Category Archives: Lawns
Vegetables and Lawns
Wishing everyone a blessed Easter! While I won’t get to it this year, there are people like me who traditionally plant potatoes on Good Friday. So, that led me to thinking of lawn and garden things. A vegetable planting guide for our area compiled by Emeritus Extension Educator, Gary Zoubek can be found here: https://go.unl.edu/fecq.
Kelly Feehan, Extension horticultural educator shares, “Late March through April is typically the time to plant cool season vegetables. These vegetables germinate and grow in cooler soils and can tolerate light frosts. They include onions, potatoes, radish, lettuce, carrots, beets, peas, broccoli, and cabbage.
A tip for growing large onions that store well is starting from transplants instead of sets. Plants grown from sets may begin blooming in mid-summer. Once this happens, bulbs will not grow larger. Flowering happens because onions are biennials. They grow foliage and a bulb the first season, then bloom and set seed their second season. Growing sets for sale counts as one season and so plants from sets are primed to bloom when growth resumes in our gardens.
When growing onions from seed or transplants, plants are not primed to bloom the year we plant them. Some garden centers and catalogs now sell onion transplants for this reason. If you prefer to start from sets, use dime size or smaller sets as these are less likely to bloom the year of planting.
Potatoes are planted in April, sometimes late March or early May. A tip for increasing potato yields is hilling potatoes after they begin to grow. Once they are 12 to 20 inches tall, carefully scrape soil up around the plant to create a hill.
Potato tubers grow on stolons, underground stems, above the roots. Hilling provides more space for tubers to grow and maintains cooler soil temperatures, especially if hills are mulched. As a cool season crop, cooler soil will increase tuber production.
If potato hills are spaced closer together, tubers grow smaller. If hills are spaced farther apart, tubers grow larger. The recommended spacing is 12 inches between hills and 3 feet between rows. The 12-inch spacing will result in smaller tubers. An 18 to 24 inch spacing will result in larger tubers.”
Soil Temperatures can be found at: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/soiltemperature. This is helpful for knowing when to plant vegetables, when to plant crops, and what the soil temp is when applying fertilizer to fields. It’s also helpful for homeowners to wait to apply crabgrass preventer for lawns until soil temps are at least 50-55F for 5-7 days straight. In spite of the warmer temps, it’s far too early for crabgrass preventers!
Lawn Seedings: For those who didn’t seed or overseed turf grass last August-September due to the dry conditions, aim to seed or overseed as soon as possible. Weed control can be a challenge with spring seedings, but a new product has helped with this. I tried it last year and it worked well for me. Just know that your weeds will turn white in the lawn. “Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action Built for Seeding” (blue bag) contains fertilizer and the herbicide mesotrione which provides PRE and POST control of weeds without affecting the new bluegrass or fescue seeding.
Male birds: To keep male birds from attacking your windows upon seeing their reflection when they’re establishing territories, consider placing a thin layer of liquid dish soap on the outside of the window. It can easily be washed off in late spring but will protect your windows and the male birds.
JenREES 9/17/23
It was great getting to see and catch up with several people at Husker Harvest Days last week! The main update I have is that tar spot is being found more in this area of the State. Grateful it has only ever occurred at the end of the season for us. Next week I’ll share on an invasive grass that cattle won’t eat being found in some area warm-season pastures.
Harvest Safety: With harvest, it’s up to all of us to be safe and watchful on the roads. It’s so dry and hard to see on gravel roads when there’s traffic. Please be safe, slow down at intersections and railroad crossings, lights on, and be watchful/slow down as you come up on slow moving vehicles. For our farm families, we know things happen so quickly so please think safety with machinery, watch for people and objects around you, watch for power lines, and take your time on machinery and bin steps. Brandy VanDeWalle, Extension Educator, shares additional info. on her blog: https://vandewalleviews.com/2023/09/15/harvest-safety-11/. Here’s wishing everyone safety this harvest season!
Pricing corn silage: This was written by Shannon Sand, UNL ag economist, “According to UNL research, corn silage priced standing in the field before harvest would be valued at 7.65 times the price per bushel of corn, where a ton of corn silage is harvested at 60-65% moisture. For example, corn near $5.00/ bushel at harvest puts corn at $38.25 per ton. This accounts for not having to combine or haul grain to market but should also be harvest corn prices as we add storage costs to silage. According to the 2022 Nebraska farm custom rates publication, the average for harvest, hauling and packing of corn silage was $13.50 per ton. At $38.25 per ton plus $13.50 per ton for custom work, this gives us $51.75 per ton in the pile. When $3.00 per ton is added for storage, the price is now $54.75.” Additional information can be found in the following NebGuide: https://go.unl.edu/mik9.
