# JIGGS



## Kristen (Jan 1, 2018)

Hi all! New member here and looking for advice.

I currently grow Tift 85 for horses and cattle. I have heard good things about the Jiggs grass and I have a sprig supplier found. I need any and all relevant bits of advice about this grass before I pull the trigger and plant some. I have sandy loam dryland in southwest Georgia, USA. Thank you!


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Welcome to Haytalk Kristen! I'm sure someone will be able to give you some advice and opinions on the Jiggs Bermuda......think some of the Texas boys on here grow it.

Hayden


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Welcome to haytalk.....some Jiggs grown south of you, not many that I know of personally. Alicia and the Tift grasses are the most common for sure. That T85 is a real performer but like all of 'em, it's addicted to Nitrogen. It's probably the hardest to manage of all the Bermuda grasses but it will really out yield them all.....
Good luck, heard good things about the jiggs but can't give you first hand knowledge....once again, welcome to haytalk


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## dubltrubl (Jul 19, 2010)

We grow Alicia, Common, and Jiggs. Compared to the others, Jiggs has a larger stem and will get course much like T85 if it gets too mature. The stand we have seems to be more prolific on the tighter ground although most of the field is considered loam. Like all bermudas, it loves fertilizer but it will outgrow our other varieties in wet years, so our observations have been that its more tolerant of water and loves wet ground. Dry years the other varieties will out produce it if all other factors are equal. Our Jiggs produces a wonderful leaf to stem ratio if we don't let it go past 28-30 days between cutting. I like it at about 14-16" tall at harvest. We have some horse customers that love it like that, their horses never told me if they like or not, but they appear to consume it well based on what we send them,, . It does well in round bales too. I've had some that I fed to our cows that has been in a bale all winter. Fed it out and the what was left behind by the cows sprigged itself the following spring. Common will intrude on the field at times, especially in a dry year. If the common starts to bother me, I knock It back by spot spraying it with round-up early to mid season in front of fertilizing. The Jiggs sends out runners purty quick and reclaims the spot the common occupied. Overall, I like it. The field we planted it in had many attempts made to grow other crops on it.(soybeans, milo, corn, rice, even wheat) The field has a purty good slope to it for this area. None of them were successful. after a lot of work and fertility, we were able to make the field productive and attractive and it has turned into one of our best little fields. Best of luck!

Steve


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## nhbaler282 (Oct 5, 2009)

*I agree with what haymaster said it is a very good grass very aggressive and easier to establish the horse people like it unless you let it go too long before cutting it just like any other bermuda grass. I sell sprigs here in east texas and the jiggs is about all we sell the people see their neighbors with it and watch it grow and then they want some of it. If you do plant it plan on that field being just bermuda grass because it is hard to kill like for row crops. Like Haymaster said it does like fertilizer and it competes well with weeds and it will grow in low areas where other bermuda grass will drown,you want go wrong with jiggs*


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## 506 (Mar 22, 2016)

Kristen - I grow Jiggs for horses in more of a gumbo/black dirt soil. I suggest that you do some research into the viability of Jiggs in sandy loam soils. I seem to recall that Jiggs doesn't like that soil type.

If you sprig Jiggs:

1. I agree with dubltrubl regarding the cut interval. My square baled Jiggs that is cut on a 30 day interval has a greater leaf to stem ratio than the hay that is cut on longer intervals.

2. Be prepared to spray for weeks once your sprigs get planted. The weeds are going to come up first. Get ahead of the weeds as quickly as you can. This will lessen the work you have to do after your Jiggs emerges.

3. If possible, roll your field after sprigging to push the furrows from the planter smooth. My fields didn't get rolled. My fields are smooth when I run with the furrows. They are not smooth when running across the furrows. It makes a noticeable difference when I'm mowing.


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