# Timothy regrowth



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

I have grown a couple fields of Timothy in the past with pretty good success. I was using Timothy as a single cutting hay and then killing it off after first cut and double cropping soybeans. I know this is an unconventional way of growing Timothy but I did this for a few different reasons and it worked out pretty good. One of the reasons I did this is that I was under the impression that Timothy was just a single cut hay this far south and would go dormant and not regrow for a second cutting. I figured if this was the case I was money ahead to double crop beans and replant in the fall. I got away from doing this and it has been a few years now since I have grown Timothy.

Back in early June I was bush hogging along a field edge and noticed a couple clumps of Timothy that was headed out. This was a field I had Timothy in a few years back so I know that is where it came from.....anyway the Timothy clumps got bushhogged down and I though no more of it. A couple weeks ago I was walking the field and along the edge the clumps of Timothy caught my eye. They had regrown and were headed out again.....just over knee deep. This was on the 23rd of July so about 6-7 weeks after it was mowed down. This surprised me quite a bit as I did not expect to see Timothy regrowth and definitely not heads on regrowth.

This got me to thinking that maybe Timothy will regrow and produce a second cutting here. If a whole field was like these few plants it would yield quite nicely. Thought I would post this to see in anyone else gets a second or later cutting from Timothy? Also is it normal for Timothy to head out on the regrowth? I know fescue and orchard grass does not head out on the regrowth and I would have thought that Timothy would be no different. Here are a couple pictures of the Timothy regrowth.....a little hard to see with all the surrounding other grass.

Hayden


----------



## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

It goes dormant when it's hot and dry. If you have a wet summer it can head out 3 times or more even in our northern climate. I've had bad luck when I've second cut it with it reducing the amount of timothy in a stand but many others around here cut twice or even three times. I think they have better fertility in their fields than I do though.


----------



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> It goes dormant when it's hot and dry. If you have a wet summer it can head out 3 times or more even in our northern climate. I've had bad luck when I've second cut it with it reducing the amount of timothy in a stand but many others around here cut twice or even three times. I think they have better fertility in their fields than I do though.


 Interesting.....I didn't realize that Timothy would head out on regrowth.....I just assumed it would be like orchard and regrowth would be all leaves. We have had a rather wet summer here and have not been hurting for moisture. It also also not been quite as hot with only one week in the upper 90s so far.


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Is it also more shaded along the field edge?


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Anomaly....this far South. I have never seen it do that here....even in a "wet" summer. Too much heat and typically too dry during the peak summer months.

Regards, Mike


----------



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

8350HiTech said:


> Is it also more shaded along the field edge?


 This particular part of the field edge is not.


----------



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Vol said:


> Anomaly....this far South. I have never seen it do that here....even in a "wet" summer. Too much heat and typically too dry during the peak summer months.
> 
> Regards, Mike


 I kind of figured that was the case and in an average summer it would not have this much regrowth. Just wanted to see if others had seen this in Timothy before. I find it interesting that Timothy has the ability to head out on the regrowth if the weather is suitable for it. I guess that is what 10" of rain in June will do.


----------



## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Hayden, I am farther north than you and I grew timothy for 15 years. occasionally I got a third cutting but it was just enough to bale it vs bushhog it. second cutting was a 30-50% proposition but pretty light. I have seen it head out in other fields of mixed grass or orchard grass during second cutting but it is not robust like first and the head was about half as long. I just got tired of fooling with it. all late maturing orchard grass for me now.


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Timothy is a much truer cool season grass than Orchard. Some of the fellas in the NE can get a very real 2nd cutting of Timothy in their area....but they typically will average close to ten degrees cooler for highs than here. When it starts climbing much about the mid-eighties, Timothy just really slows or shuts down.


----------



## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Around here Timothy will tempt you to take a second. I will if weeds need controlled. If a second is taken I have to broadcast 5 lbs to the acre to keep it thick. The early fields I can double crop with millet or sorghum sudan. The ten inch stubble height allows the Timothy to recover. The prussic acid in sorghum sudan seems to control the cutworms ok nematodes as well I hear.


----------



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Hayman1 said:


> Hayden, I am farther north than you and I grew timothy for 15 years. occasionally I got a third cutting but it was just enough to bale it vs bushhog it. second cutting was a 30-50% proposition but pretty light. I have seen it head out in other fields of mixed grass or orchard grass during second cutting but it is not robust like first and the head was about half as long. I just got tired of fooling with it. all late maturing orchard grass for me now.


