# What to expect after first cut of timothy?



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

I know a couple of you on here have told me that timothy is a 1 cut crop this far south.....I'm just trying to figure on what to expect the field to do or look like the rest of the year? Will the timothy go dormant for the rest of the year after cutting and the field will pretty much be brown stubble? If we got some fall rain would it not put out enough growth to make a real light cut in october? Right now I'm thinking if the timothy is not going to do anything else at all this year about no tilling soybeans into the timothy stubble as the soybean crop would make me additional money off the acreage and pay for replanting the timothy this fall. Thanks, Hayden


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Up here Timothy is a one cut crop. Might make a little pasture, that's about it.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Here if it cut around heading time and followed with cool moist conditions we can get a second cutting. If not it grows real slow and can get some weeds in it. Usually grows enough to cut in october if lucky, usually gets grazed off if close to the barn.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

carcajou said:


> Up here Timothy is a one cut crop. Might make a little pasture, that's about it.


The timothy I got in my mixed hay is a two cut hay if done before the beginning of Aug. Makes nice second cut and good tonnage when the alfalfa is just starting to bloom and the timothy is just heading out.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Normally, I don't expect much from second cut timothy, but nearly always cut it to clean up the fields since grazing is not an option for me. One year I got three cuttings but the last one was mid oct but still made and it was premo hay. This year I had to cut about a half ac of the new timothy with the first field of og and I top dressed it with 50 units N. To my surprise, the timothy responded far more aggressively to the N than the og did-both are regrowing nicely but based on that, I topdressed my timothy field early this week after baling and we will see. It is greening up nicely. It it works, that may be my new approach-cut it earlier and topdress.

For your situation if you are going to replace it in the fall anyway, I would plant beans in it now. Think you get more return especially since you don't have the moisture in the ground that we do here.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

I think the heat is going to be the enemy of timothy here and I'm thinking if it does not regrow much that the field could be invaded with weeds which would require me to spray. This field I ended up with a much better stand than I thought I had.....actually a pretty darn good stand except for a couple places and I wouldn't be afraid to leave it another year. I was just thinking that if timothy is going to be most of the time a 1 cut crop why could I not use it as a annual crop like small grain and double crop soybeans after first cutting and replant timothy back in the fall? I'm thinking I could make more money that way than hoping for a small second cut if any at all. The only downside is I would have to replant every fall but timothy seed is not that expensive and small grains would have to be replanted also anyway.


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

We've been doing the replant in fall routine with Timothy. Just using the 'row crop' thinking; know not have to plant every year is preferred but around here Timothy stands won't thrive. Years ago it did but not any more. Don't recommend this but we've got a good field that does well with Timothy and is solid Johnsongrass that comes on after Timothy is cut. Timothy is off before Johnsongrass gets a start. They both are thick enough to smother out weeds during their growing season. Have to cut J-grass about every 30 days for good quality hay; have a small market for it but not nearly as many $$$ as alfalfa would be for same amount of cuttings. Also have Orchardgrass Timothy mix fields but still re-seed in the fall. Hope Timothy seed prices stay reasonable; have just been using Clare but are seriously considering some other varieties. Not much grown here so we're kinda on our on to experiment with varieties.

Shelia


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

If you are thinking of a one year stand (as opposed to a one night stand) why not no till teff into the timothy stubble. You really don't have to spray, you don't care if the timothy grows some and the teff will snuff out the weeds-heck, give it a try and see what happens. May even have some timothy come alive in the fall.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

I cut the rest of my orchard-timothy fields last night. tedded twice today. funny thing, timothy supposed to be 3-4 year max here. There is still noticable timothy to this day in these fields which were established in 05 or so. Native orchard grass really dominates but who is counting. still makes over 100 bales an acre 1st cutting and really nice hay. Unfortunately, native orchard is now browning off so I may kill this field and start over this fall but it is really tempting to let it go for free.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Hayman1 said:


> If you are thinking of a one year stand (as opposed to a one night stand) why not no till teff into the timothy stubble. You really don't have to spray, you don't care if the timothy grows some and the teff will snuff out the weeds-heck, give it a try and see what happens. May even have some timothy come alive in the fall.


 That was actually the first thing that came to mind but the more I thought about it reminded me of last years experience how much I didn't like growing and making hay out of teff.....besides I only got 1 cut of teff.

I don't see why timothy-soybean rotation would not work since everybody does wheat-soybean rotation and wheat is just now getting ready to be combined around here. If it works out I'm thinking a timothy-soybean rotation could be very profitable and the beans would give me a chance to really keep the weeds controlled.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

FarmerCline said:


> That was actually the first thing that came to mind but the more I thought about it reminded me of last years experience how much I didn't like growing and making hay out of teff.....besides I only got 1 cut of teff.
> 
> I don't see why timothy-soybean rotation would not work since everybody does wheat-soybean rotation and wheat is just now getting ready to be combined around here. If it works out I'm thinking a timothy-soybean rotation could be very profitable and the beans would give me a chance to really keep the weeds controlled.


you would need a really short season bean variety I would think so you could get the timothy in early enough to establish roots before cold weather. However, soybeans meal up the ground so much I would think it would be ideal for sowing timothy. Mine is off so beans could be in. a 90 day variety would get your timothy back in the ground before Oct 1. Does that work-know one thing, Hayden is going to work to make that schedule work. Its doable, but there isn't much give-its go, go go


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Hayman1 said:


> you would need a really short season bean variety I would think so you could get the timothy in early enough to establish roots before cold weather. However, soybeans meal up the ground so much I would think it would be ideal for sowing timothy. Mine is off so beans could be in. a 90 day variety would get your timothy back in the ground before Oct 1. Does that work-know one thing, Hayden is going to work to make that schedule work. Its doable, but there isn't much give-its go, go go


A tight schedule for sure.....here as long as the timothy is in by the 15th of october it should give it time to get some growth before cold weather sets in. My biggest concern is how a short season bean is going to do here....most beans planted are group 5s but with small grain you would have until mid november to get it planted and it still do well. The thin stands of timothy I baled about a week ago I already got planted into beans and the good stand of timothy I cut this morning I'm thinking that I'm going to go ahead with beans also and see how it works out.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

I think it would work. I am jealous you guys have such a long growing season. What if you no tilled into the timothy? Could you get away without spraying? That way you could just clean the field off after beans and still have timothy


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

too much sandbriers or horsenettle, probably milkweed also


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## astropilot (Jun 3, 2008)

One thing to think of maybe might be Forage RR soybeans from Eagle seed. I am in the same boat here in KY.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Bgriffin856 said:


> I think it would work. I am jealous you guys have such a long growing season. What if you no tilled into the timothy? Could you get away without spraying? That way you could just clean the field off after beans and still have timothy


I am going to no till the beans but am going to have to spray them in order to keep the weeds from taking over and it will give me a chance to control some hard to kill weeds like Hayman said. That is one thing that is attractive to me is the fact that planting RR beans for a couple years as a rotation should really cut down on my weeds.


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## Jimmy Bartlett (Aug 17, 2015)

I realize that this thread is several years old... How did the timothy + soybean double crop work out?


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