# Sericea Lespedeza. Dreaded or Not??



## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

agmantoo said:


> If you live in an area impacted by drought learning how to deal with sericea lespedeza through grazing management IMO could be more meaningful than getting rid of it. My herd readily will eat sericea in the early growth period and it will survive and produce on marginal soils and conditions. In tests done in Alabama, sericea hay outperformed bermuda hay with higher daily gains and on less lbs of hay.
> Those with any interest in growing sericea lespedeza may want to read this
> http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1318/ANR-1318.pdf


This was a response to a question I had asked in someone else's "ID This Grass" thread. I didn't want to hijack, so I am moving my specific questions here.

I have what I thought was Sericea all over my 200+ acres, but not enough to make me lose sleep except for two particular adjacent pastures. They have some considerable areas that are eaten up with it. 

Do I have it ID'ed properly? Maybe not according to agmantoo's PDF link. That article makes it sound like I want it around, but I don't think I do. If it is indeed the same critter I have, I am somewhat amazed that anyone would want it. In the spring it starts as a single sprig that looks like the herb Rosemary. By mid-late August if left alone it branches out and forms a formidable canopy of bush. At full growth it is woody.

In only two grazing seasons for me, I have not properly timed the grazing. This spring (March-April-ish) I had the herd on it. The S.L. was small at the time and the herd avoided the areas that have it bad because it by itself was small and not much grass was mixed in. IMO these two pastures are too large for my herd, and this may be part of the mismanagement.

All of my other pastures seem to keep it in check. My preference in treating it, in order, with whichever works first is:

1) Aggressive mowing/re-seeding the areas of heavy infestation.
2) Correcting the paddock sizes to force some heavy grazing on it.
3) Spraying. (I would probably spray everywhere else as well in this case).

I am not more in favor of one method over the others, they just suit my equipment, time, and abilities in that order. Ultimately, I think the condition of these two pastures is poor and that is the root cause of my woe. Neither of those approaches address the situation, but I am looking at what to do short term (this fall and next year), as I slowly improve the soil.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

CrownRanch
How much of the rotational grazing thread in the sticky at the top of this page have you read?

Where approximately are you located?


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

crownranch, 

I personally like serecia lespedeza. Around here it was planted during the dust bowl and depression days as a drought tolerant dirt holder. Folks from my gandpa's generation referred to it as "poor man's alfalfa". My generation wants to eradicate it. I'm not sure why they don't like a forage that readily grows in poor soil with substandard moisture, but they do. 

When it's cut for hay, (No matter what the development stage) it works very well. Then tanins that give it a bitter, undesireable flavor to bovine disappear during the curing stages and cattle like it if put up properly. For grazing, it works well when it's tender and palletable. If it's allowed to grow taller just brushhog it and knock it down low to the ground to allow new tender growth. It's also a matter of need for the cattle. They're not going to eat anything they don't have to when something else is available that they like better

Goats on the other hand crave the stuff and some university studies have shown it to be a natural dewormer. Mine actually run up and down the bar ditches along the county road in front of my place looking for it. 

It all depends on how well you manage it. One thing's for sure, you're probably not going to find something to replace it with that will thrive as well in all types of weather and soil conditions.


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## ycanchu2 (Oct 21, 2011)

CrownRanch said:


> This was a response to a question I had asked in someone else's "ID This Grass" thread. I didn't want to hijack, so I am moving my specific questions here.
> 
> I have what I thought was Sericea all over my 200+ acres, but not enough to make me lose sleep except for two particular adjacent pastures. They have some considerable areas that are eaten up with it.
> 
> ...


I have some serecea myself on a few acres, its in an area that I haven't converted to intensive rotatonal grazing yet. My Dad always said it was called '' Poor man's alfalfa" it looks somewhat like alfalfa. Makes good hay...the tannin leaves it after its cured out. Like Agmantoo says I wouldn't worry about it. I would lime it real good this fall and overseed it with fescue and/ or persist orchardgrass. Iknow this that if you went and bought the seed to plant it would cost you many,many dollars per lb.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Around her, hay with lespedeza in it goes for premium prices. Horses, cattle and goats love it.

Here's a link to the USDA's report on sericea lespedeza as a wormer in goats:

ARS | Publication request: Efficacy of sericea lespedeza hay as a natural dewormer in goats: Dose titration study


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

Well I'll be. Talk about learning something cool. Thanks for the education. I just might have a desireable bale or two for the goats this winter. I thought to myself, "Surely we are talking about a different weed." So I googled some images, and sure enough most of them are the the very legume. About 1/4 of the photos have shoulder deep boer goats, chompin down. 

agmantoo, I have read about the first 5 pages, and have been staying current for about 3 weeks. Sorry, it is a tome. It is on my winter reading list. I promise. I live in Cass County, MO. Southeast of KC about 40 minutes.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

The first thing I would say to anyone is check your state laws. In some states (such as Kansas) it is listed as a noxious weed. If it is found on your land and the county determines you are not controlling it, they can order you to spray it and if not, fine you up to $1500 per day until you do spray it. If you refuse to spray it, they have the legal right to spray it and bill you for the chemicals, machinery usage, and labor.

