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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 920
 
| Anyone have suggestions on how to revamp sandy loom soil to something that will keep grass? Personally I think it's a loosing battle. I can see lots of improvements but my SO doesn't. We've limed and fertilized and seeded. Personally I think we need an mini pivot lol. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
  
| Take a soil sample to your county agent. Have a soil analysis. The county agent can recommend what grasses will grow and what to plant. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 920
| We've done some small test and they all come back neutral. Which is kinda funny with the amount of sand there is |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | streakysox - 2017-01-16 9:44 AM Take a soil sample to your county agent. Have a soil analysis. The county agent can recommend what grasses will grow and what to plant.
This. The fertility is probably poor and you likely need to plant or add something to increase organic matter. Extension can give you advice on grasses to plant and what to add as a soil amendment to improve it for pastureland specifically. I've never in my entire life seen a soil test come back not in need of some sort of nutrients. If you got one like that, you didn't test for the right things. If your local extension agent isn't giving you what you need, go over their head to the state forages specialist directly. |
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Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| Soil samples don't comeback neutral. They have recommendations on what you add to the will for better fertility and plant growth. |
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | Ours is very sandy and brome grass seems to take hold best in it. Careful of grassburrs. They love sandy soil and we are having a horrible time with them. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Take a soil sample (Google how to take a proper soil sample) to your county USDA Ag extension office. The office will tell you exactly what to plant, when to plant, and how to plant. They will work with you on how to get a self sustaining pasture for food for your animals.
Soil Samples don't come back neutral? Not sure what test you ran. Soil samples tell you exactly what the soil is lacking as far as nutrients/minerals go. There is no option for soil to be neutral. Get in contact with your local ag extension and go from there. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | shubug007 - 2017-01-16 9:58 AM We've done some small test and they all come back neutral. Which is kinda funny with the amount of sand there is
Were did you get the testing done?  |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | IRunOnFaith - 2017-01-16 11:50 AM Take a soil sample (Google how to take a proper soil sample) to your county USDA Ag extension office. The office will tell you exactly what to plant, when to plant, and how to plant. They will work with you on how to get a self sustaining pasture for food for your animals.
Soil Samples don't come back neutral? Not sure what test you ran. Soil samples tell you exactly what the soil is lacking as far as nutrients/minerals go. There is no option for soil to be neutral. Get in contact with your local ag extension and go from there. pH can be neutral, but there is a lot more to productive soil than pH and a real soil test wouldn't have stopped there, so... Btw, extension is not a USDA agency, it's a state land grant university division.
Edited by Three 4 Luck 2017-01-16 1:06 PM
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Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Three 4 Luck - 2017-01-16 1:05 PM IRunOnFaith - 2017-01-16 11:50 AM Take a soil sample (Google how to take a proper soil sample) to your county USDA Ag extension office. The office will tell you exactly what to plant, when to plant, and how to plant. They will work with you on how to get a self sustaining pasture for food for your animals.
Soil Samples don't come back neutral? Not sure what test you ran. Soil samples tell you exactly what the soil is lacking as far as nutrients/minerals go. There is no option for soil to be neutral. Get in contact with your local ag extension and go from there. pH can be neutral, but there is a lot more to productive soil than pH and a real soil test wouldn't have stopped there, so... Btw, extension is not a USDA agency, it's a state land grant university division.
Good To know! Thanks for the correction. I learn something new everyday on here.  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 920
| it was just a ph test we did. Ill call them and see what they suggest thanks
So far theprickly pear and sandburrs grow excellent. If there was a market I could retire.
Edited by shubug007 2017-01-16 3:19 PM
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Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | shubug007 - 2017-01-16 3:17 PM it was just a ph test we did. Ill call them and see what they suggest thanks So far theprickly pear and sandburrs grow excellent. If there was a market I could retire.
Our pasture used to be the same way! We got our soil tested and everything is growing just like those weeds used too. Good luck to you!! Let us know what they say.  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 920
| You can eat the prickly pear lol. Wish there was a demand for it I hate digging it up. Its like a starfish. cut off a piece and a new one grows. |
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Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | shubug007 - 2017-01-16 3:32 PM You can eat the prickly pear lol. Wish there was a demand for it I hate digging it up. Its like a starfish. cut off a piece and a new one grows.
We grill it. Lol
Lots of people eat it around here. I wish there were a demand too. We found that setting small patches of our field on fire at a time (notify your local fire dept before.) kill the prickly pear. We just dig up the roots with the tractor, rake them all in a pile and set the roots on fire as well.
