Frosted Alfalfa

[HEREFORD ROADHOG]

I have heard before that it was not safe to mow alfalfa after a frost for a certain period of time does anyone know what that time span is . Also is it safe to mow & make it after it is froze ? Any problems with grass hay & this ?

 

[novaman]

http://www.ocj.com/article/160/fall-cut ... falfa.html
This is from Ohio so it should apply to your situation. If you need to forage, start cutting. However, your best option would be to let it go. I avoid late cuttings at all costs.

 

[grannysoo]

Any problems with grass hay & this ?

If you get a frost on grass hay, you really don't have anything left. Sure, you've got the blades of grass, but they're dead and pretty much worthless. As to nutrition, it's doubtful if it has much value, if any at all.

If you do get a field of grass that frost hits, my advice is to leave it be until right before spring, and then burn it. Will do the soil good.

 

[dun]

If it's fescue it will be fine, just lower in nutritional value. Anything else I would just ignore or brushhog it.

 

[JRGidaho`]

Hereford Roadhog,

I think grannysoo has warm season grasses in GA so her response that frosted grass might be worthless may apply down there. In Ohio you probably have cool-season grasses and they will be fine after the frost. As dun suggested, frosted tall fescue is actually better than unfrosted tall fescue. Orchardgrass, timothy, smooth brome all lose some quality, but we have grazed dry cows on those grasses all winter and they do just fine.

Frosted alfalfa should be left for about a week and then it is usually safe. The leaves fall off pretty quickly and you're left with just low quality stems if you don't get it used within three or four weeks of the frost.