Rain, Timing, Hay and Quality Of It.

Maybe I should go back to bed. I've been thinking again.....

Last year it seemed like it rained around here from Memorial Day weekend to the middle of July. We were lucky and got our first cut in before the rains started. I'd say 95% of everyone else around me was making their first cut July 15ish. I figured the hay was a disaster. On this forum and other ones, pretty sure I read posts regarding other folks who had to wait it out into July too. I was sure everyone's hay was overripe straw and about as bad as it gets for grass hay.

However.....

Several reported that all was not lost. While the stems were essentially straw and had gone to seed, in the aftermath, while the rain continued, leaves continued growing and the hay turned out pretty good. Sort of like a second cutting, except with stems.

Question: From a nutrient stand point, is second cutting hay higher in nutrients than first cutting grass hay? We are told to cut early to maximize nutrients, but second cuts are - well, way past prime, yet most desired.

Reason I ask is - timothy. Timothy is generally a one cut hay. You cut the stuff, it goes dormant, weeds get a lot of sun from the cleared field and take over. Stand life is shortened from early cutting too.

What if.....

You made your first and only cut for timothy in September? Yes, the stems have turned to straw, but the leaves are there - just like a second cutting. The density of the stand remains through the summer dormancy and helps smother weeds, herbicide can be applied to deal with broad leaf weeds that come up. Perhaps during the summer, there is some growth, but as September weather comes, dormancy goes away and there is additional leaf growth. The timothy has gone to seed, giving some opportunity to reseed itself. You cut the hay in September, full summer yield and very leafy, in-spite of the stems. The field is essentially cleaned off for the year, you lime and fertilize, hit the field a bit later for winter annuals and wait for next year to come.

In as much as timothy is pretty much a one cut hay, what is the downside to this?

Maybe I will go back to bed.....

Thanks!
Bill

Rain, Timing, Hay and Quality Of It.