How to Plant Grass Hay
- 1). Pick up a soil test kit at your local extension office so you can know how much fertilizer the ground needs for hay grasses. The extension office also has the facilities to test the soil and can tell you what ratio of fertilizer to apply. The best pH level for growing warm season grasses is 5.5.
- 2). Apply fertilizer to your soil according to the results of the soil test. Plan on putting the proper amount of lime on the field up to five months prior to seeding it to add alkaline to the soil. You can apply potash and phosphate when you seed the field.
- 3). Purchase hay grasses with a high, pure live seed count. This number indicates the amount of grass seed guaranteed to germinate in the bag relative to the amount of weed seeds and trash.
- 4). Till the ground for planting with a plow or a disk. If you just need to loosen the soil, use a rotary hoe. No till is another option, but if you choose this method, you may need to apply chemicals to kill off any vegetation that exists on the seedbed.
- 5). Sow the warm season grasses using a regular drill, a no-till drill or a rotary seeder. Apply the seed at the rate recommended for your soil type and the seed you chose. If you are fertilizing at this time, put the fertilizer in the drill and set the drill to apply the fertilizer at the proper rate.
