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SOIL HEALTH IN PRACTICE - REAL SOLUTIONS FROM REAL FARMERS

Avoiding the Bermuda Triangle

In the south, you don’t have to go very far to hear someone
speaking fondly about Bermudagrass, as if she was a fantasy
girlfriend. An eavesdropping beginning rancher may think
Bermudagrass is the hottest thing going, and might make the
mistake that Bermudagrass is a needed tool to run cattle! But
be careful and don’t get caught in “The Bermuda Triangle”.
This Bermuda triangle has nothing to do with getting lost at
sea, but rather getting lost in a high maintenance relation- species or species that do not need lots of nitrogen to func-
ship with spraying, haying, and fertilizing to maintain Ber- tion. Brassicas, like turnips and radishes, should be used in
mudagrass production. In fact, you might even make your small amounts as they have high N needs.
spouse jealous because of the huge amounts of time, money, The second challenge is the establishment of the interseed-
and energy spent chasing the fantasy of good looking Bermu- ed crops if the Bermudagrass canopy is thick or tall. In a
dagrass! But there is hope through interseeding cool season taller canopy (more than 6 inches), many small seeded
annual forages into dormant Bermudagrass, which can pro- species will struggle to find sunlight once they germinate.
vide an escape option out of this costly paradigm. However, larger seeded species do well here as the thick sod
holds more moisture in the dormant season. Larger seeded
species like buckwheat, sunflowers, peas, all vetches, and
cereal grains have more stored seed energy to push through
the canopy to find sunlight. If the canopy is below 6 inches
Photos by Brett Peshek we still encourage to use the larger species, but we can also

begin to use more small seeded species like clovers, alfalfa,
annual ryegrass, chicory, and plantain.

If you hope to interseed any pasture, the first thing to elim- Lastly when interseeding into Bermudagrass, the two best
“dormant season” timeframes are spring and fall. Spring
inate is the annual spray program. Broadleaf weeds tend tends to be more consistent with moisture as the dormant
to be very opportunistic plants seeking to take advantage thatch provides a mulch for reducing evaporation. Fall
of unused nutrients, sunlight, and moisture. When inter- moisture may be more variable as the Bermudagrass is still
seeding a pasture, mimic the types of weeds you are seeing active but not aggressively growing.
(usually cool season broadleaves) and this will allow more
desirable annuals/biannuals to fill the same void. While in-
terseeding may not eliminate all your weeds, it can dras-
tically reduce them through competition and the money
spent on annual spraying can be added to your bottom line.
The interseeded broadleaf plants will also extend the graz-
ing season of your pasture which allows for increased stock-
ing rates. This extended grazing season reduces the need for
hay and expensive haying equipment, which again adds to
the profitability of the farm. By adding legumes like peas,
vetch, clovers, and faba beans, the need for added fertility To avoid getting trapped in the Bermuda Triangle of spray-
is reduced. This added diversity also encourages an abun- ing, haying and fertilizing, be adaptable, have a diverse mix,
dance of life that wasn’t present before, such as earthworms, and don’t be afraid to experiment a little bit!
quail, beneficial insects, and other wildlife. By Brett Peshek • Mountain View, OK

With interseeding Bermudagrass, there are challenges that Brett Peshek has been with Green Cover Seed for five
need to be addressed. First, Bermudagrass is a very good years and is currently the sales lead for Oklahoma and
Texas. In addition to learning all he can about cover
scavenger of free nutrients, particularly nitrogen. In order crops and soil health, he runs a small but efficient herd
to reduce added fertility, select a large majority of legume of Red Angus cattle at his farm in Oklahoma.

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