Planting Trees: Fall is tree planting time and sometimes tree problems I diagnose are the result of incorrect planting. Kelly Feehan, Extension horticulture educator shares, “It is very important not to plant trees too deep. If a tree is planted the same depth it is in the container; or, the soil beneath the root ball is loosened when digging; then the tree is likely planted too deep. When I diagnose tree problems, I look at the trunk near the soil line. If it looks like a telephone pole going into the ground and there is no trunk taper at the base, I know the tree was planted too deep and that may be the cause of decline. Planting trees too deep leads to slower growth, decline and girdled roots that can cause tree failure. To plant a tree at the correct depth, never dig the hole until you find the first lateral root growing off of the trunk. Soil may need to be scraped away to locate this root. Once found, dig a hole that is a depth where the first root will remain just below or at the soil line. Do not disturb the soil under the root ball; but dig the hole one to two feet wider than the root ball.”
Lawn Weed Control: Those without irrigation systems struggled with thin lawns and both annual and perennial weeds this year. Perennials weeds have included dandelions, ground ivy, and bindweed. Annual weeds have included crabgrass, prostrate spurge, and purslane. So what can you do for the future? Late September through mid-October is the best time to control perennial broadleaf weeds with herbicides labeled for their control in grass. During the fall, the weeds will take the chemical into the root system increasing the opportunity for their death. Annual weeds will die with a hard frost. You can hand-pull or power-rake if you’re still working on reseeding lawns, but seed most likely has been produced. In May next year, you can apply a pre-emergence herbicide to prevent the weed seeds from emerging. Because we often get another flush of weed seeds germinating, if you had a lot of weed pressure this year and have a thin lawn, you can consider making a second pre-emergence application 8-10 weeks later. Thicker lawns help reduce weed seed germination if you can get a thicker lawn established as well.
I realized for all those who subscribe to my blog but don’t receive my email that I haven’t been posting the irrigation needs each week like I have on my email. So, adding that again as a reference for everyone finishing up.
JenREES 8/27/23
Quite the Year: What a blessing to have a cooler weekend! Some in the area I serve also received decent rains to help pastures or to end irrigation. The labor, time, financial, and mental/physical/emotional aspects of irrigating have taken a toll. Likewise, not having access to irrigation has taken a toll on farmers with non-irrigated ground. I think the extra irrigating (having to start after planting) also unfortunately aided more soil-borne diseases in soybeans this year such as Fusarium and Phytopthora root rots, sudden death syndrome, and white mold. I’ve never seen soybeans baled for forage till this year. Each field varied in how far gone it was, but wondering (for beans not taken for forage) how recent rains in the southern counties will potentially cause beans to try to regreen?
Several shared they feel this year is even harder than last year. It feels harder to me too, but I almost wonder if it’s more compounded by several rough years in a row? We’re still blessed in numerous ways and it’s good to think of gratitude each day! Continue to hang in there! Even if you can get away from the area for a day or night-such as going to the state fair-it’s amazing how just a quick break from the norm can help with reset and perspective. At least it’s been helpful for me.
Corn Ears Drooping: The high heat coupled with moisture stress in various fields played a role in corn ears drooping down last week. Typically, ears remain upright till they reach black layer. A loss of turgidity in the ear shank which feeds the ear can create the ear shank to droop creating a pinchpoint restricting water and nutrients to the ear. If the flow is completely shut off, grain fill to the ear ceases and the kernels will prematurely reach black layer.
What can you do now? Note places in fields where this occurs, particularly in irrigated fields (look for soil compaction, root restrictions, crown rot, etc.). Also note hybrids as genetics can also play a role. Looking at hybrid plots may also be of interest. Scout fields with drooping ears to determine percent milk line. At the beginning of dent, kernel moisture is at 60% and kernel dry matter is only 45% of the final.
In estimating potential yield loss, if the ear droops during early dent when the milk line is hard to differentiate, yield loss could be up to 40% if the flow of carbohydrates is completely shut off. If the ear droops at the end of the dent stage, when the milk line is close to the tip of the kernel, then yield losses could be up to 12%. Identify the development stage in which the ear drooped then you can multiply the percentage of ears affected (in a known area like 1/100th or 1/1000th of an acre) by the estimated yield loss per ear (depending on the growth stage utilizing the 40% to 12% loss estimations). Also watch the integrity of the ear shank and plan harvest accordingly to reduce the potential of ears on the ground pre-harvest.
Lawn Renovation: John Fech, Extension Educator shares the following, “There are 3 categories of lawn reseeding: 1-Total renovation – if less than 50% of the lawn is comprised of desirable species, 2-Lawn Overseeding – if 60 to 70 % is desirable, and 3-Lawn Thickening – if the current lawn is mostly desirable, but just a little thin.
With total renovation, step 1 is to spray the entire lawn with a non-selective herbicide such as glyphosate. Once the herbicide has taken effect, you can move on to Step 2. Step 2 is powerraking to create a seedbed. It’s wise to think of this step as the platform on which the new grass will grow.
Step 3 is to rake off the debris. As hard as it may be, it’s well worth it in terms of creating a seedbed that facilitates seed to soil contact. Step 4 is to apply grass seed with a drop spreader; seed is light and can easily be carried off site with a light wind. Divide the amount of seed in half and apply it in a north/south direction and then an east/west path. For Kentucky bluegrass turfs, apply a total of 2 -3 lbs of seed per 1,000 sq. ft. and 9-10 lbs of seed for turf type tall fescues lawns.
