Extension Update by Gary Zoubeck [October 18, 2012]

Coming Events

• October 22, 2012 – Extension Board Executive Meeting, 8:00 p.m., Extension Office, York

Cropping Update
Finally, a welcome rainfall to settle the dust in the air that we’ve had the past few weeks!  It looks like we received about .81” between the two rains!  It was nice to hear a little thunder for a change.  So for the month we’ve received .91”.  Hopefully we’ll get considerably more the next few months.

I was out and around over the weekend and producers have made great progress with harvest!  I’m guessing that by the end of the week a vast majority of the crops will be harvested in our area.  The irrigated plots that I took yield checks on for our On-farm research as well as the National Corn Grower Contests were all very good!  The York County Corn Grower Plot as well as the RoundUp Ready Plot results are posted on our website at: http://york.unl.edu/web/york/plotresults!  You can also always stop by our office to pick up a copy of the results.

Now that harvest is complete, it’s time to collect those soil samples and test for residual N.  I’ve talked to a few crop consultants and they indicate that it’s more difficult than normal, but they’re still getting the job done!  Soil testing following this year is probably more important than ever, so be sure and get out and get accurate soil test taken.  I’ve talked to some producers and they’re finding higher than normal N carryover even on the irrigated fields with excellent yields.  Check out the September 20^th CropWatch article titled “Soil Testing Critical After a Drought Year.”

They indicated that for irrigated fields, total irrigation amounts for 2012 were double or more compared to 2011 applications, with many more irrigation events for sprinkler-irrigated fields. Generally, nitrate leaching with irrigation is not a concern with sprinkler-irrigated fields, due to irrigation amounts being one inch or less per event. Such frequent irrigation, combined with warm soil temperatures all summer, may have led to above-average mineralization of nitrogen from organic matter. Consequently, residual nitrate-N levels for sprinkler-irrigated fields may still be higher than normal, even if yields are not that much lower.

Furrow-irrigated fields generally will have larger amounts of water applied per irrigation event, which can result in nitrate leaching below the root zone, depending on how irrigation was managed. Expect residual nitrate-N levels to be quite low for furrow-irrigated fields. However, variability in residual nitrate can be very high with furrow irrigation. It will be critical to sample residual nitrate from the upper, middle, and lower third of the field relative to the location of irrigation pipe, since more leaching will occur in the upper third of the field.  Check out the complete article at: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/cropwatch/archive?articleID=4994430.

Lawn and Garden
Things sure look a lot nice following the rain over the weekend, but we still have  many areas of turf that have been damaged this summer.  We have varying degrees of damage ranging from complete death of turf to a significant loss of turf density in other areas.  Our turf specialist indicate that we are now out of the window for late summer seeding so dormant seeing is the next best timing after late summer seeding for establishing cool-season grasses.

The following is a summary of the tips that Zac Reicher, Professor, Turfgrass Science suggests for best possible success with dormant seeding:

“Timing: Any time after soil temperatures are about 40F in order to guarantee no germination until next spring. Seeding between Thanksgiving and St. Patricks’ Day is a good rule of thumb.

Soil preparation: Though simply broadcasting the seed and allowing it to work into the soil naturally through frost-heaving can be effective, it is better to improve seed-soil contact with aerification, powerraking, tilling, power-overseeding, or some other form of cultivation. Wet or frozen soils will likely determine which cultivation is best for each situation, but maximizing seed-soil contact is essential for successful dormant-seeding.

Species: Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue work best, but avoid perennial ryegrass since it may germinate in a mid-winter warm-up only to die in ensuing cold temperatures. Buffalograss can also be dormantseeded.

Seed rate: The typical recommendation is to seed at 10-25% higher rates than normal to account for seed loss via erosion, animal feeding, etc. Seed Kentucky bluegrass at 3.0 lbs/1000 sq ft, tall fescue at 10 lbs/1000 sq ft, and buffalograss at 3.5 lbs/1000 sq ft on bare soils. These rates can be cut by as much as one half if overseeding into existing stands with thin turf.

