Post by Tim in NY on Jul 20, 2010 21:35:35 GMT -5
So we started growing vegetables for market this year. We plowed up more area than I ended up planting this spring. I seeded it to a cover crop of Sorghum Sudangrass (sudex). I had hoped to get just plain Sudangrass as that is what I have used before but my local seed and feed just had the Sudex.
I planted it early June and it came up gangbusters like usual. Then it got up to about 36 inches and I noticed it starting to lodge after this monster thunderstorm we had, really pounding rain probably just knocked it down. So I realize I need to cut it or it will all lodge over. So I look at the forecast and they are calling for like a week and a half of hot and dry.
So I said what the heck, try and make some hay with this stuff. So I cut it with the scythe and windrowed it. I'd go out every day and flip the windrows.
The problem with making hay with this Sudex is some of the stalks are really huge and take forever to dry. After about a week on the ground the leaves were all totally dry and were starting to look a bit bleached but the big stalks were just barely starting to get limp. I wasn't sure it would work but I ended up throwing it all up into the barn in the haymow and spreading it out evenly. I've been up a few times to fluff it up. The big stalks are definitely almost dry now, all wrinkled and floppy. I am really excited about this as it is a huge amount of free hay, and they cows LOVE it. They stand at the wall where the hay drop is from the mow and stretch for the few leaves that dangle down. Its been about 3 weeks since I cut it and the regrowth is about 18 inches tall. If the weather cooperates I might get another cutting. The regrowth is definitely smaller stemmed so I assume it will dry a little faster. I think straight sudangrass is a better grow for this purpose as it is finer stemmed than the Sudex.
I planted it early June and it came up gangbusters like usual. Then it got up to about 36 inches and I noticed it starting to lodge after this monster thunderstorm we had, really pounding rain probably just knocked it down. So I realize I need to cut it or it will all lodge over. So I look at the forecast and they are calling for like a week and a half of hot and dry.
So I said what the heck, try and make some hay with this stuff. So I cut it with the scythe and windrowed it. I'd go out every day and flip the windrows.
The problem with making hay with this Sudex is some of the stalks are really huge and take forever to dry. After about a week on the ground the leaves were all totally dry and were starting to look a bit bleached but the big stalks were just barely starting to get limp. I wasn't sure it would work but I ended up throwing it all up into the barn in the haymow and spreading it out evenly. I've been up a few times to fluff it up. The big stalks are definitely almost dry now, all wrinkled and floppy. I am really excited about this as it is a huge amount of free hay, and they cows LOVE it. They stand at the wall where the hay drop is from the mow and stretch for the few leaves that dangle down. Its been about 3 weeks since I cut it and the regrowth is about 18 inches tall. If the weather cooperates I might get another cutting. The regrowth is definitely smaller stemmed so I assume it will dry a little faster. I think straight sudangrass is a better grow for this purpose as it is finer stemmed than the Sudex.
