clipping pasture

We got 3/4 inch of rain about 2 weeks ago. Can tell which varieties of grass respond best to rain.

Fescue is in bad shape and I may lose some of it. It needs more rain for it to bounce back.
Bahia grass which has volunteered responded quickly to the rain. Common Bermuda grass responded fairly well. No Johnson grass in pasture, but in hay fields it has withstood the drought fairly well and the little rain helped it stretch up a little.
There is a couple of native grasses that I don't know the name of that come back good when it rains.
I really don.t like Bahia grass for hay. It will yield less than half that of Coastal Bermuda in this area(Western SC). It is also tough to cut. The mower needs to have sharp knives and you need to slow the tractor by dropping back one gear. It will choke out Coastal Bermuda. On the plus side, it will choke out common bermuda and broomstraw. It will not compete with Johnson Grass. Don't know how it will stack up against Kudzu, LOL. It does make good warm weather grazing, the cows love it.

Sericea which is growing outside the pasture looks healthy. Its strong point is that it is drought resistant. I don't have a sericea hay field now but wish I did. Yes, I know it is considered a weed in Kansas but it makes very good hay if managed properly. If someone is interested I'll describe proper management for hay. It also can be managed for grazing, but constant grazing kills it.

I'm going to try some rye grass for hay this fall if I can get to it.

KEH

When had Sericea for hay it was necessary to cut it when it was about knee high. If it gets much taller, the stems get too tough and large to make good hay. Cows will pick through the hay and eat only the tender tops. I would get two cuttings a year here.

To cut for hay, the problem is leaf loss. If it gets too dry, the leaves shatter off. Cut about an hour, check the very tip of the stem. When the leaves at the top are dry and crispy it's ready to bale. Bales will be heavy and seem too green, but they will cure out and keep fine. Cows like the hay. Don't know about horses, but years ago a relative sold sericea hay on order to a horse owner who had definite ideas about how it was to be baled.

This time of year the sericea is too big to cut for hay. Don't think its a good time to spray it. Spraying with 2,4d probably works better in the Spring when it is young and tender. If you have problem spots in your fields and it is feasible to do so, I would clip it before it makes seed. My opinion based only on reading about it is that nothing beats native grasses for grazing on the Great Plains and that other invasive species are bad.

KEH

As dry as it has been this year, I'm not in a position to be choosey about hay. Sure would like some Sericea like John M described.

KEH

KEH

KEH