# First year Orchard grass... cut again or let seed?



## hosspuller (Aug 27, 2009)

Last fall I drilled "Persist" Orchard grass. Fertilized according to soil test. Sprayed 2,4D and Ally for weeds. Got a very nice first cut at boot stage. Yielded about 600 pounds per acre.

Will letting the OG go for the rest of the year pay back in terms of stand establishment? Mowing it in the winter ? or hay it again?

Thanks for your advice...


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## sedurbin (May 30, 2009)

I'd probably cut it again. Where are you located?


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## hosspuller (Aug 27, 2009)

Located in Central North Carolina...


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

You might consider letting it rest until September timeframe, then taking a 2nd cutting. OG is a cool season grass--grows primarily in the spring and fall, goes dormant when temperatures get over 85.

Ralph


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## mulberrygrovefamilyfarm (Feb 11, 2009)

I second the letting it rest until it is cool and taking a cutting, but when you cut it in the fall give it enough time to get some growth before first frost.


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## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

It will only get seed heads once per year, so cut it again when it gets about 12 inches high... I think you'd be looking at about the end of July beginning of August, given enough water to make it regrow. It is possible that you might be able to take a 3rd cutting if the weather cooperates. 2nd and 3rd cutting will be a real soft grass, sorta like if you did not mow your lawn for a month. 2nd and 3rd cutting do not get high in the grand scheme of things - seems that once it reaches a certain height, it only gets thiker, but again to only a certain point..... That's why a guy cuts it, cause there is no benefit to leaving it grow any longer. Just be sure that when you cut you leave enough stubble - if you cut it too short you will be taking away all of the plants reserves to grow again.

Rodney


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## tnwalkingred (Jun 8, 2010)

Hey guys,

I planted 10 acres of orcahrd grass last year however I did not fertilize it. I sprayed it this spring and even though I have a good stand it is not very tall (about 12-14 inches) and has no stem in it. I live in middle TN and it has gotten really hot really quick with no rain for the last 7-8 days and none forecasted for at least a week. The stand is starting to wilt a bit and my question is this. Should I go ahead and cut what I can now, wait till we get a rain so it re-juvenates and then cut in a week or two, or let it lie till the fall and cut it after it starts growing in cooler weather?????? If I cut it now it would make some really fine hay however the yeild is going to be down. I just didnt know if there would be benefits to letting it be? Thanks.

Kyle


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## mulberrygrovefamilyfarm (Feb 11, 2009)

> I planted 10 acres of orcahrd grass last year however I did not fertilize it. I sprayed it this spring and even though I have a good stand it is not very tall (about 12-14 inches) and has no stem in it. I live in middle TN and it has gotten really hot really quick with no rain for the last 7-8 days and none forecasted for at least a week. The stand is starting to wilt a bit and my question is this. Should I go ahead and cut what I can now, wait till we get a rain so it re-juvenates and then cut in a week or two, or let it lie till the fall and cut it after it starts growing in cooler weather?????? If I cut it now it would make some really fine hay however the yeild is going to be down. I just didnt know if there would be benefits to letting it be?


Our orchard grass goes semi dormant as the heat kicks in. If you're looking at rising temps as the year goes on from here you won't get much of a bounce back until it starts to cool down although you should cut it at a scheduled interval. You should be at boot stage on your orchard grass by now in TN? We try to take the first cutting at around boot stage for orchard grass hay and avoid cutting based on height. I try to balance biomass yield with maturity to get the most tonnage of feed quality to match my market. Our grass hay is targeted at our horse customers so we sacrifice yield (height) for quality (boot stage) and make up the difference in $/ton.


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