# Fall cutting of bermudagrass



## mjsalmonjr (Mar 18, 2010)

I just finished getting in my 3rd cutting of bermudagrass and I found I have enough room in the barn for one more cutting. I think I have time to get in one more cutting before the first frost, but I have never made four cuttings or gotten in hay in mid-October. Is there any reason a fourth cutting is a bad idea (provided it rains over the next month). I am located in South Alabama.
Thanks;

Mike


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Yes and no.

You are probably about the same latitude as here, 31º N. 
I do not like to cut hay after 8 October, as that is when we have 12 hours of day light including twilight. When the nights become longer than 12 hours of darkness that is when the plant is putting a higher percentage of energy into growing roots.

Plus I like to have a 6 to 8 inches of grass with the first killing frost. This shades the soil and discourages weeds from germinating.

If I do go for a fall cutting I cut around Saint Patrick's day, our average first frost date, and plan on needing some weed killer in March.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Are you putting hay in the barn for feeding to your own cattle, or for sale? If for your own cattle, have you considered applying about 60 lbs of nitrogen per acre and letting the grass grow until first frost for standing hay to be grazed by your cattle? Grazing is a cheaper way to harvest than haying. Fall bermudagrass grown in this manner holds its protein content fairly well after the first frost. Grazing standing hay treated in this manner delays the feeding date of the first bale. Also, bermudagrass allowed to grow for about 8 weeks before the first frost allows the grass to store carbohydrates in the root system for next spring regrowth, in addition to the benefits of weed shading mentioned by Hay Wilson above.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Big difference between our areas of the country.

Suggested last date to cut alfalfa in our county is September 15th. Historic frost date is October 15th. This allows plenty of time for regrowth and to allow the roots to replenish their supply of nutrients for spring regrowth. According to Purdue this also allows the regrowth to be tall enough that normally when we get a real crusty snow, the tops of the plant will be above the crust and can still "breath".

I have made hay a few days after a killing frost as well, but for the most part this far north, by time you get to teh latter part of September and into October, you're just kidding yourself if you think you can cut and get it dry in any reasonable amount of time.


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

vhaby is veryclose to duplicating the climate & soil of South Alabama.
His is good advise with a liife time of experience.

HERE, in much the same climate but with clay soil I find coastal bermudagrass has it's nutrition run out the bottom some time in January but Tifton 85's nutrition holds up well. T-85 has good nutrition even after all the leaves are gone.

I will norally recomend grazing rather than feeding hay. No problem as there are still penty of people who insist on stocking more than their ground will support.


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## Customfarming (Oct 8, 2009)

If its worth cutting then cut the hay. Last year here in NE TX we were baling hay up to about 2 weeks before christmas. Now that hay took awhile to get baled since it got a little rain on it and it basically just freezed dried but did make decent hay and still had that green color. We are usually running hard cutting hay until the first frost and we usually cut hay shortly after the first frost. It takes a really hard frost to send the grass into dormancy but sometimes it takes 2-3 or more light frosts and cool days to send it into dormancy. We have not had any problems with winter kill or the grass coming back in the spring. This is in Coastal, T-44, and T-85 and in deep sandy soils in NE TX.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

If I remember right, it takes at least 3 hours at 27 degrees F. to be considered a killing frost for alfalfa.


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## mjsalmonjr (Mar 18, 2010)

I appreciate the input. I am planning on putting this up to sell. I have one field that is not fenced and I will not be able to graze, but I am planning on stockpiling in another field to reduce hay feeding this fall.
It doesn't look like rain anytime soon so it may not matter. Is it true that you can burn up/damage a hay field with ammonium nitrate (approx. 100lb/ac) if applied and not rained on for several days? I have always heard that and tried to time my application based on impending rain. 
Thanks again.
Mike


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

mjsalmonjr said:


> I appreciate the input. I am planning on putting this up to sell. I have one field that is not fenced and I will not be able to graze, but I am planning on stockpiling in another field to reduce hay feeding this fall.
> It doesn't look like rain anytime soon so it may not matter. Is it true that you can burn up/damage a hay field with ammonium nitrate (approx. 100lb/ac) if applied and not rained on for several days? I have always heard that and tried to time my application based on impending rain.
> Thanks again.
> Mike


Your question about ammonium nitrate applied at about 100 lb/acre (I am guessing that you meant 100 lb of nitrogen/acre) burning up/damaging a hay field if applied and not rained on for several days definitely is an "Old Wives Tale". I have researched ammonium nitrate and other N source N rates approaching 160 lb of N/acre over a number of years, and N applied as ammonium nitrate does not burn the grass even out to 12 days of no rain after application. Likewise for urea and ammonium sulfate.

The only N source that burned Coastal bermudagrass in my research studies of N sources was UAN (urea-ammonium nitrate, 32% N), a 50-50 mixture of urea and ammonium nitrate combined and applied as a liquid. This burn was a clearly visible yellowing of the grass. Even then, the dribble banded strips where the burn initially occurred were no longer visible at harvest 4 weeks later.

The area of grass between the burned dribble bands continued to grow, giving the plots a wave effect of taller grass between the shorter fertilizer band strips. But, at harvest (4 weeks), the grass height in the plots was equal. The UAN dribble band did not kill the grass, only set it back. The unaffected grass rhizomes and stolons grew into and across the burned strips and pegged down roots into the fertilizer band as they grew past the banded strip. There were no yield differences whether the bands were 7, 14, 21, or 28 inches apart. This was a three-year study.

To view this and similar publications, click on:

http://overton.tamu.edu/

Once this site is open, click on Center Publications, then on AgriLife Article Search Database, and search the year 1986. This site has a lot of interesting research on fertilizing hybrid bermudagrass for simulated hay production (Under Center Publications.)


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Vhaby is correct as usual.
In VanZant County, near Canton, TX on I-20 going east out of Dallas was a grazing dairy.
Their fertilizer dealer was delaying applying nitrogen, waiting for a rain, and the milk production was falling. They had him apply the nitrogen and three days later the milk production started back up. Still with no rain.

On this end the format is becoming a real pain. The advertisements are crowding the text.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

What browser you using wilson? I have Firefox and I have the option of closing the box that has the advertising, sponsors and recent threads.


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Thank you for the clue. I looked around and saw the >> and gave it a try. Slid the advertisements off to the right & now the text is full width, and a great improvement.


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