Drilling millet into sod

[millstreaminn]

Here's my plan. Do you think it will work?

I have a hay field I want to reseed in the fall. I was planning to take a cutting of hay in the spring, then no til drill millet into the sod. I'd like to take a cutting or so from the millet, kill the field and then reseed it in the fall.

Will the millet compete in sod? With our short growing season up here, I don't think I will have enough growing time to kill the field after the first cutting and before planting the millet. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[M-5]

I have no clue what your dealing with up there but here millet does not need any competition . It is often used as the cover crop for grass while it is being established. My experience is it does not do well unless there is an over abundance of moisture during the growing season so grass and millet both get enough nutrients

 

[True Grit Farms]

Tifleaf 3 millet won't no-till into existing grass, I might of got a 10% stand at most. This year I'm planning on no-tilling some Tif-9 bahia and and brown top millet together through ryegrass this spring.

 

[millstreaminn]

Tifleaf 3 millet won't no-till into existing grass, I might of got a 10% stand at most. This year I'm planning on no-tilling some Tif-9 bahia and and brown top millet together through ryegrass this spring.

Thank you. I wonder if I took a cutting of hay, then killed the sod, then drilled the mittet? I didn't want to do it that way because I would only get one cutting of millet, but if it won't come up in existing sod, it may be my only option. Also, soil up here won't be warm enough until the first week in June to plant millet and with a possible frost late September, we don't have much of a growing window.

 

[JMJ Farms]

As a general rule in Middle Georgia, millet has pretty much run its course in 90-105 days. I usually plant around mid May and graze about 4-6 weeks after planting, depending on how much rain we get. Good feed but I've always drilled it into cultivated dirt. Never tried no tilling it. Sounds like Dash and Grit have so I will take their words of wisdom and not try it myself.

Edit to add: cows love millet hay but it's extremely hard to get completely dry and will try to mold/rot.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Here's my plan. Do you think it will work? No.

Any ideas?

Kill the sod before cutting hay.
Inter seed a complex mix that includes sorghum sudan.
Make balage or graze it off.

 

[millstreaminn]

Thanks- Looks like I will kill the sod, one way or another. I have everything I need for balage so that is the route I will go with the millet.

 

[pdfangus]

millet will successfully no till as well as anything else...
but it will not successfully compete with a living sod....

 

[Banjo]

nothing does well no tilled into fescue sod. I've tried no-tilling sudangrass into sod without a lot of success but I went in this year and cut it up with a disk then sowed the SG and it did well.
Lightly disking it helps to open the dirt up and retards the grass for awhile till the other gets established.

I know some will say disking brings up a lot of weed seeds , maybe so, but in the long run.....weeds have to be choked out by a good stand of grass.

 

[Stocker Steve]

nothing does well no tilled into fescue sod. I've tried no-tilling sudangrass into sod without a lot of success but I went in this year and cut it up with a disk then sowed the SG and it did well.

Organic cover crop guys will graze grass hard, disk about 3 times, and then seed heavy to get a good canopy

 

[wbvs58]

Millet being a small seed takes a little time to get going so competition is important but once it does get going it is very vigourous and will smother a lot of the competition especially if the density of the surviving plants is sufficient.

Ken