Mulch on bare soils: Mulch is likely not required, but may reduce potential erosion or seed movement. A tackifier will be required on the mulch to minimize wind loss during the winter. Hydroseeding can be used on bare soil if air temperatures are warm enough. Erosion blankets or sod should be used on highly erodible areas.

Fertilizer: Starter fertilizer should be applied next spring as the seedlings emerge. Apply 1.0 to 1.50 lbs P2O5/1000 sq ft depending on soil test levels. This same fertilizer and same rate should be applied again four to five weeks after emergence and maybe again at eight to ten weeks after emergence depending on the density of the new stand.

Irrigation: Dormant-seeded areas will need irrigation just like any new seeding. Irrigate as often as needed to maintain moisture in the top ¼” of soil, which may mean irrigating once or twice per day. Irrigate less regularly and in larger volumes as the seedlings establish. However, dormant-seeded areas may need irrigation all summer as these relatively young plants will not be mature enough to withstand drought stress.

Mowing: Early mowing on any newly-seeded area encourages lateral spread and quick fill-in. On most areas, set the mower 10-20% lower than the regular mowing height for the first 3 to 5 mowings to encourage the most rapid fill-in. Mow as soon as the first few leaves of the seedlings reach the mowing height and mow regularly thereafter (in spite of only apparently affecting a small percentage of the plants) to maximize fill-in.

Weed control: Dormant-seedings will be emerging early next spring so most PRE herbicides cannot be used over dormant seeded areas. However, early weed control is critical to minimize weed competition and maximize establishment. In some cases where weed pressure is high, it is justified to apply herbicides early at the risk of turf damage. Even if damage occurs, the remaining turf will likely recover and thrive in the absence of competition. Regardless of the product selected, be sure to refer to the label for specifics. Once the seedlings are mature enough, PRE herbicides including dithiopyr, prodiamine, or pendimethalin can be applied, and this will likely be at the approximate timing of the second application in typical sequential applications of PRE herbicides (mid-June). Mesotrione (Tenacity ) or siduron (Tupersan ) can be used in the seed bed and will likely provide three to four weeks of PRE control of crabgrass. SquareOne (quinclorac+carfentrazone) can be applied within 7 DAE of tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass for POST control of crabgrass and broadleaf weeds. Mesotrione (Tenacity ) can be applied POST to Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue at 28 days after emergence (DAE) to control crabgrass and some broadleaf weeds. Dithiopyr (Dimension , Dithiopyr ) can be applied once the root system is well established and after at least two mowings for PRE/POST control of crabgrass. Quinclorac (DRIVE XLR8 , Quinstar , Quinclorac , and others) can be applied PRE or 28 DAE of Kentucky bluegrass and anytime over tall fescue for POST control of crabgrass and some broadleaf weeds. Carfentrazone (QuickSilver ) can be applied at any time after seeding for POST broadleaf weed control.”

Check out the latest turf info at: http://turf.unl.edu/.

Food, Fuel, Water Photo Contest 
I mentioned it last week, but thought I’d do it again this week!  If you have or will take some great digital images in Nebraska, you may want to enter them in a contest to win a free iPad in a new Food, Fuel, Water photo contest.

You can submit digital photo(s) representing food, fuel, or water taken in the state of Nebraska to innovate.unl.edu/photocontest between Oct. 8 and Nov. 1.  The contest is part of an upcoming groundbreaking event celebrating the start of construction of the core facilities at Nebraska Innovation Campus.

Three winners, one in each of the three categories, will be selected. Photos must have been taken within the last three years — not prior to Nov. 1, 2009. Contestants are limited to one entry per category.  The contest is being sponsored by the Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Soybean Board and the Nebraska Wheat Board.  Check out all the contest rules are online at: http://innovate.unl.edu/photocontest.