planting Johnson grass early

[Texasmark]

I dont think JG would be my first choice in a grazing situation. It's very easy to kill out by grazing. It's great for hay.

Deepends on stubble length. If it's grazed or cut below 4" or so expect negative results.....ref. published Ag. school data. Key to grazing is watching the weather and rotation.

When I got here in 1978, the only hay that I could get was JG and that is what my daughter's horse ate for hay. Never had a problem. Since then, JG is a preferred feed and I have yet to know of personally, nor hear of anybody losing an animal due to one of it's 2 main cautions; Nitrous Oxide or Prussic Acid.

We have a JG hay field still and have it scattered in the pasture. Like I said... great hay... pia trying to manage for grazing. The juice isn't worth squeeze IMO.

I wouldn't graze it. They would do to it the same thing they would do to a stand of Corn, Milo, Sorghum, Sudan or Haygrazer....eat the leaves and seed heads off and leave the stems...sticking 2,3 4 feet in the air.

 

[SDM]

I cut the field in the picture I posted above the first time in mid May. That was mostly orchard/fescue with some red clover and way more plantain than I'd like. The first pic below is early June. We had a cool spring with a late frost and think it held the JG back. The second picture is last Monday when I cut it. Not many seed heads at all but I was a little late. It's a little stemmy. This one worked out to about 1.5T/acre. That's about 50% more than the cool season cutting. I should get two more before frost if we get rain...we need rain yesterday.

 

[bird dog]

that will make some good hay.. I planted some in April and some in May. The may stuff is better, taller and thicker.

Where you at?

 

[kentuckyguy]

Just wanted to up date this. We started laying down about 12 acres of this today

 

[kenny thomas]

Just wanted to up date this. We started laying down about 12 acres of this today

Great looking hay.

 

[anewcomer]

Bird dog, would you be willing to PM your seed source?

 

[bird dog]

Will do. One of them is Turner seed. Breckenridge TX

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm slowly losing my yard to JG. Been progressing towards that for the 25 years I've lived here. Never tried to kill it, I just assumed it was a battle I couldn't win. I scalp my yard when I mow, and mow weekly. How well it does in my yard (and has never been allowed to go to seed) has always made me think it would be great for grazing. I see too many comments here to the contrary for my assumption to be correct.

 

[kilroy60]

LOL - most in my area try to kill it. I personally would plant something else other than JG if I were going to the expense and trouble.

 

[Texasmark]

I dont think JG would be my first choice in a grazing situation. It's very easy to kill out by grazing. It's great for hay.

My questioning that comment would be the timing of bovine removal. If they gnaw it down to the dirt, yes. If 4" of stubble is left, and grazing is the only variable, I'd say I doubt it.

 

[Texasmark]

Follow up on this Feb 10 2020 article. We are in a developing drought, temps mid 90s to triple digits, and believe it or not, the Ky 31 patch is not brown...yet...just mowed it a couple of days ago....reason was to clip some weeds that popped up before they bloomed. However the SS-JG patch with some Dallas grass and Foxtail is mostly browned/browning up......except for.....you guessed it.....JG. Here and looking around other pastures in the area, JG is green and growing when everything else seems to be stunted if not dead. JG to the rescue.....for those in need....yeah I wouldn't graze it but surely would bale it.

 

[SDM]

The field I posted about earlier in this field was baled again today. The third cutting, about . The dry stretch during the second cutting lasted all of July and it sat still. Rain earlier this month had it growing again. That should have been the fourth cutting. Today was about 5 4x5s per acre.

 

[Texasmark]

The field I posted about earlier in this field was baled again today. The third cutting, about . The dry stretch during the second cutting lasted all of July and it sat still. Rain earlier this month had it growing again. That should have been the fourth cutting. Today was about 5 4x5s per acre.

Fantastic, and no doubt it's JG, I can see the white Mid Rib.

 

[SDM]

I cut this field again. The recent cool nights really slowed the johnsongrass growth. So for the year I estimate the yield to be between 5 and 6 tons per acre based on bale counts and not corrected at all for moisture. The dry weather in July really hurt it. For a month it didn't grow at all.

 

[ValleyView]

If it weren't for two forages everyone else hates, being Johnsongrass and Crabgrass, my cows would starve for three months out of the year. They are both quality forages and re-seed themselves via proper management (if that's what you want).

If you happen to own/lease an old worn out fallow crop ground place, these are the only grasses that will help you get by. I am thankful for both, because I would've been broke years ago trying to convert these pastures to Bermuda.