4th cutting

[M5farms]

Just finished 4th cutting of my 20 acres tifton 85 . averaged 11.89 bales to acre this year. Considering 2 yrs ago it made 39 rolls all yr (I bought it last year.) I made around 100 rolls last yr but after first 2 cuttings this yr I started working on eliminating the Bahia grass in it and this cut there was not one sprig of Bahia . I will sell this cutting as I have all my cow hay put up. Should get my fertilizer money from this yr back on this one.

 

[joeu235]

3 bales an acre is a really good cutting.:thumbsup:

 

[Tx Jim]

By stating 11.89 bales per acre is that per cutting or for all 4 cuttings added together? What size/weight are your bales?

 

[Texasmark]

By stating 11.89 bales per acre is that per cutting or for all 4 cuttings added together? What size/weight are your bales?

Joining you in the curiosity on this one.

 

[smstonypoint]

And I am curious as to how you got rid of the Bahia.

Steve

 

[M5farms]

4x5 bales 900# avg . manor herbicide cheap a effective . i cut 3rd cutting waited 1 week sprayed the fields with manor waited 1 more week then applied fertilizer. Very little chlorosis on the Bermuda. Alot of folks are using roundup to kill Bahia in Bermuda . cut and bale your fields on 4th day spray 12oz per acre roundup the Bermuda is still dormant about 5 or 6 days after cutting. I will use this method this winter . we usasally get a warm-up avfewvweeks a yr and the Bahia will green up so I will spray at these times then use manor during the growing season.

 

[M5farms]

By stating 11.89 bales per acre is that per cutting or for all 4 cuttings added together? What size/weight are your bales?

this was season avg. The second Cut was the best I was a grunt over 4 bales to the acre. My baler is a NH br7060. I build the biggest bale it will make and run the pressure around 1900 psi. I don't sell a lot of hay cause I usually don't have any to spare but this year is an exception.

 

[joeu235]

Pastora will eliminate Bahia

 

[Texasmark]

What's the beef with Bahia? I'm trying to get it established in hard to grow poor soil. Took a trip out west a few years ago and it was growing everywhere; side of the road, ditches, unimproved pastures. Have neighbors that use it as their only horse hay source. Why can't B and B co-exist?

 

[Tx Jim]

From my personal observation if Bahia is left uncontrolled in a field of Coastal Bermuda for a long enough number of yrs you will have a very small % of Bermuda because the Bahia will choke it out. I dislike Bahia because once it's cut it will turn darker in the bale than Coastal PLUS on the fields I've baled I think Bahia will not produce the same tonnage per acre as Coastal Bermuda.

 

[M5farms]

I love Bahia but not in my Bermuda . I have way more Bahia in pastures than Bermuda and will strive to keep it that way . Its greens early cows will eat it first makes good hay but like Txjim says it is a nuisance in Bermuda if your trying to produce a consistent product. the horse folks here want a Bahia free roll and if I can produce that and have extra I can offset my production cost sooner and with less hay. You will also never get the Protein in Bahia that you can from Bermuda, And even though its a bermuda is shorter growing window it will produce more tonnage in shorter time . Bermuda is optimal if cut every 28 to 30 days

 

[Texasmark]

From my personal observation if Bahia is left uncontrolled in a field of Coastal Bermuda for a long enough number of yrs you will have a very small % of Bermuda because the Bahia will choke it out. I dislike Bahia because once it's cut it will turn darker in the bale than Coastal PLUS on the fields I've baled I think Bahia will not produce the same tonnage per acre as Coastal Bermuda.

"....darker in the bale...." meaning it turns brown and doesn't maintain the "green" that horse nuts think their horses need...chlorophyll....necessary for plant growth reactions with the sun; but bleached out by the sun once the plant is dead and serves no useful purpose in terms of nutrition?

Does it maintain that fresh hay smell even if it looses some of the green?

On volume, I have a small patch that has developed on it's own, on the edge of a bar-ditch and is very thick. The leafy part is in no way a comparison for Coastal; totally agree on that. However, that patch has never been fed so I don't know what the leaf parts of the plant would do under the nutritional attention I pay to my Coastal patch. I guess I'll find out when it over takes me and gets fed.

Thanks for the comments, Jim.

 

[M5farms]

good luck with the sales. and please share how you get rid of-of Bahia? thankyou

What I did on Bahia is on page one , manor herbicide , I sold all the extra hay I had this year without any issues. The pnut hay crop was hindered with untimely rain so folks started scrambling for grass hay.