????? sprigging Alicia Bermuda

[uscott]

I have some property that was recently cleared for pasture. A friend of mine has a stand of alicia bermuda and he said that i can cut from his stand and disk-in to get mine started. The question I have is (1) when is the best time to cut it and plant it (2) what is the best way to cut it outside a hay cutter and (3) how hard will it be to establish in a newly cleared field?

 

[Jogeephus]

Before you do anything you need to be sure the soil is limed properly and is fertilized as per a soil test. The ground needs to be harrowed smooth then its just a matter of putting the cuttings on the field and pushing them in.

Ideally, you want to use Bermuda that is overgrown and rank. These have more nodes on them than shorter grass. The nodes is where the root growth will come from.

The best thing you can do is find a hay field that is close to your site and leave a small strip uncut for your nursery. A couple of weeks after you have cut this field for hay your nursery should be getting to size. Then its just a matter of watching the weather. When rain is imminent you want to cut a small length of this nursery with a hay mower or sickle mower that DOES NOT have a conditioner on it because you want to avoid any damage to the stems since this will cause them to dry too fast. (This is not the best time since spring is but since you are using cuttings and not sprigs you have little other choice)

Once you cut a little strip, load a wagon down with the cuttings you raked up while at the same time have someone harrowing the field in front of you. You then just scatter the cuttings on the bare ground - lightly - not in clumps. Once scattered, harrow the plants in with the discs turned as straight as you can then pack it with tractor tires or a roller.

After this, if there is a threat of texas millet or crabgrass spray 2,4-D at 2 pints to the acre on the bare dirt. This will impeded these two grasses from overtaking your Bermuda.

 

[hurleyjd]

You can pick a better Bermuda than the Alicia Bermuda. I think I would invest in to some tifton 85 even if it cost you, much better grass. Cows do not like Alicia.

 

[hurleyjd]

After thinking about it for a while I think that tifton 9 bahai would be a good choice.

 

[LaneFarms]

My cows have no problem eating Alicia. Alicia makes some pretty hay and with its finer stem is one of the easiest bermuda grasses to dry down. It is also a little more forgiving on cutting intervals because of its finer stems. On the down side it is susceptible to rust and stem maggots, and has some of the lowest digestibility of the bermuda grass varieties.

 

[Tim/South]

Our cows eat Alicia and do well on it, both as pasture and hay.

 

[hurleyjd]

licia bermudagrass was selected from a group of bermudagrasses introduced from Africa and marketed by a Texas businessman in the early 1970s.

Alicia is relatively easy to establish and produces high hay yields (similar to Coastal and Tifton 44), but its forage is lower in quality than Coastal (about 10 percent less digestible). Alicia is susceptible to rust, a foliage disease that destroys leaf tissue and reduces yields and quality. Alicia can be grown throughout the Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont areas. Coastal, Tifton 44 and Tifton 85 are better choices than Alicia for new plantings.

 

[Tim/South]

Cecil Greer from Texas developed Alicia and named it after his granddaughter. Our original sprigs came from his ranch back in the early 70's.
We have never had a rust issue with Alicia. Our Alicia out produces our Tifton 44 hands down.
I agree that Tifton 85 is superior to both 44 and Alicia. 85 is harder to get started in our region but is well worth the cost and effort.
Russel may be the best all around Bermuda grass out there today.

 

[hurleyjd]

I know I totally changed the subject that the question was asked about planting Alicia from top growth. I think that the question should be asked as what he was going to use the land and grass for would it be for hay production or grazing. Actually just cleared land in my area will still have a lot of work that needs to be done before trying any kind of grass. if you like Alicia then so be it. I have some Alicia that was planted years ago. As long as there is some Pensacola Bahia available the cows will not touch the Alicia. This is the same pasture. The Alicia was planted from top growth and the Bahia just showed up. I know that each of you has posted from experience you have had with your pasture grass as was I. So good luck to every one that is grazing and haying.

 

[Jogeephus]

I think uscott was abducted by aliens.

 

[uscott]

I know I totally changed the subject that the question was asked about planting Alicia from top growth. I think that the question should be asked as what he was going to use the land and grass for would it be for hay production or grazing. Actually just cleared land in my area will still have a lot of work that needs to be done before trying any kind of grass. if you like Alicia then so be it. I have some Alicia that was planted years ago. As long as there is some Pensacola Bahia available the cows will not touch the Alicia. This is the same pasture. The Alicia was planted from top growth and the Bahia just showed up. I know that each of you has posted from experience you have had with your pasture grass as was I. So good luck to every one that is grazing and haying.

I want to use it for pasture ( the aliens turned me loose)

 

[hurleyjd]

I think that the Tifton 9 would make you a very good pasture grass, It is more forgiving to soil ph and cows really like it. Might be more expensive probable at least $100 per acre for seed alone. I have not priced any lately but the going internet prices are around $200 for forty LBS. Need to sow 20 lbs per acre. These are my opinions and mine alone

 

[Tim/South]

A grazing seminar I attended said cows preferred grazing in this order: Fescue, Bahia, Bermuda. It did not matter which variety of Bermuda was being grazed. it was last on the cow's list.

Alicia can easily be planted from tops (to answer the original question).

 

[Jogeephus]

A grazing seminar I attended said cows preferred grazing in this order: Fescue, Bahia, Bermuda. It did not matter which variety of Bermuda was being grazed. it was last on the cow's list.

That must be a regional thing because I seriously doubt the same order would be found here. I know cows will trot across 200 acres of Bahia just to get to Tift 85 or Russell and once they get there you have a heck of a time getting them off it. For what its worth, cows seem to prefer Russell over T85 when given the option of free choice with both grasses in the same field.

 

[Tim/South]

A grazing seminar I attended said cows preferred grazing in this order: Fescue, Bahia, Bermuda. It did not matter which variety of Bermuda was being grazed. it was last on the cow's list.

That must be a regional thing because I seriously doubt the same order would be found here. I know cows will trot across 200 acres of Bahia just to get to Tift 85 or Russell and once they get there you have a heck of a time getting them off it. For what its worth, cows seem to prefer Russell over T85 when given the option of free choice with both grasses in the same field.

The information came from Auburn.

 

[Jogeephus]

That explains it. :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

 

[MikeBo]

My experience with several varieties of Bermuda, I have had the best luck with Mirage Bermuda, but it is expensive. In terms of grazing preference my cattle always take crabgrass first, always. They will choose fescue over Bermuda early, but by late June they love Bermuda regrowth, they don't seem to like the first cutting. I always find it interesting that when Bermuda goes dormant they still eat it really well.