It is one of the most productive cool-season grasses, tolerant to shade, fairly drought resistant with moderate winter hardiness. Many horse owners prefer a mix of legume and grass hays as an ideal forage for their horses. Cold winters, cool summers and high humidity create challenging conditions for many plants, including lawn grasses. Orchard grass is also one of the higher sugar hays. Here in TN the grass of choice for grazing is fescue. Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) is a common weed on lawns, turf and golf courses, having spread from Europe around the world. Furthermore, I've also been told by UGA turf … It grows well in full sunlight and is more tolerant of heat, drought and shade than is Kentucky bluegrass. Each type of hay falls into one of two categories: legumes and grasses. 20% Orchardgrass • 20% Perennial Ryegrass • 15% Chicory • 15% Birdsfoot Trefoil • 10% Cicer Milkvetch • 10% Red Clover • 10% Alfalfa Another mix option is: 24% KY-31 Tall Fescue 14% Annual Rye Grass 15% Red Clover 14% Perennial Ryegrass 13% Orchardgrass 5% … ORCHARD GRASS HAY: Orchard grass hay is the king when it comes to higher fiber with less protein. Orchard Grass is a highly palatable grass with a high nutrient content. For quantities over 500 lbs. Orchardgrass & Tall Fescue. The leaves vary from green to bluish green depending on the maturity of the plant. The sheath is split with overlapping margins. Persist Orchardgrass . Why Mix Grasses with Legumes More rapid hay drying Higher yield potential Less weed encroachment Insurance against legume winterkill Helps to fill in areas of field … When we graze timothy (I've never grazed a strait stand of timothy its always been in with something else) even under good management it tends to get grazed out and has to be reseeded. Several varieties of orchardgrass have been tested and were high-yielding in Pennsylvania variety trials. K. kappa915 LawnSite Member. After a 10-year study, researchers in Virginia found that while animals gained more weight grazing on orchardgrass, they grained more per acre grazing on tall fescue. Hay hay and more hay. Tall fescue lawns are overseeded in the fall to prevent them from developing thin, unsightly clumps in hot, dry summer weather. Timothy is about the best "single" hay, in that it's higher in fiber, has a bit less sugar. In spring 2003, hay was harvested from each … TV, Rockwood, TN "Suckling kids performed well when fed only on these two forage species (Persist and MaxQ) under controlled … It's one of the higher sugar hays, but is better than fescue. Properly managed orchardgrass plants will have a higher leaf-to-stem ratio than tall fescue. All Rights Reserved. Orchardgrass is one of the most productive cool-season grasses, tolerant to shade, fairly drought resistant with moderate winter hardiness. Orchard grass is a clump grass, which permits pheasant chicks to easily walk through it. It grows well in full sunlight and is more tolerant of heat, drought and shade than is Kentucky bluegrass. Orchard grass is more heat tolerant than timothy pasture grass, but less than tall fescue. Commonly fed legume hays include alfalfa and clover, with most … E very forage producer knows that maturity is the most important factor in determining forage quality. This grass type is a cool-season grass—it takes better to cooler weather. Approximately 400 bales left. After that no more than 1/3 of the height of the grass should be cut at one time. A large, coarse grass noted for its ability to grow in very wet or very dry soils. From a nutritional angle, orchardgrass can be a worthwhile component in almost any horse-feeding … 10.00 … The sugar content of feeds and hay is evaluated based on the starch and ethanol soluble … In fact, at N rates which would more commonly be applied, the N:S … A sod-forming grass that has narrow, bristle-like dark green leaves. A high-quality grass, it will provide excellent feed for most classes of livestock. For horses that are stalled, or for horses that do not have abundant pasture, stored forage in the form of hay is the primary source of forage. Orchard grass is good under hay, silage, … There aren't alot of grass options other than Rye and Orchard grass. 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Inches of water are required to keep bluegrass growing and green during hot months...