To create a suitable environment for germination and initial growth, it’s best to irrigate several times per day and keep the upper inch moist, but not soggy or dry. For Kentucky bluegrass lawns, this will take about 3 weeks; for turf type tall fescue, about 2 weeks. It’s very important to keep watering lightly and frequently until all the seed has germinated, or else the resulting lawn will be thin and clumpy. After the new turfgrass plants are a half inch to an inch tall, apply a starter fertilizer at label rates to encourage thickening and provide for the next few weeks of establishment.
If lawn overseeding is called for, the procedure is much the same as it is for renovation, except that the spraying of the lawn is skipped. In the case of caring for a mostly desirable, but slightly thin lawn, apply 0.5 to 0.75 lbs of a slow release nitrogen fertilizer product and spot spray broadleaf weeds that may have invaded due to the voids in the lawn. Products such as Weed-Free-Zone, Weed B Gone Maxx or Trimec are suitable for this purpose. Please read and follow all label directions.”
Something that brings me joy is to see youth continue to learn and develop life skills such as identifying plants! I’m blessed to work with an incredible group of youth in Crop Science Investigation (CSI) who enjoy learning. They also practice and compete in plant ID at county and state fairs. So proud of them!
JenRees 6/18/23
Drought: Several have asked about the yield potential of non-irrigated pivot corners if they were irrigated at this point. I don’t know if anyone really knows. This column reaches such a wide area. There’s part of the area I serve that I don’t think there’s any yield potential. For other places, my guess is ears wouldn’t be more than 4-8 rows around. I asked a plant breeder for his perspective. He shared it could be possible for 100-120 bu/ac with rain, depending on how long it had been rolled, and for corn further along (late vegetative stages). I’m seeing non-irrigated corn in most area drought-stressed fields are 4-7 leaf vs. 8-12 leaf in the pivot irrigated portion. The research I found says, from Emergence to 12 leaf corn, an estimated 1-3% yield loss occurs for each day after 4 consecutive days of stress. Some corn in the area has been rolled for nearly 18 days. Here’s some math for consideration if it can help (I’m going to use 20 days of stress). Let’s say you typically receive 180 bu/ac non-irrigated yield. 1% yield loss/day for 20 days would result in a loss of 36 bu/ac. A 2% yield loss/day for 20 days would result in a loss of 72 bu/ac and a 3% yield loss/day for 20 days would result in a loss of 108 bu/ac.
I’m honestly surprised that the drought-stressed corn is still gray-blue/green in color overall with only a few scattered plants firing now. I know it’s hard to see the corn dying. Each situation varies regarding well capacity and if there’s other wells to water corners, how long the corn has been stressed, etc. Overall, my suggestion has been to not divert water from pivots to save corners. For beans, they’re putting energy into deeper roots with less above-ground growth. These small beans will most likely flower shortly and yield loss will be from aborted flowers, pods, or death of plants if we don’t get rain.
Several have also commented on weed control difficulties with drought-stressed weeds. There’s two well-written articles in this week’s CropWatch https://cropwatch.unl.edu about drought-stressed weeds.
ET/GDD info: The CropWatch ET (evapotranspiration) info. is now available at: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/gdd-etdata.
2nd Cutting Alfalfa: Non-irrigated alfalfa fields are short (6-12”) with some blooming. Received a question regarding to cut or not. Dr. Bruce Anderson had shared in previous years that one needs to obtain at least 0.5 ton/acre in order to pay for harvesting costs. With higher hay prices and short forage, you can determine what’s best for your situation. Alfalfa that goes dormant will regrow when rains occur. By leaving it alone, the alfalfa will go dormant and eventually lose the leaves from the stems. If you hay or shred it, it may try to regrow, but with no moisture, it will also go dormant. There’s also potential to damage crowns from driving on extremely stressed alfalfa. If you can fence it and have water access, grazing full-bloomed alfalfa is also an option and is low-risk for bloat at that stage.
Lawn Watering: Lawns are really showing drought stress. Kentucky bluegrass is shallower-rooted and doesn’t take heat as well as fescue. However, bluegrass will go dormant without dying, whereas fescue, even though it’s deeper rooted and more drought-tolerant, doesn’t go dormant from drought-stress, so it can die. After bluegrass has reached three weeks of dormancy and fescue has changed color, it’s recommended to water 0.5”/week to keep both grass species from dying.
Oak Leaf Tatters: Received calls in the Henderson/Bradshaw area about oak trees with leaves that looked like they’d been eaten; no insects were present. Several calls earlier in the year were regarding malformed oak leaves, primarily on young oak trees (1-5 years old). Oak leaf tatters is a condition characterized by Iowa State, where cold stress when tree leaves are emerging coupled with herbicide injury causes oak leaves to look deformed, tattered, or look like they’ve been eaten. I see problems every year with oak trees, primarily in lawns when ‘weed and feed’ products are applied when oak tree leaves are emerging. So, in the future, avoid those products in lawns during leaf emergence. There were also some late cold snaps that likely impacted oak trees when leaves were ready to emerge. There’s nothing to do other than to water to avoid drought stress. All the trees I looked at are developing new growth; they’ll look more ‘normal’ in 10-14 days. The cold snaps may have also impacted apple and other fruit tree varieties that were in the pink/white bud stage or already starting to bloom, thus why some trees don’t have fruit.
