Thank You Sir for the info. Good luck with your grass.

 

I paid $235 for a 25 lb. bag of seed. I am planting at 10 lb. per acre. I believe that comes out to just under $100 per acre for seed. I was told 10 lb. per acre would be ample. Some said 7 lb. per acre would be adequate.

Hulled seed are supposed to have two million seeds per pound (1.5 million with unhulled). At 10 lb. per acre I should be putting out 20 million seeds per acre.

I will be dropping the seeds with a drill on a prepared seed bed, then cultipacking. I was advised to plant no deeper than 1/8 inch. This is why I am not actually drilling into the soil. Just too much room for error.

With the seed drill I can use the small seed attachment to monitor the seeding rate. As expensive as the seeds are and as tiny as they are I did not want to risk broadcasting.

I have knows people who mixed the seed with dry sand and broadcast it that way. Have known of the seed to be mixed with fertilizer and spread. Both the sand or fertilized will help carry the seed farther.

 

Hope no one minds that I'm bumping an old'ish thread.

Tim/South,

I saw where you stated Cheyenne II would cost $100 / ac. Do you mind sharing your planned seed rate and how you'll be seeding it? I'm about to plant this as well and I'm looking at ~$150 / ac seed cost. Buying seed for $255 / 25 lb and seeding at 15 lb / ac. Did I pay too much for the seed?

Thanks!

 

We struggle to keep ph above 6.....tough when applying that much N

It is only since grazing that we have been able to sustain 6.0 or better. Could not make it happen when cutting 4 times a year. The soil tests would always call for at least 1,000 lb. of lime per acre. We would put a ton, may as well since we were going over the ground any way.

The next year the test would call for another 1,000 lb. of lime. Never quite figured that one out.

I bring most of the cows home to winter. I believe all the hay they are converting has helped replenish what we have removed all those years.

 

We struggle to keep ph above 6.....tough when applying that much N

 

My Alicia Bermuda here at home is in good shape. The soil test reccomendation was only 100 lbs. of nitrogen per acre. PH is 6.2 here but has not always been that way. Allowing the cattle to graze has really helped. There was a time when we applied lime at a ton per acre every year. Nitrogen was 4 or 5 hundred per acre. We cut it for horse hay square bales then.

The new bermuda will be on a new leased field. It needed some help, been abused. I need to pull another solid sample. Applied 2 tons per acre of basic slag last spring. Hopefully the new tests will show some improvement.

 

They just need to GM it so as not have an addiction to "N"......what's the recommendation on your land Tim, prolly same as here or thereabouts......300-400pa here in our sand dunes

 

And here is a pic of one of my T85 fields.....

Mouth watering bermuda you have there.

Your T85 will produce up to 20% more hay then what I am about to plant.

 

And here is a pic of one of my T85 fields.....

 

Bermuda is the most desired hay down south.

Here is a borrowed picture of a comanche 2 bermuda field

 

Well, one of these days you far southern boys are going to have to give us mid atlantic boys an education on Bermuda, Bahia and whatever else y'all raise down there. I wouldn't know it if I saw it but find it very interesting and watching this thread. Mike

 

Once established the Cheyenne 2 will last as long as other bermuda grasses. It will need fertilizer the same as other varieties to keep the stand strong. "Moody"grass loves nitrogen.

 

Didn't realize the Cheyenne 2 was a perennial.....that's more tolerable, how long do stands persist?
Maybe get ya a acre or two (somethng you can do by hand) of T85 going and then you can sprig it out later, idk I just know you'd love it, nothing better for the cattleman.....as far as Baha'i goes, I like the Tift9, don't have any of it but have a friend that has about 25 acres he grazes it haying occasionally.....decent yield, doesn't seem as tough as pensacola but dries the same.....

 

The Cheyenne 2 is perennial. From what I have read it it the best producing seeded variety I can buy for the southeast.

I have been searching religiously for someone who would sprig T85. Is just not in the cards. I tried to rent a sprigging machine and do it myself. Just can't get any of the pieces to fall into place.

I should get a cutting from the Cheyenne this year. Was advised not to use a wheel rake the first year in fear if pulling up the runners before they are well attached. Looks like I will grease up the old roll bar side delivery for one cutting.

I ordered the Tifton9 bahia this morning to over seed 17 acres already in Bahia.

Spring is just around the corner and we will all be out in the hay fields before you know it.

