Virginia grass

[oscarsteve]

My wife and I just got home from a 6-day bicycle ride/tour in the Woodstock, VA to Harrisonburg, VA area (Shenandoah, Rockingham, and Augusta counties). Man, are you guys in that area growing some grass right now! I had read here on CT not long ago the concern some of you had about not getting a first cutting of hay due to all the rain (and wished then I might have that problem here). I definitely saw evidence of it there. I even saw some young corn turning yellow because it has been in standing water for so long. The alfalfa along with clover/mixed grass fields were impressive. There was another hay grass there that I didn't recognize. It's leaves looked similar to fescue but much lighter green in color. One field of it was right beside the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. Can someone there tell me what it was? Also, I'm OCD about thistle on my place and getting rid of it. But, it looks like thistle and English plantain are taing over some pastures up there. Anywy, real pretty farms in that area and I really enjoyed getting to see them.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Six day bike ride? :shock:

I'm impressed, not gonna try it but impressed nonetheless.

 

[M-5]

Im sorry , I hope you get your truck fixed soon,

 

[JW IN VA]

Not in the Shenandoah valley but next to it.The grass you saw may have been timothy or second cut orchard grass depending on whether it was heading.Orchardgrass would be ripe now if it had not been cut.Were you touring or part of an organized ride?
Thistle has been bad in the valley for years.Canada thistle especially.We are getting a lot here,now.Twenty-five years ago,they were hardly in our area.IMO fertilizer trucks,bought hay and turkey litter may have spread them.They can be controlled by spraying/mowing.Still not as bad as multi-flora rose and russian olive.

 

[cfpinz]

I live about 45 mins south of the fairgrounds, can't remember what they've got growing there this year. Wasn't orchard grass or timothy, was it? Festolium is similar, but fairly dark.

The thistles are pretty bad this year, the rain has put a lot of us behind so we're just getting around to spraying/bush hogging. Too much rain is a much better problem to have than not enough rain.

 

[skyhightree1]

if not mistaken that's workinonit is from up there I think??

 

[ez14]

Im sorry , I hope you get your truck fixed soon,

Me to that really sucks having to ride a bike all the way back home :nod: you couldn't find a phone and call someone for a ride? ;-)

 

[kenny thomas]

if not mistaken that's workinonit is from up there I think??

She is on the east side of the mountain but still close to there.

 

[oscarsteve]

I thought it might be timothy or orchard grass. Neither grows well down here in my area of Georgia so I don't think I've ever seen it. We were part of the Bike Virginia group of about 1600 cyclists who were riding in the area. All the motorists were very accommodating to us and allowed plenty of room when passing. And there are some pretty good hills in the area as well. :roll: Again, I can't emphasize how impressed we were with the farms there. Interestingly enough, while we did see some beef cattle (mostly Black Angus) in the pastures, there weren't as many as I would have thought considering all the grass there. No way the numbers I saw would ever keep up with the grass.

 

[ez14]

That reminds me of a story when my dad had a wheelbarrow on the back of his truck with the handles sticking out the side and he forgot about it and didn`t give the biker quite enough room you can guess the rest

I dont mind people riding bikes down the road BUT THE ROAD IS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES NOT BIKES ITS THE BIKERS JOB TO GET OUT OF THE WAY NOT THE DRIVERS JOB TO GO AROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why do bikers always ride down the middle of the lane and not get over for vehicles what makes me really mad is when theres 4 of them side by side in the middle of the lane then they stop to take a break with you waiting behind them

Like i said i dont mind people riding bikes down the road but just get off the side when vehicles go by

 

[oscarsteve]

Didn't intend this to become a cyclists vs. motorists discussion. HOWEVER, the highway traffic laws of EVERY state give cyclists the same rights to the road as motorists as well as having to abide by the same rules of the road. In addition, most states have a requirement that motorists provide AT LEAST 3 feet of room when passing a cyclists. So, IT IS THE JOB OF THE MOTORIST TO GO AROUND. And 99.9% of motorists that I have encountered while riding my bike do an excellent job. Also, for those who don't know, in municipalities that have sidewalks, it is against the law for cyclists to ride there due to the safety of pedestrians. I know some cyclists don't follow all the laws regarding riding on the road, just like I know some motorists don't either. It really makes me mad, and I try to say something to them, when I see cyclists riding 2 or more abreast when there is traffic. Sometimes we are "our own worst enemy". But that can be said of some within any group of people; preachers, teachers, lawmakers, doctors, lawyers, farmers, ranchers, men, women (you get my drift).

 

[ez14]

a vehicles will get a ticket for holding up traffic for going under 45 but a biker gets to ride along at 10 with no problem who thought that up :???: i know bikers got the "same rights to the road" but how is that not the most retarded idea ever? It is a traffic hazard just like someone driving to slow :!:

I probably shouldn`t open this thread any more if i dont want to get banned

 

[oscarsteve]

I should correct one thing. Bicycles are restricted from some roads. Notably those that require a vehicle to maintain a certain minimum speed i.e. interstate highways. On this last ride we were in Amish country and shared the road with buggies pulled by horses. AND I'm pretty sure I saw a couple of slowly moving farm tractors on the road as well. I don't think either of those received any kind of ticket for not maintaining any kind of minimum speed.

 

[dave_shelby]

I am in the valley, but I think you rode down 11 not 42 where I live.

I would agree the assessment that the grass would either be timothy or orchard grass. We have primarily orchard grass in our pastures. I just moved to this area from Madison county, very different soils and about 10 inches less rainfall per year. The valley is one of the driest places on the east coast. Not this year though. The over grazed areas have a lot of thistle, and one small field we have is overrun with burdock, horse nettle and another weed I don't yet know.

 

[cfpinz]

I am in the valley, but I think you rode down 11 not 42 where I live.

I would agree the assessment that the grass would either be timothy or orchard grass. We have primarily orchard grass in our pastures. I just moved to this area from Madison county, very different soils and about 10 inches less rainfall per year. The valley is one of the driest places on the east coast. Not this year though. The over grazed areas have a lot of thistle, and one small field we have is overrun with burdock, horse nettle and another weed I don't yet know.

Got a picture?

The bluetops (wild chickory) and ragweed are growing like gangbusters here.

We've got so much clover going on this year that I really hate to spray, I'm revamping an old weed wiper that I picked up at an auction a few years back to give it a try this year. Interesting concept, just not sure how practical it'll be.

 

[dave_shelby]

Nettle on the bottom, and the unknown weed in the center.

 

[Banjo]

Nettle on the bottom, and the unknown weed in the center.

Lambsquarter

 

[dave_shelby]

thanks

 

[cfpinz]

My cows actually like lambsquarter, specially if it's young.

They do a decent job at keeping weeds under control if I rotate them more frequently and the weeds are short/tender, but don't care for certain weeds if they get some size/structure to them.

 

[dave_shelby]

I need to fence that field out, its a hayfield. Besides its got some johnson grass that the cattle are pushing to get at.