# Brown leaf on Timothy



## Chuck (Dec 14, 2014)

Does anyone know what causes brown leaf on Timothy ? How do i prevent this?


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## Jay in WA (Mar 21, 2015)

It's too thick. Plant less seed and or less nitrogen


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## Chuck (Dec 14, 2014)

How many pounds should I plant to the acre? How much nitrogen per acre? What kind of yields do you get per acre?


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## Jay in WA (Mar 21, 2015)

That's going to be a here vs there thing. Here I am irrigated and sell to the export market when I grow Timothy. I like 4 lbs of seed. Around 150 lbs of nitrogen. Expect around 4 1/2 tons of premium dairy quality. More fertilizer will make more tons but lower quality


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## Idaho Hay (Oct 14, 2016)

Jay in WA said:


> That's going to be a here vs there thing. Here I am irrigated and sell to the export market when I grow Timothy. I like 4 lbs of seed. Around 150 lbs of nitrogen. Expect around 4 1/2 tons of premium dairy quality. More fertilizer will make more tons but lower quality


4 1/2 tons with 2 cuttings?

I grow some non-irrigated timothy here in north Idaho, and experienced some brown leaf (at least I think that's what it was) for the first time. I fertilize 60 lbs of nitrogen for one cutting of 3 tons. When I planted it 3 years ago, I planted 8 lbs per acre, but with it being non-irrigated, I'll bet only 4 lbs of that germinated.

How exactly do you identify brown leaf?


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## Jay in WA (Mar 21, 2015)

No that's 1 cutting. I rotate our after 1st to something more profitable than 2nd cutting Timothy.

Brown leaf is dead brown leaves


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Jay in WA said:


> No that's 1 cutting. I rotate our after 1st to something more profitable than 2nd cutting Timothy.
> Brown leaf is dead brown leaves


So are you replanting Timothy every year as an annual? If so, when do you reseed?

4-1/2 tons in one cut is incredible. What size windrow are you raking and it must not overwhelm your baler. Squares or round bales. I'd like to hear more about your hay operation and equipment.

Thanks!
Bill


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## Jay in WA (Mar 21, 2015)

This is irrigated Timothy that is all sold in the export market. Fall plant and only take 1 cutting is the most common practice. The reason is 1st cutting is where the money is. Then rotate to sweet corn, grain corn, beans, or buckwheat. 3 tons would be a poor yield but high quality. 6 tons has been done but the quality is low. Horsechay is the highest priced. My goal was premium dairy. Lower price than horse but higher yields. Horse has to be 3 tie bales. Big bales are the same price as 3 tie in the dairy grades. Timothy can pay well but is high risk because a rain is very expensive.

I quit raising Timothy because it won't fit into my plan. Strictly alfalfa now and it's just for organic transition. Much more money in organic corn and vegetables than hay.


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## Chuck (Dec 14, 2014)

Ive been told to spray my Timothy fields with Tilt,,, its supposed to stop the brown leaf. Does anyone have any experience with this?


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## Jay in WA (Mar 21, 2015)

Tilt salesman tell you that? If it worked everyone would be using it here because Brown leaf is the fastest way to lower the price on export Timothy


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## Chuck (Dec 14, 2014)

Ive been hearing it from farmers,,, they said that it has a 3 week window


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## Chuck (Dec 14, 2014)

Jay,, Do you put Sulfar in your fertilizer? I was just told that Timothy doesn't like fertilizer with chlorides in it ?


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