# Orchard Grass - How Often Can You Cut It????



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

I understand that Timothy doesn't like to be cut frequently and you're lucky to get 2 cuts per year, but what about frequent cuttings of orchard grass?

One of the fields I'm reclaiming is loaded with native grass seeds from the past, undesirable grasses that broad leaf herbicides won't kill. Even if I kill down (which I do) with roundup, legacy native grass seeds exists and will come in the summer.

I'm thinking that for a time, I need to take off a first cut and then frequent cuts throughout the summer as warm season perennial native grasses come. The signal to cut again would be when the undesirable grass weed seed head starts to form. The goal is to exhaust the seed bed and potential seed formation. Between that and a good fertilizer, lime and broad-leaf herbicide program, I ought have a nice pure stand of OG. In addition to controlling the native grasses, I could benefit from having multiple 2nd, 3rd type cuts where the leafy hay brings a better price than first cutting.

So - I mow my lawn (which is largely fescue and bluegrass mix) every week and it grows back thick and green.

Will frequent cutting (every 30ish days - as an example) destroy and otherwise good stand of orchard grass?

Thanks,

Bill


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Most fields hereabouts are a mix of o grass and forage fescue. The large dairies start cutting in late May. They cut every 28 days thereafter until October. Takes a lot of manure and they usually spin on 120 lbs of nitrogen a couple times per year.


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## Trotwood2955 (Sep 4, 2012)

If you have perfect moisture and weather conditions you can potentially cut it every 30-45+ days. But 45+/- is probably a more realistic goal here. And that is with good moisture and also putting some N on after each cutting. You also want to get the last cutting off before it get's too late in the year just so there is some regrowth going into winter. Last year we did 3 cuttings on most of the OG but only because we had above average moisture. 2 cuttings per years is typically all we plan for though - usually end of May and then again late August/early September. Last year we cut end of May/first of June, early August and then late September. Most years you just wont have the moisture to do that though and make the cutting worthwhile.


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## Nate926 (Apr 6, 2014)

Vol has talked about using pastora on orchard grass to get a clean field. Maybe he will chime in, but this might be an option for you. That's kinda been my plan if I start to get a lot of native grass in my orchard grass stand.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Native grass seeds and weed seeds can lay dominate for years in my area. You would need an annual 'clean up' program and still would have some that would start growing with the right conditions. I still get a volunteer weed, like velvet leaf (and others, I do not recognize anymore, after 25+ years of no row crops and no-tilling alfalfa only seeding.

I don't even plant OG and after the second season, it looks like I did plant it with alfalfa. The OG that grows in my field's matures fairly early, hence some the seeds are ripe, if you don't get the alfalfa, cut by 10% bloom.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Nate926 said:


> Vol has talked about using pastora on orchard grass to get a clean field. Maybe he will chime in, but this might be an option for you. That's kinda been my plan if I start to get a lot of native grass in my orchard grass stand.


I would only consider Pastora to remove noxious aggressive grasses such as Quack grass. Pastora will set your Orchard grass back but it will recover. I would not use Pastora over once a year or maybe slighly less.

Regards, Mike


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Bill, I have the same problem, annual blue grass and little barley in my og. Hate it and it really cuts yields. I am beginning to think that nuking after first cutting, planting a teff crop, nuking again after one cutting and coming back in Aug or the first of Sept with new seeding of OG is the way to go. That way there is no residual to worry about impacting germination. If the seeding takes well, you can use something like pasture guard or grazon next in Oct to clean up the winter annuals and over seed if needed in March. Should set you up with a nice forage stand for multiple years.

With adequate rain and early first cutting, (i mean first 10 days of may) I have gotten 4 cuttings. if you look at the forage yield plots on og varieties, they tend to collect 5-6 times a year which is how they get that amazing yield and fabulous nutrient returns. But, you can't make dry hay in va like that.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

If you are troubled with annual Blue Grass and Little Barley it is critical to do a fall seeding and at least 20 pounds of Orchard grass per acre....and if you can afford 25 pounds of seed per acre it is better. Fall seeding will get ahead of the BG and the LB and if it is a very dense stand you will not be troubled with either. Many of the newer varieties hardly clump at all with age compared with Potomac and some of the others.

Regards, Mike


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## Tater Salad (Jan 31, 2016)

I totally agree with VOL ,and here's a little extra.....I had a lot of pleasure horse owners requesting heavy orchard hay instead of my standard alfalfa/orchard mix.....I planted (after a roundup burndown)35 acres of OG @25lb /acre...(did that rate figuring I'd save herbicide/application costs)..It suffocated and squeezed every weed and grass that had even a notion of germinating out. Cost me a penny AND had to do some Nitro spraying , But WOW !.....But that was 1, 35 acre field and the stars could have aligned......Lot more smarter guys than me on here , but food for thought....Tater


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Vol said:


> If you are troubled with annual Blue Grass and Little Barley it is critical to do a fall seeding and at least 20 pounds of Orchard grass per acre....and if you can afford 25 pounds of seed per acre it is better. Fall seeding will get ahead of the BG and the LB and if it is a very dense stand you will not be troubled with either. Many of the newer varieties hardly clump at all with age compared with Potomac and some of the others.
> 
> Regards, Mike


Mike, totally agree. my go to seeding rate is now 25# or 15# double seeded. Most of my fields don't lend themselves to cross planting that well but that gives the best results from what I have seen. I am done with overseeding without burning with ru first. I have wasted a lot of money with trying to thicken stands with heavy overseeding. Just seems to me like the new stand is so much better in year 2 than the overseeded old stand in year two and the difference in cost is a spray job. pretty cheap leverage to me. I haven't used potomac or benchmark og here in 8 years, just too early and too stemy by the time you can cure it. rick


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I will also add one very, very important thing for the Mid-South and lower regions.....if you no-till for a "new stand" you will have weed and grass pressure. It is better here to do shallow tillage and broadcast type seeding(Brillion etc.) and get a consistent densely planted stand.

No-till is great for adding to a existing stand when it begins to weaken or when you want to add alfalfa or timothy to a orchard grass stand....here in the Mid-South.

Regards, Mike


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