Fescue/Orchard grass mix

[dt34715]

I am presently raising 10 acres of orchard grass but contemplating drilling a mix of fescue and orchard grass for hay.
Good idea or bad??

 

[Warren Allison]

Pretty common mixture up in north Georgia

 

[moses388]

Should fertilizer be applied when drilling orchard grass?

 

[farmerjan]

Depends on if you are making it for your own use, or selling hay. We do everything possible to keep our orchard grass hayfields clean and unmixed due to sales of sq bales of mostly 2nd cutting. First cutting gets rolled for the cattle, 2nd is mostly all small sq bales if the weather co-operates. We have enough places that are mixed grasses with fescue mixed in that we have to make for hay... mostly due to lease agreements and most not having fences and water available to hayfields so cannot be grazed.

 

[coachg]

I would not mix it but add white clover to the orchard grass. The only problem we have encountered with orchard grass is it seems to get or be clumpy. In other words not solid stands but space between plants. So the clover is a good fill in . On fertilizing; I’d definitely soil sample and appt lime or fertilizer as needed . I would definitely fertilize!

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Should fertilizer be applied when drilling orchard grass?

I wouldn't automatically apply it. I'd get a soil test to determine what you need and the correct fert balance, if you need anything.

 

[Ebenezer]

I would not mix it but add white clover to the orchard grass. The only problem we have encountered with orchard grass is it seems to get or be clumpy. In other words not solid stands but space between plants. So the clover is a good fill in . On fertilizing; I'd definitely soil sample and appt lime or fertilizer as needed . I would definitely fertilize!

Or red clover

 

[Ebenezer]

Orchardgrass: persistence versus preference. Some of the grazing trials show that the longevity/persistence is due to less utilization by animals: less preference. Cutting trials only tell a small part. Or plan to reseed with whatever is at the local store to thicken when you see the problems of thinning.

Fescue: pick your poison. KY31 is not a horse type forage and some cattle don't do well. But the effects can be less as hay versus forage. Like it or not, it works as a persistent forage. The novel endophytes types are not all created equal. It only takes a few trials of them to learn the reality. And preference is also an issue if they stay around. Growth amounts are not all very impressive. Some of the selections have been released too soon: my opinion.

Options to fill in the spots and keep yields up: cool season annuals: timothy, brome,... find out what works around you.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

I am presently raising 10 acres of orchard grass but contemplating drilling a mix of fescue and orchard grass for hay.
Good idea or bad??

I'm not a proponent of monocultures, but they can have their place. If the existing stand of orchard grass is solid, I'd leave it. If you are contemplating an entirely new pasture, I'd mix the two, or even do a solid stand of fescue, but it depends a little on what your objectives are. But first, avoid seeding with KY-31 tall fescue if at all possible. If you have to use KY-31, don't plant it as a monoculture. The fescue (Ky-31 or a novel endophyte) will give you EXCELLENT stockpiled forage to graze if that is what you want to do. A mix between orchardgrass and tall fescue will give you more robust fall grazing over orchardgrass alone in the fall and will still give you usable stockpile reserves for winter grazing. A stand alone planting of orchardgrass may offer better grazing in the spring as well as better hay options. Check the variety of orchard grass you plant and decide if you want an early or late maturing (seed head formation) variety. There are different reasons for each. Straight hay..... that might be better as orchardgrass, early maturing.