# Timothy Gone To Seed



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

We have a short road/path into one of our fields and also around a few buildings too. A few years ago, I had some Timothy I was drilling and just drilled the dirt road to get some grass on it. What's interesting is along side of the road AND around the edges of my drilled Timothy fields where we do not make hay, I'm seeing Timothy come-in just like I would expect orchard grass or especially fescue. I gather the seed head is so tall and the seed is so light that when the Timothy goes to seed, it just floats with the wind, making more Timothy about. It's a good problem to have IMHO.

Sooooo - if you had a Timothy field and just let it go to seed (no grazing or haying) and only gave it a bushhog from time to time, is it possible the Timothy would take over the field - not unlike fescue? A buffer of volunteer Timothy would be nice around our fields, orchard and shelters. Back in the day, would someone have come onto an old home place and found pasture/fields with a pure or near pure stand of sustained/volunteer Timothy?

Just curious.

Thanks,
Bill


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Y Father wouldn't start cutting hay till seeds were made. Orchard fields would start about now. Timothy and birdsfoot fields about mid July. He didn't ever have to over seed like I do. Of course he didn't care what shade of green it was .


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

hillside hay said:


> Y Father wouldn't start cutting hay till seeds were made. Orchard fields would start about now. Timothy and birdsfoot fields about mid July. He didn't ever have to over seed like I do. Of course he didn't care what shade of green it was .


Maturity date on timothy is June 15th to July 1st. I usually wait until I can shell out 80%+ OG, fescue, etc. by hand. Typically, a lot of seed will stick, but then can be scattered by mowing, shredding, tedding or baling.

But, remember, feed quality drops off drastically after the seed formation is complete--typically dropping to about 7-8% CP when the seeds drop.

BTW: I usually wait until seed production is completed for my pastures before I put my horses out--reseeds (trample seeding)the lawns nicely.

Ralph


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## 32-0-0 (May 30, 2017)

This thought is somewhat along the lines of this topic of seeding a pasture without a planter. I know of an outfit who runs stocker calves on summer pasture. To seed their pastures they would mix grass seed into the feed mix that they were feeding the calves. The seed would then end up in the manure pile and then Mother Nature would take over from there.


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## 2ndWindfarm (Nov 11, 2014)

Timothy will (and has) moved into every available niche around my place. I like to keep my horse pastures with a mostly bluegrass mixture as it stands up to all summer/ fall grazing the best.

But that dang Timothy is moving into pastures from the close-by hayfields! Over the last couple years, it's now up to about a 1/3 of the pasture, now.

Creeping into the lawn around the house, too.

Either have start baling the pastures or do a "burn down" and start over with a new planting.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I would love to have your problem
Timothy is viewed as the best thing outside of alfalfa in my area. Wish I had more of it


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Yup. It used to dominate here before the reed canary some guys planted got out into the ditches etc and then the smooth bedstraw arrived.



JD3430 said:


> I would love to have your problem
> Timothy is viewed as the best thing outside of alfalfa in my area. Wish I had more of it


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## 2ndWindfarm (Nov 11, 2014)

slowzuki said:


> Yup. It used to dominate here before the reed canary some guys planted got out into the ditches etc and then the smooth bedstraw arrived.


Reed canary has just showed up here in the past 4-5 years. Right now, folks are just battling it next to a couple of waterways. No field invasions or roadways...


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## 2ndWindfarm (Nov 11, 2014)

JD3430 said:


> I would love to have your problem
> Timothy is viewed as the best thing outside of alfalfa in my area. Wish I had more of it


Believe it or not...the horses will eat around the clumps of Timothy and grub down the Bluegrass! So, the Timothy just keeps getting healthier and the Bluegrass a little thinner!


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