Crabgrass

[HDRider]

Anyone here using crabgrass over cool weather grass?

Can anyone speak from experience using crabgrass?

Here is a good article about crabgrass.
http://www.noble.org/ag/Forage/CRABGRAS/index.html

 

[Douglas]

Been doing it for years as the summer portion of a rye/reygrass double crop.
Need a little renovation once or twice a year for best results. Not as reliable as bermuda in dry weather summer, but much better quality if you have a class of cattle that needs it. Great hay. Works pretty good with fescue as it produces when the fescue is dormant in summer. Let it reseed once each summer and you are good to go. Even when it is used alone as a summer annual a little renovation is helpful.

 

[BC]

The way the Noble Foundation in Oklahoma made the crabgrass work was to let it go to seed late in the summer. The light disking to plant rye-ryegrass in the fall planted next years crabgrass crop. As mentioned before it needs a little renovation to work best.

 

[agmantoo]

I have some bottom land paddocks that were planted to Red River crab grass for hot weather grazing when the fescue is dormant. No negative side effect has been observed with the cool season grasses. I try to hold off grazing the RRCG until it is knee high. For quantity of feed I possibly would be better off with pearl millet but I would have to replant each season. With the RRCG each year the stand improves and the cattle seem to be spreading the RRCG through their manure. The cattle really seem to like the RRCG.

 

[HDRider]

I have some bottom land paddocks that were planted to Red River crab grass for hot weather grazing when the fescue is dormant. No negative side effect has been observed with the cool season grasses. I try to hold off grazing the RRCG until it is knee high. For quantity of feed I possibly would be better off with pearl millet but I would have to replant each season. With the RRCG each year the stand improves and the cattle seem to be spreading the RRCG through their manure. The cattle really seem to like the RRCG.

I have no practical experience with CG, except what comes up naturally, and boy does it!

I am just not hearing any downside to cultivating what is a vigorous summer grass. It seems to fit well with the low/no input philosophy.

I am wondering why there are not more users of CG??

 

[agmantoo]

HDRider

Common crabgrass and the Red River crabgrass are very dissimilar. I think most people do not realize the difference. Here common crabgrass in a good growing season may reach 10 to 12 inches in height whereas RRCG will reach waist height if not grazed. The seed are expensive per pound and I think folks fail to realize how few pounds are required. My own issue is that I only get a short grazing period from the RRCG but at the same time I have to acknowledge that it is productive when little else will grow. RRCG will fill the gap when fescue is dormant.

 

[cowboy43]

I am in Central Tex. soil is sandy loam, what I have noticed the seed will lay dorment for years, and if the soil is not plowed it will not come up. Once the soil is disturbed it comes up with a vengence. In one field where I planted haygrazer it got so thick and out grew the grazer and choked it out, so I baled the CR , it made good hay, the next year the field was not plowed and none came up.

 

[HDRider]

HDRider

Common crabgrass and the Red River crabgrass are very dissimilar. I think most people do not realize the difference. Here common crabgrass in a good growing season may reach 10 to 12 inches in height whereas RRCG will reach waist height if not grazed. The seed are expensive per pound and I think folks fail to realize how few pounds are required. My own issue is that I only get a short grazing period from the RRCG but at the same time I have to acknowledge that it is productive when little else will grow. RRCG will fill the gap when fescue is dormant.

Good info Agman

 

[Douglas]

I have some bottom land paddocks that were planted to Red River crab grass for hot weather grazing when the fescue is dormant. No negative side effect has been observed with the cool season grasses. I try to hold off grazing the RRCG until it is knee high. For quantity of feed I possibly would be better off with pearl millet but I would have to replant each season. With the RRCG each year the stand improves and the cattle seem to be spreading the RRCG through their manure. The cattle really seem to like the RRCG.

I have no practical experience with CG, except what comes up naturally, and boy does it!

I am just not hearing any downside to cultivating what is a vigorous summer grass. It seems to fit well with the low/no input philosophy.

I am wondering why there are not more users of CG??

During any kind of drought you get nothing. And renvoation helps a lot, most people don't want to disc every year, so it has a niche with winter annuals. Seed is expensive.