Please take care of yourselves! Rural Wellness website: https://ruralwellness.unl.edu/ and Nebraska Rural Response Hotline: 1-800-464-0258.
JenREES 5/7/23
It’s been a great week of planting weather regarding warmer days and soil temps! There were even a couple beautiful calm days! Thanks to those of you who filled out my quick survey last week. The results of 36 respondents showed in 2023: 17 planted corn first, 8 planted soybean first, 5 planted corn and soybean at the same time, and 6 hadn’t planted yet. So, the survey did informally show that 13 of the 36 people who responded plant soybeans earlier or at the same time as corn. The CropWatch article I was mentioning was released last Friday if you’re curious regarding the data behind some of the key points I stated last week: https://go.unl.edu/gqt3.
For this week’s article, will share answers to a number of questions I’ve received the past few weeks.
Pesticide cards: This has been my daily top question as producers are needing certification to purchase and pick up restricted use pesticides. For those who attended ANY in-person or online Extension training, you must pay the $25 fee to NDA that comes as a bill in the form of a postcard in order to receive your license. If you didn’t receive a postcard or misplaced it, the quickest way to pay the $25 fee via credit card is to call NDA at (402) 471-2351. This number gets you to the switchboard. Say that you need to pay your $25 fee to get your license and they will connect you with the NDA plant protection office. You will need to say your name, address, birth date, when you took the training and where, and may need to confirm your applicator number (unless you are new). You will then get your card and be listed in the ‘certified’ database that anyone can look up.
For those calling who still needing training, your only option is the online training and please read the directions mentioned once you register at this site: https://go.unl.edu/4tzw. There’s a test out option where you can take the test before going through any modules. If you pass, you’re done and NDA will send you your postcard bill. If you don’t pass, it will then let you take the modules and retest as many times as needed. Please call the UNL pesticide office with questions: 800-627-7216.
Drought Assistance Webinar: If you missed it, here’s the USDA Drought Assistance Webinar recording for Nebraska: https://go.unl.edu/ba8f.
Lawn/Garden Resources:
- Fertilizers for Vegetables in Home Gardens (most garden soil tests I’ve seen in this part of State show minimal need for fertilizer!): https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/g945.pdf
- Simplifying Soil Test Interpretations for Turf (Here’s a great NebGuide resource that’s very visual and shares Nebraska recommendations): https://turf.unl.edu/NebGuides/g2265.pdf.
- With soil temps over 50F for several days and this week’s temps continuing to be warm, for those who’ve asked, it’s time to get crabgrass preventer on lawns.
For those who planted new or overseeded Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue grass this spring, I’m getting questions about what to do to prevent crabgrass. There is a product from Scotts called “Scotts Turf Builder Triple Action Built for Seeding” (blue bag) that’s supposed to be safe. It contains fertilizer and herbicide claiming to prevent crabgrass and dandelions for up to 6 weeks. Not an endorsement, just sharing an option. I hadn’t chosen to use it in past years because I knew the lawn would look interesting with white patches in the green, but decided to try it this year so I could see how well it worked for future questions. It contains mesotrione (a herbicide that is a pigment inhibitor, so it will turn your newly emerged weeds white). It gets reactivated with water. My lawn doesn’t have an irrigation system and gets watered sporadically, so I’m unsure if it would look better or worse with irrigation. So far, the dandelions are turning white and my lawn is thickening up. A person may need another crabgrass preventer product after 6 weeks, depending on how the lawn thickens, to catch the late flush that often appears.
JenREES 8/15/22
With every development stage this replant corn crop achieves, I’m grateful! Many fields will hopefully begin pollination soon. Late-planted crops can have quite a bit of disease and insect pressure develop late. Would encourage you to wait and treat fields when needed instead of automatically at beginning tassel.
Last irrigation: (days listed are based on GDUs, so consider this for your crop growth stage and field soil moisture levels so you can start tapering off). This tool helps you calculate potential black layer date based on your planting date and relative maturity: https://mygeohub.org/groups/u2u/purdue_gdd. What I’m currently seeing is that 2022 is around 70 GDD higher for York than the 30 year average and is tracking pretty similarly to 2012.
- Corn at Dough needs 7.5” (approximately 34 days to maturity)
- Corn at Beginning Dent needs 5” of water (approximately 24 days to maturity)
- Corn at ¼ milk needs 3.75” (approximately 19 days to maturity)
- Corn at ½ milk (Full Dent) needs 2.25” (approximately 13 days to maturity)
- Soybean at beginning seed (R5) needs around 6.5” (approx. 29 days to maturity)
- Soybean at full seed (R6) needs 3.5” (approx. 18 days to maturity)
- Soybean with leaves beginning to yellow (R6.5) needs 1.9” (approx. 10 days to maturity)
I share that yet acknowledge what I’ve heard in the weariness of irrigating and the temptation to quit early. My guess is there’s many feeling this way…and it seems especially long to those who have replant crops. Ultimately would just encourage you to finish strong!