 Yeah, the heads on this regrowth were only 1-2" long while the first growth were 6".

I'm going to plant a good bit of Timothy this fall if I don't change my mind. I wish I had not got away from growing it the past couple years as it is my most requested type of hay. The last Timothy I had sold for $8-$9 a bale so it was a good money maker and so much less of a hassle than alfalfa.....I just wish a second cutting was more likely to happen but I realize that probably is not the case this far south. Seeing the amount of regrowth on these volunteer clumps kind of got my hopes up.

Not sure if I will use the Timothy I plant this fall as an annual as I have done in the past or just let it be a single cutting perennial. I have a lot of 2-3 acre patches that are a pain to make hay in and take up a lot of time and road travel so really a single cutting crop wouldn't hurt my feelings too much on these fields.


----------



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

FarmerCline said:


> Yeah, the heads on this regrowth were only 1-2" long while the first growth were 6".
> I'm going to plant a good bit of Timothy this fall if I don't change my mind. I wish I had not got away from growing it the past couple years as it is my most requested type of hay. The last Timothy I had sold for $8-$9 a bale so it was a good money maker and so much less of a hassle than alfalfa.....I just wish a second cutting was more likely to happen but I realize that probably is not the case this far south. Seeing the amount of regrowth on these volunteer clumps kind of got my hopes up.
> Not sure if I will use the Timothy I plant this fall as an annual as I have done in the past or just let it be a single cutting perennial. I have a lot of 2-3 acre patches that are a pain to make hay in and take up a lot of time and road travel so really a single cutting crop wouldn't hurt my feelings too much on these fields.


 if that's the way it was make sure it is still true. Yes there was a time up here with Timothy you got to handle half as much but beings it was worth twice as much if you'll do the same dollars in the end per acre. The Timothy I see sell at local hay auctions does not bring near the premium it once did


----------



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

We took a second cutting of our Clair Timothy. I thought it was going to turn brown and go dormant, so I cut it. Turned out the weather was relatively cool and while there were dry periods, we had some rain. This Timothy stand is still nice and green. Can't know the future, but I wish I had mashed the field with more nitrogen on the second cut and hit it again for a third.

The lesson learned for us is - make the first cut of Timothy early as possible, just starting to head. Ours tested out great. Then hit it hard with nitrogen while there is still some rain and not July/August temps and take a second cut before it goes dormant. Early first cut to give more time for a 2nd cut.

There are earlier maturing varities than Clair, but it is a leafy Timothy and I really like it.

YMMV

Bill


----------



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

endrow said:


> if that's the way it was make sure it is still true. Yes there was a time up here with Timothy you got to handle half as much but beings it was worth twice as much if you'll do the same dollars in the end per acre. The Timothy I see sell at local hay auctions does not bring near the premium it once did


 Timothy will still bring $8 a bale and I get about a call a week with someone requesting Timothy. Its not worth twice as much as other grass hay but will bring a $1-$2 premium in even the worst hay market year. Without a second cutting Timothy will not make as much money per acre as say orchard grass, but then again there is a value and something to be said for spreading out the harvest window and having another type of hay to sell to different customers that want that type of hay.

It also seems that Timothy would be a good lower maintenance crop for some of these small couple acre patches that are not close to home. One cutting per year would really cut down on the amount of road travel just to harvest a few acres.


----------



## [email protected] (Aug 11, 2017)

How do yall plant your timothy drill or broadcast. Never planted it before but I'm thinking about it


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> How do yall plant your timothy drill or broadcast. Never planted it before but I'm thinking about it


Either but it needs to be shallow...no more that 1/4" is best.

Regards, Mike


----------



## 2ndWindfarm (Nov 11, 2014)

We've had a cool and wet season up here this year. Only 1 cutting so far. Stuff is gettin' pretty tall, though. Probably put it up as haylage by the end of the month.

Very similar results with our Timothy hay that slowzuki's area has. And I use a similar strategy with my Timothy fields that leeave96 mentioned. Cut as early as possible, hit it with fertilizer right after baling. Throw in some seed with the fertilizer as well. The fields will thin out and get clumpy with multiple baling's over time. I will use 8-32-16 as later fertilizer (after 2nd cut) so I don't push the plants to expend energy to leaf growth when root reserves are needed before freeze-up.

A couple of my fields are past 20 years now. And it will set seed after being cropped.

Have always just broadcast my new planting's. Fertilize and roll-pack.


----------