In fact, last summer bfore we started the process of getting our pasture healthy we contacted our local Fire Dept and they set our field on fire and used it as training for battling wild grass fires. Both of us benefitted. The firemen had about 5 acres at a time burning. Once that 5 acres was burned they did another 5. We have 100 acres so they were out there for weeks training. A few other small departments came out to get some training in too.  |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | IRunOnFaith - 2017-01-16 1:44 PM Three 4 Luck - 2017-01-16 1:05 PM IRunOnFaith - 2017-01-16 11:50 AM Take a soil sample (Google how to take a proper soil sample) to your county USDA Ag extension office. The office will tell you exactly what to plant, when to plant, and how to plant. They will work with you on how to get a self sustaining pasture for food for your animals.
Soil Samples don't come back neutral? Not sure what test you ran. Soil samples tell you exactly what the soil is lacking as far as nutrients/minerals go. There is no option for soil to be neutral. Get in contact with your local ag extension and go from there. pH can be neutral, but there is a lot more to productive soil than pH and a real soil test wouldn't have stopped there, so... Btw, extension is not a USDA agency, it's a state land grant university division.
LOL You're welcome. I almost didn't say anything because I didn't want to sound snotty, but my inner nerd wouldn't let it go.  |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | IRunOnFaith - 2017-01-16 3:37 PM
shubug007 - 2017-01-16 3:32 PM You can eat the prickly pear lol. Wish there was a demand for it I hate digging it up. Its like a starfish. cut off a piece and a new one grows.
We grill it. Lol
Lots of people eat it around here. I wish there were a demand too. We found that setting small patches of our field on fire at a time (notify your local fire dept before.) kill the prickly pear. We just dig up the roots with the tractor, rake them all in a pile and set the roots on fire as well.
In fact, last summer bfore we started the process of getting our pasture healthy we contacted our local Fire Dept and they set our field on fire and used it as training for battling wild grass fires. Both of us benefitted. The firemen had about 5 acres at a time burning. Once that 5 acres was burned they did another 5. We have 100 acres so they were out there for weeks training. A few other small departments came out to get some training in too.
What does it taste like? |
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Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Three 4 Luck - 2017-01-16 4:43 PM IRunOnFaith - 2017-01-16 3:37 PM shubug007 - 2017-01-16 3:32 PM You can eat the prickly pear lol. Wish there was a demand for it I hate digging it up. Its like a starfish. cut off a piece and a new one grows. We grill it. Lol
Lots of people eat it around here. I wish there were a demand too. We found that setting small patches of our field on fire at a time (notify your local fire dept before.) kill the prickly pear. We just dig up the roots with the tractor, rake them all in a pile and set the roots on fire as well.
In fact, last summer bfore we started the process of getting our pasture healthy we contacted our local Fire Dept and they set our field on fire and used it as training for battling wild grass fires. Both of us benefitted. The firemen had about 5 acres at a time burning. Once that 5 acres was burned they did another 5. We have 100 acres so they were out there for weeks training. A few other small departments came out to get some training in too. What does it taste like?
Honestly it tastes a lot like green beans to me.
We scrape off the thorns, grill it and then shred it like french style green beans.
It tastes really good if you season it too.  |
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Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Three 4 Luck - 2017-01-16 4:42 PM IRunOnFaith - 2017-01-16 1:44 PM Three 4 Luck - 2017-01-16 1:05 PM IRunOnFaith - 2017-01-16 11:50 AM Take a soil sample (Google how to take a proper soil sample) to your county USDA Ag extension office. The office will tell you exactly what to plant, when to plant, and how to plant. They will work with you on how to get a self sustaining pasture for food for your animals.
Soil Samples don't come back neutral? Not sure what test you ran. Soil samples tell you exactly what the soil is lacking as far as nutrients/minerals go. There is no option for soil to be neutral. Get in contact with your local ag extension and go from there. pH can be neutral, but there is a lot more to productive soil than pH and a real soil test wouldn't have stopped there, so... Btw, extension is not a USDA agency, it's a state land grant university division.
ALWAYS Correct me if I am wrong!! I don't like being wrong. But if I am, I'd like to know So I won't be wrong twice!  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 920
| We had it at the Mexican restaurant. It wasn't on the menu but a friend who works there told us to try it. They fixed it with little ribs and it was slightly sweet. Not like watermelon sweet. It was good. |
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Sandy pasture