PASTURE ESTABLISHMENT AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

Preliminary Information Soil type Soil fertility Previous vegetation Rainfall pattern Area to be planted AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Land Clearing From forests Revenue from logging Leave trees for shade Normally carried out by contractor Leave steep slopes and ravines AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT From abandoned land More easily cleared Problem of weeds Soil of lower fertility Needs higher rates of fertilizer and liming AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT LAND CLEARING AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT BURNING – not recommended AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Soil preparation Clay and loamy soils Use disc plough to turn soil over Disc harrows to break up soil clods Final round with rotovator to make soil fine for seed sowing Soil need not be fine with vegetative propagation AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Sandy soils Can use chisel plough to break up soils and remove weeds AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT DISC PLOUGH – to overturn soil and bury existing vegetation AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT DISC PLOUGH – cutting and overturning soil AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Large clods of soil left during disc ploughing AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Liming Use lime if pH <4.5 Apply about 2 tonnes/ha AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Liming after disc ploughing AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Liming manually AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Harrows Disc harrows used after ploughing and liming AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT DISC HARROWS AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Disc harrows breaking up clods into smaller particles AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Rotovator AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Basal fertilizers Fertilisers applied during planting Pure grass pastures: 60 kg N, 40 kg P and 50 kg K/ha Legume grass: Apply only P and K AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Planting grass/legume seeds using seed drill AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Compartments on seed drill for seeds and fertilizers fertilizers seeds AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT funnel Disc to cut soil AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Seed drill AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

Seed drill with operator AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT NO-TILL DRILL FOR SOIL CONSERVATION AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Seeding Rates Grasses 5- 10 kg/ha Legumes 2-6 kg/ha Seed depth – small seeds 5-10 mm Large seeds (legumes) – 15-20 mm AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

Grasses that can be planted with seeds Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens) Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) Setaria sphacelata var sericea AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Vegetative Planting AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Vegetative materials Divided root stocks Cuttings Whole stems e.g. MARDI Digit, Setaria splendida, Napier AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT VEGETATIVE PLANTING – Napier grass Planting material – mature stems Stems stripped off leaves AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Bare stems laid in furrow, base to tip AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Planting cuttings of napier - slanted New tillers AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT VEGETATIVE PLANTING Guinea grass Planting material – rooted clumps 3 tillers per planting hole AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Guinea grass clumps in rows AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT VEGETATIVE PLANTING - MARDI Digit AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT VEGETATIVE PLANTING – stoloniferous grasses AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Good establishment – after 2 weeks AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Weed problems AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT Good legume-grass pasture AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT

AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT HAPPY STUDENTS AFTER SUCCESSFUL PLANTING! AGR 4501 PASTURE MANAGEMENT