Verbal Land Lease Agreements: Have received a few questions on timing to notify of terminating a verbal land lease; that date is Sept. 1 for Nebraska. I have searched and am unaware of a good template for this notification. The verbal lease date doesn’t apply to written leases as dates should be specified within them. Templates for written leases can be found at: https://aglease101.org/doclib/.
Renovating Lawns in the Fall: August 15-September 15 are the best times to seed cool season grasses. Improving Turf in the Fall at https://go.unl.edu/rz9z is a great resource to walk you through renovation depending on your situation. Some lawns can be easily improved by adding fall fertilizer.
Sarah Browning, Extension Horticultural Educator shares, “Late summer or fall fertilization of Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue lawns is the most important time to fertilize these cool season grasses. Fertilizer promotes recovery from summer stress, increases density of thinned turf, encourages root and rhizome growth, and allows the plant to store food for next spring’s growth flush. Lawns that are 10-15 or more years old typically need only two fertilizer applications a year. Make the fall application in late August or early September. On younger lawns, two fertilizer applications during fall are recommended. Make the first one in late August/early September, and the second in mid-late October.”
If overseeding is needed to fill in thinned areas but more than 50% of good turf remains, mow the existing grass 2.5” tall to make the soil prep easier. For lawns needing total renovation, start with a glyphosate (Roundup application) followed by waiting at least 7-10 days to kill the lawn. Mow dead vegetation as short as mower goes to then aerate the lawn three times. Full seeding rate for tall fescue is 6-8 lbs./1,000 sq.ft., and 2-3 lbs. for Kentucky bluegrass. When overseeding into an existing lawn, the seeding rate can be cut in half. Drilling the seed is perhaps best, otherwise, use a drop seeder. Seed half the seed north/south and the other half east/west for even distribution. Then lightly rake to ensure seed to soil contact.
JenREES 4/17/22
Hope you had a blessed Easter weekend! Reminder that soil temperatures can be viewed at: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/soiltemperature.
Hay and Forage Resources: Resources for buying/selling hay, corn residue, and other forages can be found at the following:
- Nebraska Hay & Forage Hotline: https://nda.nebraska.gov/promotion/hay/index.html
- Nebraska Hay Exchange: http://www.hayexchange.com/ne.php
- Crop Residue Exchange: https://cropresidueexchange.unl.edu/
Fire Damage to Crop Residue: With the dry conditions and various fires that have occurred, have received questions regarding the nutrient value in the residue and/or soil impacts. When residue is burned, most nitrogen and sulfur in the residue are lost; however, the phosphorus and potassium are retained in the ash (as long as they don’t blow away).
In spite of this, short-term nutrient loss from the residue is none to minimal. Research from the University of Wisconsin looked at the need to replace nitrogen to the succeeding corn crop when soybean residue was either removed or not removed. They found no difference in nitrogen impacts to the corn crop regardless if the residue was removed; this suggests there is no need to replace the nitrogen in burnt soybean residue. Research from USDA-ARS in Nebraska, when looking at corn residue removal prior to corn planting, also suggested no need to replace the nitrogen lost from the residue. They found increased mineralization due to the change in C:N ratio when residue was removed. Previous research compiled in this resource from South Dakota State shared the same sentiments: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1365&context=extension_extra. The SDSU resource is also helpful when walking through a dollar value of other loss considerations.
Regarding longer-term nutrient loss, a UNL NebGuide shares for every 40 bu/ac of corn or sorghum, approximately one ton of residue is produced. Each ton of corn and sorghum residue contains approximately 17 lb N, 4 lb P2O5, 37 lb K, and 3 lb S. For every 30 bu/ac of soybean residue, approximately one ton of residue is produced with 17 lb N, 3 lb P2O5, 13 lb K, and 2 lb S for each ton of residue produced.
Perhaps the greatest losses to consider are organic matter, soil loss, and soil moisture. Regarding organic matter, the soil holds the greatest portion of this. One year of residue is minimal, attributed with the potential of increasing organic matter 0.03-0.06%, depending on tillage type, crop, etc. Soil erosion due to wind/water can result in organic matter loss and loss of more productive soil. This is hard to quantify. Perhaps the more important factor is the soil moisture losses in no-till, non-irrigated fields, particularly in a dry year such as this. Paul Hay, Extension Educator emeritus, years ago shared with me several documented situations where yield losses due to moisture loss were estimated. Corn planted into burned no-till, non-irrigated soybean stubble ranged from 15-28 bu/ac yield loss in two situations. There was 0-3 bu/ac yield loss associated with soybean planted into burned, no-till, non-irrigated corn residue in two situations. Use of soil moisture probes can give an indication of soil moisture differences between burned and non-burned areas of fields or between fields. Direct yield comparisons between fields are difficult to make due to planting dates, hybrids/varieties, agronomic practices, etc., but important to still collect and assess.
