Biodiverse Polyculture (USDA 8a Zone Pasture) - sounds better than "My Acres of Weeds"

[saysfaa]

Common yarrow, Horehound, serviceberry, woodoats, sunflower, swamp mallow, coral honeysuckle, switchgrass, plum, blueberry

 

[saysfaa]

Bahiagrass (Common, Pensacola, Argentine, Paraquay 22, Tifton-9, TifQuik, UF-Riata)

Pearl Millet, Browntop Millet, Cowpea, Alyceclover, Aeschynome

Eastern gamagrass

Turnips, rape, kale, rutabaga

If they aren't noxious invasives in your area: Plantain, chicory

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Yes, chickens, ducks, goats, turkeys.

and I'm sure some of it will come back - but its looking real sparse, and I have too many goats - they are putting a lot of pressure on what's left.

Are the roost systems being destroyed and the ground turned to sand?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Mostly not (roots). Goats don't generally eat that low, and IO feed the birds in specific locations to discourage them from scratching everywhere.

TY @saysfaa I planted some of those, too.

Just trying to decide what reasonably priced mix I'm going to seed with this year - I normally throw $100 - $200 in seed at the pasture annually. Looks like I'll be 5x that this year.

 

[NatJ]

Well, after 6+ inches of snow on the ground, which remained for days, and what is likely at least one (or two) deep freeze cycles before Spring, I've lost most of the pasture.

Going to have to tear up the ground and re-seed this year, not just over seed....If anyone has thoughts, I'm listening.

I've always lived in areas that go below freezing in the winter. When the snow melts, everything always looks dead. But it always comes back.

In your area, you certainly could have plants that die from the cold and do not come back-- but I would give it a good chance before you start tearing anything up. A few weeks of warm weather might make a big difference.

Of course it might get some time just because of how many other things you need to do first, but I wouldn't be in too big a hurry to start tearing it up, or at least not all of it. If you do part of it each way, you may get a nice comparison of which way does better this summer and later, and then you'll know for future cold snaps as well (whether it's better to tear it up and start over, or just overseed and leave it, or not even bother overseeding.)

 

[U_Stormcrow]

"tear it up" will be driving the tractor w/ the 6' box blade, using the teeth to cut channels about 1' apart, not more than 2" deep or so. Seed, then drag the harrow to cover. Its also to break up the clay layer just under the sand.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I ran a single plow in one section last year. It did (mostly) well - still sparse, but 2 years ago, it was sand or "rock" the clay was so hard

 

[saysfaa]

How many acres is your pasture?
Are you planning to broadcast or drill?

This is fun
I agree with Nat J that more has probably survived than you think.

The stage of growth of the when the freeze occurs matters so we can't assume too much. Probably at least the deep rooted species that grow in the north too have survived. So the alfalfa, clovers, and chicory. Peas don't mind frost even in growth stages - although they tolerate frost as seedlings better than as mature plants.

 

[NatJ]

"tear it up" will be driving the tractor w/ the 6' box blade, using the teeth to cut channels about 1' apart, not more than 2" deep or so. Seed, then drag the harrow to cover. Its also to break up the clay layer just under the sand.

That makes a lot more sense. I was envisioning it being tilled to a nice fluffy seedbed, killing or badly damaging everything that was still alive.

What you're describing would be much less destructive to the plants that did survive (which are the ones you want in the pasture next time it freezes!) But yes, I can see why you would want to tear it up that way, and I can see how that would help new seeds get established without killing all the old stuff.

 

[No Coop No Problem]

I do not know if goats will try to eat it. Cows generally do not. It would be impossible to eliminate it where I am. Its too much a part of the landscape.

My goats love dogfennel and eat it voraciously when given the opportunity. In fact we used to feed it to them like a treat because of how much they like the stuff. The chickens eat it too of course

I was surprised to hear that it's poisonous when my wife finally found out what it was. Can't be too bad though if everything likes it

I cannot recall if you’ve tried bahia.

This is the kind of grass I always have recommended to me in 8b. Specifically Pensacola bahiagrass, which is the hardiest kind. I'll be trying to grow it myself this year