TIPS FOR BERMUDAGRASS ESTABLISHMENT

    Coming out of a couple of real dry years, in which we saw some decline of desirable forage and the encroachment of invader type plants that are not desirable, many folks are wanting to renovate some old pastures and hay meadows with a bermudagrass.
     So your first decision is selecting the forage variety, and if you want to go with a bermudagrass, here are some factors to consider.  Bermudagrass is the most widely grown introduced warm-season grasses in the Southeast, and maybe Texas, but is less common here in South Texas.  Bermudagrass is well adapted to a wetter climate and require large amounts of nitrogen to be productive.  An advantage of bermudagrass is that it can take heavy grazing pressure and many cattleman like bermudgrass hay.  There are many varieties, both hybrids and seeded types and Coastal hybrid  is the most widely used.  However, a newer variety, Tifton 85, has improved quality and yield and has also been found to be as drought tolerant as Coastal.  Jiggs seems to work better in heavy clay soils, however it is susceptible to leave diseases.  Seeded varieties most common include Giant and NK-37, although these two grasses produce less forage than the hybrids, since they are seeded this can be an advantage for small acreage.  There are other seeded bermudgrass varieties like, Comanche, Mohawk, SunGrazer Plus and Common that one might also consider.
    Establishment of the grass is a critical step, especially when one considers the time, effort, and expense involved in getting a new forage established.  The ideal seedbed should be smooth, firm, weed free, moist, fertile, free of excess residue or trash, compaction zones, and has good soil structure.
    Initial tillage may include moldboard plowing, heavy disking with an offset disk, chiseling, or subsoiling.  The soil should be worked with a disk to eliminate trash and reduce clod size.  The seedbed should be free of clods, firm, and not “fluffy.”
    The soil should be tested to determine what fertilizer is needed and a preplant fertilizer should be incorporated according to soil test recommendations. During the establishment stage, grasses need only small amounts of nitrogen, however once the grass begins to grow, the demand for nitrogen increases rapidly.
    Bermudagrass hybrids are commonly propagated by planting plant parts like sprigs (underground storage roots), stolons (above ground runners), or tops (mature stems).  Sprigs are planted in a furrow just behind an opening device, covered and rolled in a single operation, and is typically done in late winter or early spring.  In a dryland system, the depth that sprigs are placed is  usually 2 to 2.5 inches.  The “ideal” sprig is 5 to 6 inches long, planted with one end 2 inches deep and the other end on the soil surface.  If soil is dry, water should be applied immediately after planting.  Use only fresh sprigs from a certified grower.  If sprigs have been dug for more than 24 hours, they should be soaked in water for 12 to 15 hours before planting.  Planting rates of sprigs per acre can vary, depending on how fast a good stand is desired.  Planting rates usually range from 25 to 40 bushels per acre.  On another note, Tifton 85 prefers warm temperatures, so sprigs of Tifton 85 should not be dug and planted until the night time temperatures reach the mid to upper 50's, while Coastal sprigs can be dug during the dormant stage.
    Planting tops is different from planting sprigs in that you are actually planting above ground stems.  These tops must develop roots from the nodes.  A good top, will be about 6 weeks old, 18-24 inches long and have at least 6 nodes.  Planting tops allows one to plant later in the growing season as long as soil moisture is sufficient.  Tifton 85 and Jiggs are easier to root by tops than other hybrid grasses.  Tops should be planted at a rate of 5 to 7 bales per acre and should be planted as soon as possible after baled.  Scatter and disk tops into moist soil before they wilt, as tops can die within minutes.  Pack the soil immediately using a roller to prevent excessive moisture loss and ensure good soil contact.
    If you choose to plant a seeded variety, they are generally seeded at 8-10 pounds of unhulled seed per acre for the quickest establishment.
    More information on establishing a bermudgrass pasture can be obtained from your local County Extension Agent or online at the Texas AgriLife Bookstore, http://agrilifebookstore.org/
and then search for Forage Bermudagrass.

