These dead or thin spots may have been caused by drought, overgrazing, grubs or other insects that damaged plant roots, or cheatgrass that overtook the good grass. Whatever the reason, dead or thin patches in pastures need to be reclaimed and fit back into your grazing program. If you ignore these areas, weeds will overrun the area and spread into your good grass.
Reseeding these areas follows the same basic guidelines as planting a whole new pasture. Prepare a firm, weed-free seedbed. This might require vigorous tillage or herbicide application to kill existing weeds. Be sure to pack the soil after tillage and before planting. Then plant -- on the right date -- with equipment that places seed just slightly below the soil surface.
Your biggest challenges are selecting the seed to use and keeping cattle out while new seedlings develop. To determine what to seed, first decide if this patch will be part of a larger pasture or a whole new area. If it’s to be managed as part of the larger pasture, it’s critical that you plant the same kinds of plants as in the existing pasture. If you plant something different, perhaps something that livestock like better, they'll overgraze the new areas. If they don't like it as well, they'll avoid grazing it.
Then be sure to fence animals out until new plants are well established. Graze too soon and animals will pull out or trample the new grass, but done correctly, dead patches quickly can become good pasture.
Bruce Anderson
Extension Forage Specialist, Lincoln
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