Kikuyu invasions in pastures

Once kikuyu has invaded a pasture it is very hard to eradicate.

While some farmers speak highly of kikuyu but these are few and far between, mainly along the coastal sand dunes with erodible low nutrient sandy soils plus some of the mild winter areas to the far east of Victoria.

But for the rest of southern Victoria make your own assessment now so you can prepare to control this pest grass.

If you drive the local roads at this time of year kikuyu is the pale yellow grass on roadsides where it has been spread by the road grader and can be seen creeping under the fence into productive paddocks.

Then it merges into distinctive yellow patches which join up after four or five years. to cover the whole paddock.

Cattle and farm vehicles do contribute to the spread of the stolons around the paddock or from paddock to paddock but the slow creeping habit of the kikuyu rhizomes is the primary method of spread.

This is the time of year to assess the pasture, walk into these patches and look at the residual pasture, which is longer than the other species because the cattle prefer ryegrass, phalaris and cocksfoot grass.

Remember the kikuyu normally stops growing with the onset of cold weather in Autumn or the first frost so this pasture has been sitting there dormant and uneaten for the winter months mainly due to the low palatability and low nutritive value.

The thick kikuyu thatch prevents other grasses and clovers coming through that would normally provide valuable winter feed in a time of the year that kikuyu is dormant.

Spend some time now mapping and marking out the areas where the problem kikuyu is present as the problem areas are hard to spot in mid-summer when the ideal time for kikuyu control occurs.

Don’t cultivate the paddock as this will spread the rhizomes (root and shoot fragments) all over the paddock.

The best control is to identify the problem kikuyu areas/sites and control with a recommended herbicide in summer when the kikuyu is actively growing,

A follow up herbicide control will be needed in late summer or the following summer to get complete control.

The area can then be oversewn with a productive pasture seed mix either by hand for small areas or by direct drill or broadcast spreader for larger areas, but avoid cultivation as this encourages and spreads kikuyu.

If kikuyu has not reached your neighbourhood and you see it approaching you can spray a strip at a strategic place to cut off the approach. If it’s encroaching along your roadside or stream bank you can spray a strip along under the fence line to prevent the entry to the farm or paddocks.

Be vigilant and proactive before this low productive and low nutrient value grass takes hold.