 

Wow! $100 an acre! And has to be planted every year? Just travel to get the T85, I know it can be found close enuf to you....or does no one have a Bermuda King.......what about the feller that has it close, have you networked with him? That Cheyenne makes some good grass, heavy yields, but I'm not sure I could stand it if it was not a perennial.....

 

It looks like T85 is not going to happen. It seems no one sprigs much anymore. Found one man who sprigs Russell Bermuda, which seems to be a good variety. Extension agents from 2 counties have been trying to help.

I have decided to plant a seeded variety, Cheyenne2. Seed is going to cost around $100 per acre. Projected yield is 7.5 - 8 tons per acre. Cheyenne2 does not seem to revert back to common bermuda like some of the other seeded varieties might. It is also fairly cold tolerant, growing as far north as Tennessee and lower Kentucky.

 

Ya, it might be a lil north but if that guy hasn't had any problems then I would plant it.....with the amount of yield you'll get out of it, you may want to 1) get more cattle or 2) sell to horsey folk. (Can't make a dollar on the cattleman) CP on well fert Alicia will be in the 10-14 range......CP on T85 will be 13-18 and did I mention 8-10tpa.......hard to beat it

 

Tim do you have horsey customers anymore? I was thinking you fed it all?

We no longer square bale. The focus now days is on producing for ourselves. I still get calls from people wanting the Alicia for horses. My mindset evolved and I like my cows more than other peoples horses, thus we make the best hay we can and take care of our own needs first.

I baled 100 more acres this past year and made 65 less rolls than the year before. No rain. I hope to make enough hay this coming year to be able to sell some. Will get mine in the barn first.

I talked to the local who has the Tifton 85. He said I would be running a higher risk with planting the 85. We are a little north of the ideal growing zone. His has done well just up the road.

 

If I were you, knowing your feed requirements, without a doubt plant Tift 85.........I'll reiterate, without a doubt plant T-85. Use your Alicia fields for horsey customers to make make a measly income, but feed up the T85......you'll be money ahead by a long shot!

Tim do you have horsey customers anymore? I was thinking you fed it all?

 

Our extension agent sent me some pictures of a Bahia field he planted. Had step by step labels on the process and what to expect. He said not to expect any hay this year.
I am checking on prices to sprig. I do have this field long term and hope after all this I can get it even longer.
I may weigh the costs between sprigging and planting common Bermuda. I really like our Alicia so I will go with a hybrid if I can.
Would love to get some Tifton 85 going. There is only one stand around here and it is unbelievable.

If I were you, knowing your feed requirements, without a doubt plant Tift 85.........I'll reiterate, without a doubt plant T-85. Use your Alicia fields for horsey customers to make make a measly income, but feed up the T85......you'll be money ahead by a long shot!

 

If you are selling the hay. I would sprig Bermuda. There is always a demand for good bermuda. I have a few acres of Baha'i that I'm thinking of burning down to sprig in bermuda.

 

Our extension agent sent me some pictures of a Bahia field he planted. Had step by step labels on the process and what to expect. He said not to expect any hay this year.

I am checking on prices to sprig. I do have this field long term and hope after all this I can get it even longer.

I may weigh the costs between sprigging and planting common Bermuda. I really like our Alicia so I will go with a hybrid if I can.

Would love to get some Tifton 85 going. There is only one stand around here and it is unbelievable.

 

That's about the same cost as it is here, $150-200 per acre.....

I understand the delimma you face Tim, if it was a long term lease, I believe I would do sprigs to take advantage of the moist soil of spring.....my thoughts

 

Around here root sprigging will run from $150-$200/ac with the sprigger supplying the sprigs. If using tops, it runs around $100/ac with them supplying the fresh cut tops. I've seen variations where the field owner supplies his own tops or supplies some of his own equipment and that runs the cost down to around $75/ac. Most of the conventional sprigging is finished by the end of March around here but tops will still be planted into July. Most guys get a cutting off in 8-10 weeks depending on water and fertilizer. Personally, if I wasn't sure I'd have it for more than 5 yrs., I'd plant a seeded Bermuda. I'm kinda fond of regular common Bermuda for a lot of reasons and it's pretty forgiving in how you go about planting it. Pretty cheap too. Regardless of seeded variety, you'd probably get a cutting in 3 months if rain and such is in your favor.

Best of luck!

Regards,

Steve

 

If you could burn the sage grass field prior to discing would be the best thing to do. I bale a few Bahia meadows for some people and it makes some nice hay but it is tough on mower blades.