Overseeding?

[goodolboy]

I see a bunch of people talking about overseeding, and i have a pretty good idea what it is, but how do you do it sucessfully??????

[jfwalker]

Overseeding is simply broadcasting seed on the ground. No tilling, no discing.

The best time to overseed is in the winter. When the soil freezes and thaws small cracks are opened in the soil that allow the seeds to work below the surface. The spring rains will make a muddy soup assuring good seed to soil contact. It's nature's way of seeding and it works.

Overseeding works best with small seed, such as clovers and lespedeza that can easily work themselves into the soil and in areas that existing grasses and forbes aren't going to overcompete with new seeds. The areas do not have to be bare. I use overseeding to improve existing stands of grass or forbs with legumes, specifically Korean lespedeza and ladino clover.

I see the results from annuals (Korean lespedeza) quicker than perenials (ladino clover). Korean lespedeza, since it only has one year to live, seems to sprout uniformly and more forcefully than ladino clover.Ladino seems to sprout over a longer period of time and I don't see the results as dramatically as the Korean lespedeza. Also the Korean lespedeza, being an annual, produces a lot of seeds that the wildlife, especially quail, turkey and pheasant love. Each plot of Korean lespedeza virtually guarantees a quail covey.

I overseed Korean lespedeza into existing grasses and forbs at a rate of 10lbs/acre. At a cost of 70 cents/lb, my cost is only $7/acre. I overseed ladino clover at a rate of 3lbs/acre. At a cost of $2.70/lb, my cost is only $8.10/acre. I will freshen the stands of ladino clover and Korean lespedeza as needed by overseeding at the same rate at the initial establishment. It is easy to do with an inexpensive spreader on the back of an ATV.

Korean lespedeza is my first choice anywhere I want to improve soil fertility. It is easy to establish and tolerates pH down to 5.5. Deer like it, birds love it. Ladino clover the deer like even better and that is the only reason I also overseed ladino clover.

Korean lespedeza does best at pH 5.5 and above, ladino clover 6.0. So if the soil pH is below 6.0 I only use Korean lespedeza.Even if it is below 5.5 I still overseed with korean lespedeza. From the charts I have seen, the production of lespedeza may drop 10% at pH 5.0, but that means the lespedeza is still capable of 90% growth. I can lime later as needed.

Some math: A 50lb bag of 13-13-13 costs $8, and contains 6.5lb of N at a cost of $1.20/lb. If the Korean lespedeza, only puts into the soil 50lbs of N per year for three years, it has added 150 of N at a cost of $7, or 5cents/lb. Add to that the increased benefit to the wildlife, increased forb production and yearly addition of green manure....legumes may be the 8th wonder of the world, and they are easy to establish by overseeding.