Crabgrass Preventer timing: Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures are maintained at 55F for 5-7 consecutive days. You can watch the CropWatch soil temperature maps at the link listed above. Or, use a meat thermometer (that you dedicate to only taking soil temperature!) for your own lawn situation at a 2-4” depth. Typically, towards the end of April/beginning of May is a good time for the first application, but it will vary by year. So far, this timing is holding true for 2022. When crabgrass preventer is applied too early, it can move out of the zone where the crabgrass seed is germinating. Would also recommend that you consider splitting your crabgrass herbicide application. Apply half of the highest labeled rate when soil temps warm and the other half 6-8 weeks later. Often there’s a flush of crabgrass later in the season and splitting the application can help with that It’s helpful for the products to be watered in within 24 hours for best results.
Cover Crop Termination including Planting Green
Cover Crop Termination: I always enjoy seeing new life and the seasons, so enjoying seeing wheat/rye greening up! Grateful for the excellent discussion around termination timing at the February practical cover crop management meeting! Pictures with more details each farmer shared is at jenreesources.com.
In a column last year, I shared detailed considerations for termination timing (prior to planting vs. planting green). That info. can be found at: https://jenreesources.com/2021/03/28/jenrees-3-28-21/. For this column, sharing key tips from the discussions that may be helpful for this year.
Key points I gleaned:
- While rye may die slowly depending on the temperature and year, it will die.
- Two farmers consistently killed rye with only 20-22 oz/ac of Roundup Powermax (even when headed). For those who planted vetch with rye, the vetch will survive the Roundup application allowing it to grow longer, produce more nitrogen, and be killed by a post-application containing a Group 27 herbicide (like Callisto) later (if want it to die).
- Clethodim vs. glyphosate: Two farmers and a Pioneer rep shared sentiments of clethodim providing a slower kill and allowing the rye to stay greener longer for weed/erosion control. This is of benefit especially for farmers who need to terminate prior to corn or seed corn planting.
- Regarding clethodim rates, several are aiming for the mid-range this year by using 12 oz/ac. Another farmer used 10 oz clethodim + warrant. Many use 8-10 oz/ac to kill volunteer corn in soybean, so a few are also trying the lower rate. When going into corn, clethodim needs to be applied to rye to kill it at least 7 days prior to planting corn. For soybeans, it can be applied anytime after planting/emergence if desired.
- When rye is greater than 12”, consider increasing gallonage to 15-20 gal/ac for better coverage.
- When considering planting corn green into rye on subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), need the ability for higher capacity well to get moisture up to the seedbed. Potential yield loss otherwise.
- When planting soybeans green, the goal is often to off-set the PRE herbicide cost with the cover crop seed and application cost. A residual is necessary at some point either at time of termination or up to a week after termination when planting soybean green. Plan on irrigation or rainfall to get the residual to the ground, especially on rye taller than 12”.
My key points for planting green include: plan on some form of nitrogen at planting if planting corn green into rye, have the pivot ready to go if need moisture for the seedbed, don’t use a PRE in soybean if can’t get seed vee closed, plan to water residual application as soon as label allows to get residual to ground, and if non-irrigated, consider seedbed moisture for termination timing.
Lawns: Lawns are slowly greening up and for those with fall armyworm damage last year, overseeding and/or replanting may be necessary. Consider overseeding now as Kentucky bluegrass overseeding is recommended from April 1-30th and tall fescue from Apr. 15-June 15. The full seeding rate for 1000 sq ft is 3-4 lbs for Kentucky bluegrass and 8-10 lbs for tall fescue; for overseeding, use ½ these rates. Small amounts of sawdust or sand can be mixed with the seed to aid spreading. The area should be prepared prior to seeding by raking to loosen the soil and excess dead growth. Areas can also be aerated or power raked (power raking should only be used if ½” thatch or greater is present). Scotts TurfBuilder Starter for New Lawns can be spread either immediately after seeding or one can wait till the seedlings emerge. Either way, it is safe for the seed/seedlings. Spring rains in April will greatly help with emergence, but otherwise, irrigation by mid-April will be necessary to keep the soil moist until germination occurs. Then apply water deeply and infrequently to encourage rooting. Also check out this excellent brochure for Lawn care in Eastern NE: https://go.unl.edu/mhkd.
Thank You to the following for their contributions to this information: Gabe Bathen, David Cast, Chad Dane, Jay Goertzen, Marvin Linhorst, Ron Makovicka, Kevin Medow, Brad Morner, Scott Richert, Todd Schmeiding, Stuart Spader, and Mike Spray. The photos are mostly mine from field visits other than the ones taken by the farmers from their tractor cabs.
Pivot irrigated, no till other than strip freshener for seedbed. Seed 40 lb/ac rye with sunflower drill by following combine with drill. 2 rows rye then gap. Kill at 8-10″ at planting with 40 oz Roundup + PRE watered in. Rye pins down residue keeping it from blowing. Planting green easier than planting into dying rye. 
