# Bahia grass question.......Whistling Dixie, you out there?



## Texasmark (Dec 20, 2011)

Noticed in the equipment section of the forums you mentioned cutting thick Bahia grass.

I just introduced some Pensacola to my hay patch this year and looks like it is going to make a stand next year.

I don't know how to bale it. Reason for question is how long do you let it grow before baling and what effect does time have on nutrition.....like coastal bermuda likes a 20+ day baling cycle.

There is a field across the road that I mow as a courtesy for the senior lady and her sons who live in town. It was full of it and had been growing for 6 months. It was tall and thick and looks like it would make a nice one time cutting of crop.

Well, a one time cutting won't satisfy my hay requirements, course that field wasn't fertilized and my hay patch gets what it needs.

If fert. requirements are met, how tall will the leaves get before you cut it yielding reasonable (10 % crude protein) nutrition; what kind of yield do you get....given the seed stems are tall but not much there?

Thanks,
Mark


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Bahia makes a better pasture than it does hay.Having said that, I cut and bale two fields that are Bahia.

Bahia grows very quickly after being cut, then it slows down. It needs to be cut every 30 days (with rain and fertilizer) . This will be in the dough stage and make the best quality.. Once the stems get thick and the seeds turn ripe I have waited too long. It will continue to grow and get thicker, just not at the rate if would if it had been cut and was trying to rejuvenate.
I have grown to like Bahia. It will never produce what Bermuda will. It is a hardy grass and does not have to be pampered.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I agree that Baha'i is a very good pasture grass, more suited to pasture than hay, but I too have cut some fields of Baha'i . I have never had a forage analysis done on any I have cut. Like tim said, it seems to grow like a wildfire right after cutting. My only problem with working Baha'i has to do with cross contamination of my Bermuda grass fields, have to use Pastora to get rid of it and Pastora cost is very high, if I don't have to worry about Baha'i control I use less expensive herbicide. I square bale most of my hay now and it doesn't make for very good squares at all......hope it helps


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## fredro (May 12, 2012)

mine tested 10% i thought that was pretty good cut 3 times this year


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## Texasmark (Dec 20, 2011)

Ok guys. Thanks for taking the time to answer the thread. I planted it this year for the reasons you guys mentioned in liking it. Seed is getting out of hand and since I sold my haybine and just have a drum mower, I don't want a lot of sorghum/sudan stems to have to dry.

Thanks again.

Mark


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

I got 5 cuttings off of both my Bahia/Bermuda fields although admittedly I threw a lot of fertilizer at them and got rain at the right times. I square baled three, rolled up two, and averaged about 1.5 tons/acre. Not nearly what the T-85 or Comanche gives me but it doesn't take nearly as much fertilizer or lime to stay happy. I was cutting on a 25-28 day cycle for the squares and 30-35 on the rounds. I could probably cut both of them again, but I'm done for the year. The horses love the stuff, but it does make kinda ugly bales.


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