salvaged hay..

[RadarTech]

hey folks,
I was just thinking about buying some hay to put out in the yard to cover where I am going to throw grass seed etc..
Now I know it is the dead of winter.. But we have had so much rain I was just thinking about it now..

So after a little thinking and some reading on the net, there seems that hay for horses can spoil or just be junk..

Is this good for the purpose of a soil cover?

if so is there anyone in the Western NC area south of Asheville that might be able to give some places to call?

Like I said it is just a thought, so whatcha think?

Thanks,
J

 

[CCWKen]

LOL... I made the mistake of using hay in the garden a few years ago. Thought it would help retain moisture during the hot dry periods. Oh, it did that alright under what didn't get blown away but I've been weeding the garden ever since. You'd be better off just covering the area with top soil, mulch or potting soil.

 

[QRTRHRS]

In terms of poor quality hay for horses, that can mean a variety of things. It could simply mean that the hay was bailed at the wrong time which decreases palitability, protein and carbohydrate levels and nutrients. It could also mean that the field contained a lot of weeds which lessen the food value. You certainly would not want those weed seeds if you are fussy about your lawn. Moldy hay comes from being bailed with too high of a moisture content. It could have been rained on while curing after being cut, not being cured enough prior to baling or improper storage.

I would not put grass seed down on cold wet muddy ground myself. I think the germination rate would be poor. Under proper conditions for the best lawn, grass seed properly raked into the soil covered by straw is a better practice. Straw does not have the seeds in that hay does.

Minimally moldy(mildly dusty) or weedy hay won't really do any harm per sey though. If you simply have mud issues, hay spread over the yard will do a great job of minimizing the mess that can be brought into the house from walking across a wet muddy area. By spring, most of it should be pretty well broken down. I would not want any really nasty moldy hay around though especially if you have pets or kids.

 

[RadarTech]

Thanks for the thoughts..
I guess I should explain more..
I am on a moutain side / top where the house was cut out and there is less than 20x80 back yard and 20x50 side yard.. the rest is trees and woods. no grass, steep banks etc.



QRTRHRS you are right I want to most keep the mud down..
then I can just get a pulverizer in the spring and drag around the remains and seed it..

So I guess I should really look into the prices of plain old straw..
and then see how much I can cover...

thanks Guys...

jim

 

[deereguy]

Try seeding your yard in March when you can take advantage of nature's free/thaw cycle. I wouldn't mess with the hay unless it was given to ya, then I'd have to think about it.

 

[QRTRHRS]

jim,

If you have really steep banks, heavy rain will wash that hay right off. My previous property had some pretty steep areas. I used to keep old woven fence wire around. I would spread hay out then stake the wire down over it until the grass (and/or weeds) took hold then remove the wire just before it got entangled too badly.

Depending on your area, straw can be just as or more so expensive than hay.

 

[Mike_Kanzer]

Straw is alot cleaner than hay in terms of weed seeds. We pay about 5-5.50 a small bale for hay but about 3.25-3.75 for straw. Another possibility, though a lot more expensive, would be to hydroseed it in the spring. -Mike

 

[kthompson]

Thanks for the thoughts..
I guess I should explain more..
I am on a moutain side / top where the house was cut out and there is less than 20x80 back yard and 20x50 side yard.. the rest is trees and woods. no grass, steep banks etc.


jim

Do you have any topsoil there after it was cut down?
Would suggest you get soil sample also.
I often see the small square bales use on such slopes but they are left in bales and used to build a wall to stop running water or at least slow it. You see it often on sides of roads there.
But no larger than you are talking about and with the housing market where it is, how about SOD? Find local growers and deal direct. They are hurting as all parts of construction are. You don't have to sod all of it.

 

[AlanB]

Sidebar, they make a thing called a crimper that looks like a disc with straight discs that is designed to drag over the hay / straw and push it in too the ground a bit.

Kind of like one of those prick tracers that the seamstress's use on a bigger scale.

From what you are describing I would think some old hay, spread around, crimped into the ground would do fine.

Not going to produce a great yard, but sounds to me like you are looking for more soil stabilization.

 

[LBrown59]

1*I would not put grass seed down on cold wet muddy ground myself.
2* Straw does not have the seeds in that hay does.

1*Ive heard that when there was a lite snow on in Feb was a good time to spread grass seed.
2*I use the cheapest hay I can get for covering grass seed .
Works as good as the expensive stuff or straw for me.

 

[DennisArrow]

I get the impression that you are trying to seed a hillside and concerned with the run off, soil erosion, and the seed staying in place long enough to germinate and get some roots into the subsoil.
For me, a fast growing/germinating grass is required. I have pretty much the same situation where my goats are in my forest and there is a lot of bare soil on the hillsides. What HAS worked for me is a rye grass. Marshall Rye is what I use in NW Ga. An ol guy down the road goes out and buys oats/feed and spreads that.
The deal is, this is winter grass, germinates quickly, and grows quickly. Yes, you have to sow more seed in April/May/June as the rye dies; but you have those roots down in the soil holding it in place for the new seed...........
Just my thoughts.........good luck.......Dennis

 

[Taylortractornut]

Rye is a good suggestion we use that on our landfill slopes in the fall and winter. Seed laying on top or in cold wet soild wont be hurt, i mean thats what it does in nature. Try spreading muck from the bottom of an old pond, tIn a few days youll have green fuzz about an inch tall. The water and cool ness helps to rot off the husk of the seed. We use hay on our slopes, actually I m in the hay blowing business. Hay is a great hing if you dont care about weed seeds the first year. I buy already harvested oat and wheat straw thats the left overs they bale that comes out the back of the combine. In some cases I can get a farmer to cut some of his crop when its dry enough with a hay mower and leave it full of seed. It makes a great thick fall and spring grass. Some folks even let it grow out an make a crop the first year to attract birds. One of the jobs I did last year was for a frien who had his house finish and the lot needed some works the slopes were steep 2 to 1 and will be a rough cut job not manicured. He had several old moldy bales that came off his cow pasture. on th e steepest wet parts we cut the twine and got a little bit started off and rolled it down the hill. It laid a nice thick layer down. Then one we set one at the top of the slope parallel and unrolled them then would move down a bit and do it again. It was almost pure sand under it. The hay broke down that winter and spring and put on about a a 1/2 inch of topsoil.