Planting Bahia Grass Seed

Nancy and I have been working on "the bottom" for the past several weekends getting it ready.

Sprayed most of "the bottom" with RoundUp to kill the weeds, vines, bullrush, and other.

Came back with the spring-tooth harrow and disk to turn everything over/under.

We picked up several large clumps of grass and pulled up all the torn roots.

Came back with the tire drag to smooth things over.

When time to plant, Nancy hitched up "Mack" our 51MT to the Brillion Sure Stand Seeder/Cultipacker and started the seedbed.

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Cultipacking helps make good seed-to-soil contact.

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We bought 360 pounds of Bahia Tifton 9 to plant.

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This year "52" our 52A got the call to spread the seed with the Howse spreader.

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Spread 320 pounds of seed and kept 40 pounds back for some "thin" spots.

Hooked up "15" our 53 Model 70 and finished the cultipacking.

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We had two, good seperate rains during the week.

Now we wait.

Sorry no videos available; videos still on the camera and camera is at the farm.

Very nice!

James, do you have a pic of your tire drag?

I'm cleaning up and extending our yard and only relying on the box blade at the moment, and need an idea of how to get the ground worked down and level for planting.

I didn't hear anything about picking stones?!
Looks very nice. I sure would like to see that area someday. I'm so sick of snow, rain, and mud.
Why don't you use the Brillion to do the seeding?

James did you get any moisture out of the storms last week. We are under a major fire alert down here. It's 93 today and every thing's dry as a bone.

This is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5F7gWUL7T4">"15" our 53 Model 70 and tire drag</a> at the hay meadow a couple of years ago.

"15" is my choice because you can put him in 3rd, set back to "idle", and get it done.

Consists of 6 old, large truck tires with drilled holes connected by a 1/2 inch cable.

This tire drag is a least 40-50 years old.

Back tire has worn a 1ft hole in the one next to it.

Hope this helps.

Yes Sir, it helps allot! Thank you!

James
Why would you plant Bahia instead of Cheyenne Bermuda grass. I personally don't like Bahia because it will choke out Bermuda and the Bahia I've baled turns a grayish color in a bale. Thanks,Jim

Even though "the bottom" is between two small hills, there were not even a hand full of rocks.

The Brillion was bought strictly for a cultipacker.

Both the Cheyenne Coastal seed and this Bahia Tifton seed were just too small for the old seeder.

Once the Bahia grass "gets up", we'll post some before and after photos.

The grass in the background is about a foot tall.

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Our hay meadow is both Coastal Burmuda and Cheyenne Burmuda that we grow for Nancy's horses.

Nancy has killed out all the Bahia grass in the hay meadow over the last few years by spot spraying.

She makes me clean "Vernon" with the 350 mower and the hay rake to remove any Bahia seed before they work on the hay meadow.

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The rest of our fields are "native" Bahia grass.

Whatever we cut, rake, and bale is a byproduct from keeping our property clean.

Primarily the cost of Cheyenne Bermuda was much more expensive than the Bahia.

This field, "the bottom", will be baled as inexpensive cow hay for my community neighbors.

Since this area stays wet, we should get at least two cuttings this year that will cover the seed expense.

Yes, we got rain from the "bad" storm that went through late Sunday night/Monday morning the 11th.

Also got some rain last Thursday.

Walked down to "the bottom" yesterday to check and see if there was a washout.

All looked normal with no erosion form heavy rain.

No weather here in Dallas; just a lot of South wind.

Most of the "tire drags" I have seen around here are 20 inch truck tires, cut in half (around the tread, not across it), and the cut edge is much more agressive than just dragging a whole tire. Lots of guys use them as "pasture harrows"- do a great job of spreading the poop around, and digging up the sod a little.

I was clearing some brush near the hay meadow when I found this tire drag off in the woods.

Never thought I would have a use for it.

Nancy was using it to drag a field we call "the corner" where her horses graze.

Also found a long railroad rail with what appeared the be a 3pt hookup welded to it.

Looked too scary for me, but did move it to the equipment fence row.

James, what is the main differences in the native Bahia and the Bahia-Tifton? I know that the native Bahia is wiry and tough, hard on equipment. I would think it would lose some of its palatability, being so tough. I'm assuming the Bahia-Tifton is an improved cross.

The <a href="https://www.seedworld.us/Tifton_9_Bahia/Tifton_9_Bahia_Grass_Seeds.html">Tifton 9 Bahia</a> is "certified" and comes from Georgia.

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Nancy and I talked with our county Agent and he recommended the Tifton 9 Bahiagrass.

The <a href="http://forages.tamu.edu/PDF/scs2001-12.pdf">"native" Bahia</a> has very small black seeds on two stem heads; the Tifton 9 looked similar to sesame seeds on a hamburger bun.

Takes a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmvPOGCvIKM">sharp, registered sickle mower</a> for best cutting.

The Bahia grass in the video was some of the best we baled last summer.

James,have you tried that tire harrow on hog ruts? just curious if it would level them if damage was caught soon enuff.
i dont remember if yall have any cattle or just the pasture ornaments? my cows eat the bahia first...it also seems to green up first in spring,last to turn brown in drought or winter.
think i'm gonna plant some sudan on the oil well site if it ever rains again...wish their was a market for red dust...i'd be a zillionaire :{

CLTX
Tifton 9 is a more palatable than regular Pensacola bahia.
Bahia grass

I believe that [b:654c4848f0]641Dave[/b:654c4848f0] has one of the most satisfying solutions to <a href="http://www.ytmag.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=ttalk&th=993996">controlling hog ruts</a>.

There was a lot of "pig damage" down in "the bottom" when we started.

I used a spring-tooth harrow first to rip the ground forwards, backwards, and sideways.

Followed up with a disc harrow forwards, backwards, and sideways.

Finished smoothing everything out with the tire drag.

<a href="http://icwdm.org/publications/pdf/feral%20pig/txferalhogs.pdf">Feral hogs</a> will ruin any field they feed on.

We had one spot under two, large, one hundred year old, black walnut trees that the hogs destroyed twice.

It was almost too rough to drive a tractor over.

Yes, the Bahia grass is tough, but Nancy's horses graze it.

It turned brown during the drought two years ago.

We got some rain and it seemed to turn green overnight.

Don't have any cattle; they get confused too easy.

Neighbors cattle see me and think they're gonna get fed!

Thanks for another good extension agency article.

Wow !! I thought the big winds blew ya away . Haven't seen ya post in awhile just thinking this evening of given ya a call.

As always nice pics.

Ya need to start a safari for those hogs down there people spend big money to hunt them.
Hunt by the pound in PA

Gee James: Our dairy cows only get the very best Alfalfa hay. We and they think they are special.
gitrib

There is no "native" bahia grass in East Texas. Most of it was planted back in the 70's. Was thought to be a wonder grass. I would of planted Coastal or Tifton 85 after going through all that work, field looks nice. Most everybody I know tries their darndest to kill Bahia. Don't even try to mow it for hay using that sickle, you'll pull your hair out when it gets tough as nails in the late summer. Johnny