Pivot Irrigated. Drill 40 lb/ac rye with 30′ Great Plains drill. Drill at moisture 0.5-2″ deep. Seeded 5″ off corn stalk (2 rows 20″). Currently putting 1/3 N up front with strip till (32% UAN); now considering 1/2 up front. 
Pivot irrigated. Corn planted green into rye (left). 1-2″ off corn row. Dribble 8-10 gal 32% UAN at planting. Waited 2 weeks after emergence to terminate (at times lost a lot of moisture). Terminate with 20 oz/ac Roundup PowerMax (even with headed rye). Have added 15-20 lb vetch to rye which doesn’t kill with RoundUp so allows more growth and N production. It does kill with POST containing Callisto. April 21 soybean into rye (right), originally intended to relay crop but had inconsistent rye stand. Used Great Plains drill on ridge till. Clean row every 3rd row. Terminated at heading on May 22 with 20 oz/ac Roundup PowerMax + Zidua (waters in since rye >12″). 
Pivot Irrigated. Drilled 21 lb/ac rye in fall in 15″ rows. Case planter struggled with closing wheels but good depth and stand. Planted green into the rye. 
Non-Irrigated on 6 acres. Had difficulty getting seed vee closed. Applied 3.5 gal. 6-24-6 at planting with population of 27,000 seeds/ac. Applied additional 130 lb/ac of 32% UAN. No difference in yield compared to other non-irrigated corn. Corn spindly at first as it stretches for sunlight. 
Pivot irrigated. Seed 40 lb/ac wheat (cheaper and doesn’t get as tall prior to corn) or sometimes seeds rye or triticale. Has to terminate 2 weeks prior to planting seed corn for companies. Kill small grain with 22 oz/ac glyphosate. For soybeans follow with residual + POST (Liberty or Engenia) on emerged beans. Also using clethodim+NIS allows greener stems and slower kill for the wheat or rye to stay around longer when have to terminate prior planting corn or seed corn. 
Subsurface drip irrigation. Solid seed rye at 40 lb/ac on 10″ spacing following the combine. Terminate when rye is 12″ tall. Another grower (pictures not shown) shared his rye was 10″ at termination and his well capacity wasn’t great enough to get water up to seedbed in his SDI system which caused yield loss when he planted green. His SDI drip line was on 40″ spacings. 
Pivot irrigated. Goal was transitioning to no-till organic. Planted 30 lb vetch and 30 lb rye in fall. Rolled rye and vetch and planted corn over 3 planting dates. late May-June 2021. Army cutworms took out corn on one planting date and he ran insecticide through pivot. The rye/vetch mat provided excellent weed control season-long. Also drill interseeded a cover crop into the mat. 
Pivot Irrigated. Fall 2019 seeded 40 lb/ac cereal rye on seed corn acres. Soy planted Apr. 25. Sprayed 44 oz Roundup + 16 oz Brawl Apr. 26. Post with 32 oz Liberty. Excellent weed control. 
Pivot irrigated. 9/5/20 seeded 30 lb/ac cereal rye on seed corn field. Soybeans planted 4/23/21. Sprayed 44 oz Roundup 4/24/21. Sprayed 24 oz Enlist, 12 oz Outlook, 32 oz Roundup 6/3/21. Sprayed 32 oz Liberty + 24 oz Enlist 6/28/21. Heavier waterhemp and palmer pressure and decided need residual in burndown or shortly after to avoid the additional herbicides. Rye noticeably reduced anthracnose and diaporthe complex on soybean compared to soybean in their adjacent pivot w/o rye. 
JenREES 2/27/22
Growing Fruit in the Home Garden: The GROBigRed Virtual Learning Series from Nebraska Extension kicked off last week with a 6-week series ‘Growing Fruit in the Home Garden’. Join us at 6:30pm CT each Thursday for two short presentations and an opportunity to ask your pressing garden questions. Register for this free program at https://go.unl.edu/growfruit. Upcoming programs include:
- March 3: Selecting & Buying Fruit Plants and Soil & Fertility
- March 10: Site Selection & Design and Edible Landscapes
- March 17: Brambles (Blackberries, Raspberries, etc) and Grapes
- March 24: Pome Fruits (Apples & Pears) and Stone Fruits (Peaches, Cherries, & More)
- March 31: Strawberries and Unusual Fruits
Soil Temperatures: With March around the corner, a reminder of our CropWatch soil temperature page at: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/soiltemperature.
Farm Bill Decisions: I shared some considerations in the following article if it can be of help as you make these decisions: https://jenreesources.com/2022/01/23/farm-bill-decisions/
Lawns and Gardens: In spite of warm stretches, it’s way too early to consider lawn fertilizer and crabgrass preventer. Wait till April when soil temperatures are expected to be 50F for at least 5 days.
