stocking rates by 30%. |
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Overseeding bermudagrass and bahiagrass with winter annuals
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| Nitrogen: 40 to 60 lbs. of nitrogen per acre after emergence of overseeded crop plus another 60 to 80 lbs. in the spring. Nitrogen may be reduced (apply 30 to 40 lbs. N/acre) if legumes are present in the overseed mixture to prevent over-competition of the grass crop. |
| Phosphate and potash: Follow recommendation from soil test results. |
| Sulfur: The previously mentioned Progressive Farmer article also states that research from Arkansas has shown that sulfur is critical for winter annuals seeded in bermudagrass and bahiagrass pastures. Sulfur deficiency often will look similar to nitrogen deficiency in forages. Leaves will appear pale yellow. |
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And don't forget lime.
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| Try to maintain a 6.0 to 6.5 pH - especially if legumes are present. Liming in the fall also helps to insure that more of the lime has time to raise pH for spring planted crops. |
