# Hay planting



## Flacer22 (Oct 31, 2009)

Late last year i got into the hay bussiness always wanted to try and do it but lack of funds prvented me from buying equitement. Well i caught a brake and jumped in head first. but having only done the last cutting last year it has become evident that my equitement is now way to good for the quality of hay i have!

Long story short ive got about 25 acres of my own land to work with downside is its all the land that farmer renting our land does not want for corn and beans. Its very hilly and steep in some places and all pasture that has not been messed with besides the local small farmers baleing it maybe one cutting a year sometimes not even that. Been working with local soil and water and farmers co op. So far ive established tilling it any way is pretty much not an option aside from one small patch thats level i can till (maybe 3 acres)

So the plan right now is to spray everything with 24d or crossbow couple of patches are currently very weedy and somewhat wet i plan to just drill in stright timithy into these as that way ive got the option of additinal weed treatment if im unable to get them all out the first pass. the 3 acres im able to till im going to fertilize and rent a 3 point rototiller and work it all up after ive sprayed with a non residuale round up to completly kill. once worked up plan to drill in pure alfalfa into this as some of last years custemers requested some pure alfafa. The rest i plan to spray as weeds in the remaing are not horrible and drill in a mixture of alafalfa and medium red clover. All the patchs now are pretty well established with orchard grass so no need to plant any more grass in but with out tilling im hoping just drilling right into the grass after spray my alfalfa will get a good hold into the grass. Per recomendations from last year i did soil samples on all the patchs (or a good part of them) and spead fertilizer on them per co ops recomendations just now so it should be well into the soil by time i plant. Ph was fine in all places right at 6.5-6.8. All of this is going to be drilled in with a drill rented from local soil and water department.

So that said am i missing anything am i going majorly wrong anywhere here any tips to try and make this work better? Having picked up my little pallet of seeds yesterday and the sudden realization i just spent a boat load of money on a pile of what looks like dust that bearly is visable over the bed of my truck im worried im somehow going to mess this all up!! At the same time the other 225 acres of good tilliable land that myself my brother and mom are renting out is painfully close and id like to make this work so maybe someday soon i can be farming it as well instead of just renting it out. Farming seemed to skip a genaration in my family and all the knowlage is gone along with my grandpa but ive still got the land haha!

Thanks in advance.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Welcome to Haytalk. It would help if you put your location in your profile so you can get better suggestions. Just as a starter though, I'm not big fan of rototillers. You are going to spend a lot of time on the tractor with limited benefits. If you are determined to dig it up, can you rent/borrow a disc instead?


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Welcome flacer......


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Is this the plan for spring or fall? You're not going to find many advocates of spring seeding timothy on haytalk.


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## Flacer22 (Oct 31, 2009)

I'm in central ohio.

I didn't want to rotottill it but I've been unable to find anyone close to get any other type of tillage tool called all the local farmers either don't have anything unwilling to rent it or let me borrow or some is just way to big for my needs. So was kinda last option.

Was planning on a spring planting for everything as in next 3 weeks


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Alfalfa will do fine for a spring seeding but timothy not so much......I would suggest you keep your timothy seed in the bag until fall as their is probably a good chance if you plant it this spring it won't make it through the summer and you will be replanting this fall anyway. If you need to plant a grass this spring I would look into orchard grass.....it will have a much better chance getting a stand with spring seeding than timothy would. I would also make sure you have the weed situation under control before planting the expensive seed.....it is much easier to control broadleaf weeds before planting alfalfa than it is later on.


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## Flacer22 (Oct 31, 2009)

Well thats very good info to know as no one local has mentined that to me at all about timithy in the spring.

I dont need to plant anything other than the one field im planing to go to pure alfalfa its worthless right now with little grass even in it. The rest of my land is about 2/3 decent stand of orchard grass red clover with some spots and places with bad weeds but overall decent enough to make and sell just not wonderful. other 1/3 is weedy all though out but has alot of orchard grass in it this was places i planned to put timithy also wet in places.

I could just hold off and plant everything besides the one field this fall if it really will be that big of an advantage. I held off last fall because i was unsure of what to do and overwhlemed. WIll holding the seeds till fall be a problem? Just hate to keep baleing weeds.

Also anouther question my seed guy told me to plant pure alfalfa with oats so ive got oats as well. How does this work i plant the oats with the big seed bins and alfalfa in the small bins on planter? Then once i plant it then what? do i just mow them off like hay? or wait to combine them or i have no idea?


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Your seeds have plenty of shelf life to make it to autumn.

Yes, your oats can be made into hay. Or combined. Might depend on your weather at the time you'd need to mow them.


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## Flacer22 (Oct 31, 2009)

Has anyone had any experience planting alfalfa into an already established grass?

Plan was to hit everything with 24d then plant the clover and alfalfa into this in the next 2 weeks but some have said doing this is a waste of money as seeds I drill in won't grow with already established grass there? One farmer close says that's not case one says I'm throwing money away?

Also if I hit fields with 24d how effective is it right now? Will I get a good kill and clean grass spraying this time of year? And if I do is 10 days later to soon to drill into that field?


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Here some would kill it all with round up plant alfalfa and oat now add orchard grass in fall. This question will come up a lot on these posts . How much productive grass is there in this field .


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## MtnCreek (Apr 10, 2014)

Flacer22 said:


> ..........
> 
> Also if I hit fields with 24d how effective is it right now? Will I get a good kill and clean grass spraying this time of year? And if I do is 10 days later to soon to drill into that field?


Grazon (contains 24-D I believe) kills the ground for ~45 days in our clay soil here.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Flacer22 said:


> Has anyone had any experience planting alfalfa into an already established grass?
> 
> Plan was to hit everything with 24d then plant the clover and alfalfa into this in the next 2 weeks but some have said doing this is a waste of money as seeds I drill in won't grow with already established grass there? One farmer close says that's not case one says I'm throwing money away?
> 
> Also if I hit fields with 24d how effective is it right now? Will I get a good kill and clean grass spraying this time of year? And if I do is 10 days later to soon to drill into that field?


2,4D doesn't kill grass-- it kills broadleaf weeds...

Seedlings generally don't like competition from existing grasses or weeds... so I wonder how much success you'd have seeding into basically an existing field... maybe a burndown of glyphosate (RoundUp) would work, but probably kind of late for that to be done, have a chance to work, and then get the seeding done...

Later and good luck! OL JR


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

endrow said:


> Here some would kill it all with round up plant alfalfa and oat now add orchard grass in fall. This question will come up a lot on these posts . How much productive grass is there in this field .


 I think this might be the best option.


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## Flacer22 (Oct 31, 2009)

Hmm quite a bit of grass really enough that I could just make good grass hay but people buying my hay are pushing for more alfalfa in the hay.

I can plant right after spraying round up right?


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Flacer22 said:


> Hmm quite a bit of grass really enough that I could just make good grass hay but people buying my hay are pushing for more alfalfa in the hay.
> I can plant right after spraying round up right?


 Yes......but unless you will no till drill it the sod will need a couple weeks to die before you can work up the ground and not have too many clumps of dying grass to contend with.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Notill alfalfa planted 1week ago .with JD1590 drill


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## Flacer22 (Oct 31, 2009)

Well i m planting it this week hope it works lol!!


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