BE COUNTED WITH U.S. CENSUS

    The U.S. Census forms are currently being delivered to every residence in the United States. When you receive yours, just answer the ten short questions and then mail back the form in the postage-paid envelope provided.  If you do not mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form.  Any personal data you provide is protected under federal law.  So do your part and be counted, as the data collected will determine our future number or representatives in Congress.

COOL TEMPERATURES SLOW CROP DEVELOPMENT

    It will not be long before the Coastal Bend prairies will turn green with rows and rows of grain sorghum, especially in Nueces County.  Nueces County is typically the number one grain sorghum producing county in Texas, as this crop usually accounts for more than 40% of the local Agricultural income.
    The recent cold night-time temperatures have certainly slowed the growth of this newly planted crop.  Here is a quick review of how seedling grain sorghum grows and develops.
    Grain sorghum goes through three different stages of development after emergence - seedling development, panicle initiation and finally reproduction. The time required for the plant to go through each stage is dependent upon hybrid maturity and temperatures encountered during the growing season.
    Grain sorghum follows a predictable pattern of growth from planting through physiological maturity. The duration between growth stages is closely dependent upon the air temperatures and relative maturity of the hybrid. The number of days required for a hybrid to reach maturity depends primarily on location, date of planting and temperature.  Because daily minimum and maximum temperatures vary from year to year and between locations, the number of days from planting to physiological maturity varies and is not a good predictor of crop development. A better system to estimate crop development is the growing degree unit (GDU) system.
    So lets take a close look at what is GDU.  The GDU is equal to  (Daily max. air temp + daily min. air temp)/2 - 50.  In the last two weeks, the GDU’s have ranged from a low of two per day to a high of 25 units per day.  Needless to say, we have been very slowly accumulating GDU’s, thus very slow crop development.
    Typically it takes 200 GDU’s from the day of planting to emergence and 500 GDU’s to reach the 3-leaf stage.  From this, one can see that temperature is the driving factor at how fast this crop will grow and develop.
    The seedling development stage is dominated by vegetative growth. The plant develops leaves and tillers, which ultimately support grain formation and growth. The duration of the seedling development stage is largely dependent on air temperature and the hybrid maturity. The more leaves formed by the plant, the longer maturity. Early maturity hybrids typically produce 15 leaves per plant, while medium and late maturity hybrids produce 17 and 19 leaves each. The plant can tolerate stress from drought, hail and freezing temperatures in this stage with little negative effect on grain yields. Sunny days with temperatures below 65°F promote tillering when the plants are in the 4- to 6-leaf stage and plant densities less than three plants per foot of row also promotes tillering. Panicles of tillers are often smaller and flower later than those of the main stem. Tillers formed can compensate somewhat for low plant populations.
    With abundant soil moisture, now all our crops need are warm temperatures, so they can grow and develop normally.

COTTON WORKSHOP - EMERGENCE TO FIRST SQUARE

    The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will host the Gulf Coast Cotton Management Workshop - Emergence to First Square on Friday, March 19, 2010 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at 10345, State Hwy 44, just west of the Corpus Christi Airport.  Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the workshop beginning at 9 a.m.  Topics will include; Crop, Soil and Water Relations, Planting Strategies to Optimize Your Stand, Emergence to First Square- Agronomic Considerations, and Insect Management.  The workshop will conclude by noon.  

NEW ONLINE TOMATO COURSE

    The best garden is a well planned garden, so while you wait for spring, get ready for the best tomato harvest by taking the new online course ‘Tomato 101’.   This course teaches all aspects of growing tomatoes in a home garden, at your own pace and in your own home and is taught by Dr. Joe Masabni, Vegetable Extension Specialist and Patrick Lillard, Extension Associate - Risk Management.
 The course covers:
●    Garden and soil preparation
●    Plant selection and training
●    Fertilization
●    Irrigation
●    Weed, disease and insect control
●    General care
    A short quiz at the end of each section lets you review what you learned before moving on, and at the completion of the course generates a certificate for you.  The course can be accessed at  http://www-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension  and creating a free use account is required to participate.
    So get out of the mud, take a seat by your computer and dream about those summer tomatoes while you go through Tomato 101.