It is invasive...more than almost anything else. It is true that it is a natural dewormer for goats. 

Goats and cattle will eat it when it is small, provided there's nothing else. My cattle and goats will choose grasses and everything else before eating the SL.

Here, it is illegal to plant it or to sell hay that has it.

Keep in mind that the seed can lay dormant for 30 years before germinating. There are only 2 chemicals that will kill it. Once you get it, it will eventually take over and ruin any pastures and hay ground. 

Even if you try to "graze" it to control it, that only works in the spring when the plant is small. But in my experience nothing will eat it if there's other stuff to eat. 

But... please check your state laws and your state noxious weeds list to see if they have listed it as noxious. If they have, eradicate it.


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## ycanchu2 (Oct 21, 2011)

Serecea is not labeled noxious in Ky. but thistles, johnsongrass and rosebushes are.
I would think frequent liming would control the serecea since it primarily grows on "poor" soil sort of like sage grass.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

ycanchu2 said:


> Serecea is not labeled noxious in Ky. but thistles, johnsongrass and rosebushes are.
> I would think frequent liming would control the serecea since it primarily grows on "poor" soil sort of like sage grass.


That's what they say, but it grows anywhere. The only bottom ground I haven't seen it in is where there are crops... well, that would include most bottom ground. lol

Wouldn't liming it help it by increasing the ph in the soil?


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## ycanchu2 (Oct 21, 2011)

Iknow that I don't have a problem with it taking over the farm, but I have lots of korean leszpesza which is in the same family. it tends to grow in "poorer soils" or ground that hasn't had nitrogen fert. applied to it in several years.
I will have to monitor the serecea I applied some lime back in April.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

ycanchu2 said:


> Iknow that I don't have a problem with it taking over the farm, but I have lots of korean leszpesza which is in the same family. it tends to grow in "poorer soils" or ground that hasn't had nitrogen fert. applied to it in several years.
> I will have to monitor the serecea I applied some lime back in April.


They may be in the same family, but they are totally different types of plants. Only 2 chemicals (other than Roundup) will kill the Sericea Lespideza. But, any broadleaf killer, even as simple as 2-4D will kill Korean Lespideza.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Sure wish I had a "Sericea Lespedeza" problem. The goats have wiped it out in the pastures. It's one of their favorite targets whenever I open the gates and let them roam the un-fenced portions of my place....Must be yummy....Topside


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

topside1 said:


> Sure wish I had a "Sericea Lespedeza" problem. The goats have wiped it out in the pastures. It's one of their favorite targets whenever I open the gates and let them roam the un-fenced portions of my place....Must be yummy....Topside


Wanna trade goats? LOL


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## CJBegins (Nov 20, 2009)

My entire hay field is full of sericea lespedeza. I was sick last year and didn't get it cut or baled. I tried to walk thru it the middle of August last year and literally got stuck and it was at least 6 ft tall. This year with the drought it isn't so tall only about 3 feet and I have done a lot of research one it and realized that it's not a bad hay so this past week it got baled up. A part of me hated to do it but it's done. It's what I have available to me and for $18 a bale to have it baled vs $60-$150 a bale to purchase hay, I'll go with this. My goats love this, my cows and horses have other things to each still yet. We will see how it goes.


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## glenn amolenaar (Mar 3, 2007)

CJBegins said:


> My entire hay field is full of sericea lespedeza. I was sick last year and didn't get it cut or baled. I tried to walk thru it the middle of August last year and literally got stuck and it was at least 6 ft tall. This year with the drought it isn't so tall only about 3 feet and I have done a lot of research one it and realized that it's not a bad hay so this past week it got baled up. A part of me hated to do it but it's done. It's what I have available to me and for $18 a bale to have it baled vs $60-$150 a bale to purchase hay, I'll go with this. My goats love this, my cows and horses have other things to each still yet. We will see how it goes.


This is all my neighbor had for years to raise his reg. Limos on. We bought his farm and still bale the SR the only thing is they seem to like it better when baled around two feet or less. I'll feed it any day. Never had any problems feeding it. Your cows will eat it, they will leave the big stems, when I feed with the truck the cows will lick the leaf and fines that fall out on the bed.
glenn


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## matt_man (Feb 11, 2006)

Right now, the SL is the only thing green in our pastures. The cows are nipping off the tops of it but they normally won't eat it while it's growing. They loved it as hay though. We no longer make hay on those pastures and have worked on some cross fencing this spring/early summer so maybe next year we can get a better mob grazing situation going so that they will eat it at the proper times.


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