Date of Seeding

Most forage legumes and grasses are seeded in the spring to allow the seedling to become well established before being subjected to freezing temperatures. Make spring plantings as early in the spring as possible to provide for optimum germination temperatures and to allow forage seedling to get a jump on the weeds. There are a few species such as cicer milkvetch and some of the cool season grasses which require warmer soil temperature and should not be planted until later in the spring. Some of the grasses which contain dormant seed may be planted in the fall. However, it is best to plant these species in late August to allow seedlings to become established or to plant late in the fall (“dormant seeding”) so seed germination does not occur until spring. If winter annual weeds, such as cheatgrass are not a problem, a dormant planting is an excellent time to plant due to allocation of labor and soil moisture/seed imbibition. In a farm or ranch operation, there is more time available to plant in the fall and the seed is in position within the soil to allow incipient germination during favorable temperature and moisture conditions for quicker establishment the following spring. On wet saline soils, dormant plantings may be the only option available in order to transverse the field.

Planting shall be scheduled during periods when soil moisture is adequate for germination and establishment. Spring seedings will be completed by May 15. Seedings are allowed after May 15 only when there is a minimum of two feet of moist soil. The soil must also be moist to within two inches of the surface. As a good rule of thumb, if the soil is wet enough to stick to the coulters, it is too wet to plant. These seedings must be completed by August 15. Warm-season species prefer summer planting as they require 55º F. soil temperatures for germination.

Dormant fall seedings can be made after October 15 or when soil temperatures two inches below the soil surface remains at 40 degrees F. or less for ten or more days. Cool-season plants can initiate germination around 40 degrees F. As a general rule, legumes should be planted in the spring except where winter moisture is low or the soils are well drained.

Species with a high percentage of dormant seed such as green needlegrass and Indian ricegrass must be planted as a dormant fall seeding unless germination by standard seed test is greater than 50 percent. If dormant species are a minor component of a mixture; spring seeding is acceptable. When irrigation is provided, planting may be completed at any time during the growing season that allows adequate root system development prior to a killing frost (45 days).

For chaffy grass seed, especially native species, planting should be done at three to five miles per hour. The fluffier the seed, the slower the drill speed. Rice hulls or other carriers may be required for adequate flow through the drill box. Recommended amounts for rice hull or other carriers can be found in the Montana Plant Materials Technical Note Number 52, Mixing Seed with Rice Hulls.

Very light grass seed such as Garrison creeping foxtail may require the use of a carrier in the drill box to assure uniform flow through the planter.

Avoid backing up the drill when it is in the down position to eliminate plugging of the drop tube. Minimize making turns so sharp as to cause one end of the drill to back up.

When planting around a field rather than back and forth, drill with the drill drive wheel to the inside of the field. Avoid figure-eight turns.

Alternate row plantings may be used to improve establishment where inter-species competition is a problem and more than one species is planted. Planting two or three rows of one species with one row of another may also be used to reduce competition.

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Last Modified: 07/05/2007