Vegetable planting guide can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/pao8. Kelly Feehan, Extension Educator shares, “For vegetable gardeners, it’s time to think about cool season vegetables. Focus on garden planning, seed buying, and soil preparation, like incorporating compost, if soil is not too wet. Do not let air temperatures trick you into planting too early. It is soil temperature that to determine when to plant. Gardeners who plant too early often end up harvesting later than those who wait. And some gardeners end up replanting since seed can rot in cold soils and seedlings or transplants may be damaged by spring frost. Even if all goes well, seedling emergence can take 10 days or much longer in cold soil. For cool season vegetables like lettuce, radish and peas, wait to plant seed until soil temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, with 45 to 50 being ideal.” A meat thermometer designated for soil temperature use is a great way to check soil temperatures.
Small Grain Silage: Last year, four producers allowed me to collect small grain silage samples from rye and triticale so we could get a better understanding of quality in regards to growth stage when cut, moisture, how packed, etc. With short forage supplies, this may be of interest to those who have planted rye/wheat/triticale and have cattle. On March 17h, from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Nebraska Extension, Lallemand Animal Nutrition and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are hosting the fourth Silage for Beef Cattle Conference. Registration is free and producers have the option to either stream the conference online or attend in-person at the ENREC near Ithaca. Pre-register to join in-person or virtually at: HTTPS://GO.UNL.EDU/SILAGEFORBEEF2022. Topics and speakers will include:
- Agronomic management of small grains for silage, Daren Redfearn, UNL
- When to harvest small grain silage, Mary Drewnoski, UNL
- Sorghum silage: a solution for limited water, Matt Atkins, Wisconsin Dairy Specialist
- Why fermentation analysis is important & what it means, John Goeser, Wisconsin
- Fungamentals of silage harvest management, Becky Arnold, Lallemand Animal Nutrition
- Inoculants for small grain silage, Limin Kung, University of Delaware
- Economics & ROI on quality forage in grower & finishing rations, Jhones Sarturi, Texas Tech
- Making small grain silage work, producer and nutritionist panel
JenREES 11/14/21
Grateful harvest has finished for most or will be hopefully wrapping up this week for the rest. Last week was seeing more fall herbicide applications being applied. If you have a 2021 Guide for Weed, Disease and Insect Management, page 93 provides fall burndown corn herbicide options and page 139 provides soybean ones (I also show these at https://jenreesources.com/). Most products contain 2,4-D and/or dicamba. Tank-mixing a residual herbicide with a burndown product will improve marestail control because the residual activity will control marestail emerging after herbicide application.
Regarding temperatures, Dr. Amit Jhala shared in a CropWatch article that the ideal temperature for applying most post-emergence herbicides is between 65°F and 85°F. Herbicides can be applied at 40°F to 60°F, but weeds may be killed slowly. When the temperature is below 40°F for an extended time after burndown, weed control will most likely be reduced, specifically for a systemic burndown herbicide such as glyphosate. Additionally, weed control may be reduced under cloudy conditions following an initial temperature drop below 40°F. With late-fall herbicide applications be sure to add labeled adjuvants to improve herbicide efficacy.
Actively growing weeds are key to achieving good control, regardless of herbicide used. Frosts of less than 25°F usually cause leaf damage to annual plants, making them poor targets for herbicide applications; however, winter annual weeds may tolerate a frost up to 20°F and continue growing when conditions improve, with little tissue damage. After weeds experience frost, active growth may not begin again for a few days. Growers should wait until new leaf tissue is produced, scout the field, and then consider applying herbicide. Generally, this would be when nighttime temperatures are 35°F or greater and daytime temperatures are at least 50°F for two consecutive days. Additionally, sunshine is needed for plants to recover.
Grazing fields with fall herbicide applications: Be sure to check labels for any grazing restrictions if livestock will graze cornstalks after in-season and fall herbicide applications. You can find these in the Forage, Feed, Grazing Restrictions area on pages 212-216 of the 2021 Guide. Some labels will say that residue should not be grazed or baled and fed to livestock. Sometimes there’s no guidance on the label. If you want to be on the safe side, a rule of thumb some chemical reps use is to use the pre-harvest interval for the amount of time to wait before grazing stalks. Regardless, if it says there’s a grazing restriction on the label, the label needs to be followed as it is a legal document and the law.
As you plan for next year’s herbicide program, if you’re thinking about fall cover crops, the following NebGuide may be of benefit to you as it goes through the grazing restrictions of various herbicides.
Lawns and Leaves: The tree colors have been gorgeous the past few weeks and with colder temperatures, leaves are now dropping. If you have large, established trees like I do, they can pile up on a lawn rather quickly. Leaves should be removed by raking or mulching into the lawn by mowing in order to prevent damage to lawns over the winter from snow mold. If you choose to mulch leaves via the mower, raising the mower height two to three times will help break down the leaves and incorporate them. According to our turfgrass specialists, mulching grass clippings and leaves does not contribute to thatch development in the lawn.
Fallen leaves release phosphorus and nitrogen when they decompose, which can help with lawns and also with gardens if they’re added to garden sites as a soil amendment. When leaves are intentionally blown into streets, they can be a pollutant to surface water as they are washed away via storm drains.
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