Texss Grass and Plant ID

Margali

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I'm trying to figure out these what these plants are. I need to know if they are safe for sheep.

1. A grass
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2. A weird thing with pod
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3. Plant with purple flower
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4. Plant with yellow flower
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5. Plant with brushy top
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6. Last one, broadleaf plant
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Baymule

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#1 is Bermuda grass. That is good.
#2 may be milkweed. Toxic to livestock, but it good for Monarch butterflies, their catapillars eat it. Livestock may eat it when they are hungry for green plants and be poisoned.
#3 is I don't know
#4 is bitterweed. They wont eat it, must taste nasty.
#5 I don't know
#6 I don't know



Some weeds sheep won't touch, some they eat with relish. The best way to get rid of weeds is to mow before they go to seed. You may have some Bahia and/or Dallis grass. Both are good pasture grasses.

Goosegrass is tough, my sheep will only eat it if there is nothing else available.
 

Margali

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Thank you for the DOT guide. I think I id'd the rest:
2. Definetly a milkweed, the flower pictures match.
3. Prairie verbena
5. Horseweed
6. Western Ragweed

Do I need to pull all the milkweeds or just make sure they have lots of hay?
If I rent brushhog and mow everything, will weather be warm enough for grass to grow?
 

Baymule

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Grass is going dormant now. Pull up or lop at the ground on the milkweed, you’ll be ok on the rest.
 

R2elk

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Thank you for the DOT guide. I think I id'd the rest:
2. Definetly a milkweed, the flower pictures match.
3. Prairie verbena
5. Horseweed
6. Western Ragweed

Do I need to pull all the milkweeds or just make sure they have lots of hay?
If I rent brushhog and mow everything, will weather be warm enough for grass to grow?
You cannot pull or successfully dig up all of the milkweed roots. In my opinion they are a noxious, invasive weed that spreads both by roots and seeds. The only way to eliminate them in an area is by poisoning them in the fall. Keeping them mowed off helps some. Never let them go to seed or you will never get rid of them.
 

Margali

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@Baymule The sheep don't seem to like the bermuda right now. It's ~12" long and partially brown. Would it be a good idea to mow it at tallest setting of mower deck to encourage new growth?
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Baymule

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Growing season is over for bermuda. It will not green up again until spring. If they are nibbling at it, then leave it. It's better than nothing. You might mow it the end of February or first of March. It really doesn't make a lot of difference this time of year. Leaving it gives them something to eat or nibble on.

You have 12 acres, what do you have to mow with? If a riding lawn mower, you might want to get started now. LOL LOL

Check into hiring someone to come bush hog it for you or borrow a tractor/mower from a family member. It is up to you, mow it now or mow it later. Will it be wet and muddy in the spring, hindering efforts to mow and clean up the pasture?
 

Margali

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@Baymule I will leave the grass as is I guess. Sigh, need to get more hay!
We have a guy setup that we rent a tractor with 6ft brushhog from. I am looking to rent a skid steer with forestry mulcher in the spring to clear some of the pinoak groves near the subdivision. First I need to chainsaw a path and clear the debris, 🤦‍♀️.
 

Margali

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So I took a closer look and there is bright green grass that is about 3in tall. The blades look much thinner to me. Is this a cool season grass starting to sprout?
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Promise I'm reading pasture mamagement books but the grass descriptions are gibberish to me. 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️
 
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