dalliasgrass

[gitnby]

got 16 acres pasture been saving in case of dry spell..full of dalliasgrass....should i put cows on it now, top it first or wait till closer to frost then bushhog tops...?

 

[kenny thomas]

Top it now.

 

[callmefence]

Lots of Dallis grass this year. Im grazing some right now.
If you need it now , graze it now.

 

[kenny thomas]

Dallisgrass can have an ergot Ike fungus in the seeded that could be toxic to cattle. The seed head will look black when infected. That's why I said to top it now. But I normally just graze it.

 

[ClinchValley86]

It is some good stuff while green. If the seedheads look normal, go ahead and graze it. I am 95 percent sure I had a cow get the staggers from it a couple years back. Didn't kill her, but she was a mess for a day or two. Pretty sure it was the dallisgrass.

I mowed mine down about 2 weeks back, 4 to 6 inches, after the cattle had been on it for about 3 weeks. It and lespedeza kept them in decent shape. Has been very dry here this year.

It's great feed and carries us through summer.

 

[Lucky_P]

Unless I was seeing a lot of ergot sclerotia on seedheads, I'd just graze it.

 

[FungusProudKY31]

Unless I was seeing a lot of ergot sclerotia on seedheads, I'd just graze it.

Or just time graze it.

 

[gitnby]

thanks all.