I’m looking at some hay that’s said to be second cut Timothy; not sure if it is from the dry belt in British Columbia, or in Washington State. It is nice hay of its kind, but is full of flower/seed heads and somewhat stalky. In my previous experience, second cut Timothy hay from this region does not tend to have flower/seed heads, because they don’t grown back in time for the second harvest in July or August. So am I correct in assuming that this is probably first cut hay, not second cut?
I realize that what matters is maturity of hay, not the month it was cut in, so my question perhaps is; could anyone in this region be getting a second cut that was this mature? I think it’s unlikely given the length of growing season, myself.
Yes, I know the general difference between first and second cut hay. My question is, could second cut timothy plausibly be full of seeds heads, or is this particular bunch of hay being misrepresented?
Sure. It is possible for a 2nd cutting to get cut after it has gone to seed. Maybe the fields were too wet to get a cutting before it formed seed heads…or, it may even have been the farmer’s plan not to cut it until it has seed heads.
That’s a good question for the hay supplier - how do you decide when to cut? In my area, it’s very weather dependent. Everyone around here knows when it’s going to be a “bad” hay year or a good one.
I’ve never seen second cut with a lot of seed heads. But I don’t see it that much. My horses think it’s crack cocaine, so I don’t buy it. But I suppose if it was cut later it won’t be as tasty.
No a second cutting of Timothy or Orchard will not have any seed heads/stalks. UNLESS the first cutting was done very early in the season as the grass was developing the seed stalks and before going to the “boot” stage. But it is very rare in just about all the major Timothy/Orchard producing ares that hay can be baled in early, mid or even late May. The sun is not “hot enough” for quick dry down and the dry weather windows tend to be short lived.
If the first cutting is done at this stage Timothy much more so than Orchard will struggle to “reseed” itself. But the amount of seed stalks, the size and “quality” will be fraction of what is found in a “normal” first cutting.
The age of a 1st cutting Timothy is easy to determine by the size/lengthy of the seed head/cone. The larger/longer the seed cone the latter it was cut. A very mature 1st cutting can have seed cones several inches long. It will be A LOT more stalky and have a fair amount of “brown leaf” die back leaf in the bale.
Orchard has small multiple “clusters” on the stalk. In an early 1st cutting the seed head clusters will be a bit smaller and “tighter”. As the plant matures the clusters get a bit bigger and more fluffy. The seeds tend to fall out pretty easily when shaken, manipulated with a very mature 1st cutting.
It would be very difficult for the average hay user to tell the difference between a second cutting of Timothy or Orchard. The hay field of both just looks like long grass after growing back from the 1st cutting. The only discernible is the width of the leaf. Timothy tends to be a bit wider/larger. The same in a 1st cutting.
The above is based on many years of growing and baling both in my neck of the Mid-Atlantic woods.Where both Timothy and Orchard was cultivated and grows best. Timothy grows, thrives better in northern Pa up through NY and New England. Orchard is more predominant in the southern mid-Atlantic with its heat and high humidity. Timothy is can get blighted in these conditions and the whole stand can be lost. It does well when mixed with Orchard. At least that has been my experience.
It is grown in other parts of the country. Orchard more than Timothy. But it does struggle south of Md and other parts where it is more hot, humid, arid and soil conditions. From what I have seen and been told by producers, they get a good first cutting but a weak second cutting. Rarely if ever a third.
There maybe a variety of Timothy that has been cultivated to be grown in areas that are not “natural” to the species that regrows seed heads in a second cutting. But none that I have seen/heard of. Not that I am an expert on hay grown in other parts of the county.
OK I will retract my opinion based on Gumtree’s expertise. I didn’t realize that it couldn’t go to seed again unless the 1st cut was before the boot stage - I thought that it could go to seed again, if given enough time (deliberately or accidentally.)
Thanks Gumtree! That is what I thought I knew. Up here in the NW, typically first cutting of everything is after boot stage, in May, and second cut would be July or August: first cut gets a long growing season, second cut a short one. Other batches of second cut Timothy I bought, had no seed heads at all, and were very leafy and green.
It could if it was cut really late. The hay would still be finer stemmed than a traditional first cut, but the wildflowers and such would have time to get some growth and make it in the bales.
The barn here bush hogs some of their fields for pasture, and any timothy in the field that was bush hogged will throw up seed heads later in the season. Around here second cutting in general looks grassier, any flowers and such are weeds
