hay/dormant grass

[dane12]

I have a hay field with pretty long(16-18inches) dormant grass from last year.will this help or slow down new grow this coming spring?

 

[dun]

It will most likely slow it down. Ground will take longer to warm and the growing points of the grass will be shaded.

 

[bigbull338]

personally id cut an bale that grass the 1st of may.that way you can get the summer grass going good.the new grass will grow up in the old grass when it starts growing.

 

[JMichal]

personally id cut an bale that grass the 1st of may.that way you can get the summer grass going good.the new grass will grow up in the old grass when it starts growing.

Or graze it off now. If it quits raining it may be your 1st cutting. Seems with all the rain maybe ya'll have a good bird crop next year. Texas is so big, I may be talking out my AR$$.

 

[Jogeephus]

Personally, I'd burn it as I don't need any hay especially any low quality filler which this would yield. Burning it will also put much of the nutrients stored in the grass back in the soil. Blackened earth will also warm quicker than earth covered by dead grass. The warm earth will stimulate earlier grass production not to mention cleaning the field of many weeds and weed seeds. Just really depends on your situation.

 

[JMichal]

Personally, I'd burn it as I don't need any hay especially any low quality filler which this would yield. Burning it will also put much of the nutrients stored in the grass back in the soil. Blackened earth will also warm quicker than earth covered by dead grass. The warm earth will stimulate earlier grass production not to mention cleaning the field of many weeds and weed seeds. Just really depends on your situation.

Best!!!! Also depends where you are.

 

[JMichal]

Allow your cattle to graze it down so as not to waste the benefit, then run them out, drag it to spread the manure and then be ready to fertilize in the Spring, IMO.

Heck it could be spring there, who knows. He has not told us where he is. S of the King? Or way up by Lipscomb?, or in W. TX. Maybe E. TX? Don't know what to do. Graze, or burn. If I had enough Cattle to graze it off quick enough, I would. If not I would burn. You could graze and burn. Prolly Best.

 

[dane12]

Allow your cattle to graze it down so as not to waste the benefit, then run them out, drag it to spread the manure and then be ready to fertilize in the Spring, IMO.

Heck it could be spring there, who knows. He has not told us where he is. S of the King? Or way up by Lipscomb?, or in W. TX. Maybe E. TX? Don't know what to do. Graze, or burn. If I had enough Cattle to graze it off quick enough, I would. If not I would burn. You could graze and burn. Prolly Best.

I am in north texas in the bowie area. i have the cows on it right but they are not really eating it that much.

 

[dane12]

yes it is giant bermuda planted last year.just did not do the last cutting had more than enough hay in the barn.

 

[dane12]

Dane - what kind of grass is it?? With Bermuda, it's generally recommended to leave a few inches of stubble. In the Spring, new grass will start to grow in and around it all. Ours is starting to perk up a litle right now and so we've moved the cows out.

giant bermuda so yours are already coming in? guess it helps being all the way down there in south texas

 

[dane12]

Last year planting? Don't burn it and you don't need to put the cattle on it. You could even pull the gate on the field and then when the ground get's dry enough you could mow it such that about 4" is still showing. Being further North, it will be just a while longer and you'll start to see it come back in. If weeds start coming up later, think about hitting them with an herbicide when they're still young and tender. And then fertilize based on soil test.

i did not spay this field for weeds last year.was told not to that the first year.so yes this year i will spay for weeds and fertilize from my soiltest.

 

[BusterBrown]

i did not spay this field for weeds last year.was told not to that the first year.so yes this year i will spay for weeds and fertilize from my soiltest.[/quote]

We keep getting these little frosty / freezes like this morning, so we're just killing winter weeds and rye grass out of the hay field. Bermuda is still dormate. If there's any green, most likley is volenteer rye or some winter weed like vetch. We are killing these out so we have clean bermuda hay for ;-) this spring. Will fertilize when the bermuda starts comming on (Hunting for money for that. Prolly gonna break the bank. :cry2: ). You're a little north of us so I'm sure you're still getting these freezes. Letting the rye and weeds grow for the fields we graze. Plenty of rain latley, hope for a good year this year.
:wave:

 

[novatech]

i did not spay this field for weeds last year.was told not to that the first year.so yes this year i will spay for weeds and fertilize from my soiltest.

We keep getting these little frosty / freezes like this morning, so we're just killing winter weeds and rye grass out of the hay field. Bermuda is still dormate. If there's any green, most likley is volenteer rye or some winter weed like vetch. We are killing these out so we have clean bermuda hay for ;-) this spring. Will fertilize when the bermuda starts comming on (Hunting for money for that. Prolly gonna break the bank. :cry2: ). You're a little north of us so I'm sure you're still getting these freezes. Letting the rye and weeds grow for the fields we graze. Plenty of rain latley, hope for a good year this year.
:wave:

Vetch is not a weed. Vetch is a legume like clover and is highly beneficial for fixing nitrogen. If there is to much rye graze it off. It is to early to poison weeds.unless thay are at least 4 in. tall, and in growth stage.

 

[TexasBred]

I have a hay field with pretty long(16-18inches) dormant grass from last year.will this help or slow down new grow this coming spring?

If the cows don't show a lot of interest in grazing it I'd probably just drop by shredder down about as low as it would cut and shred the whole thing. It nothing but filler anyway.