Frost bite on hay fields

Jason S. · May 12, 2015

It happened to a lot of us around here. The hay fields were coming along good and then we got some frost one night. It turned the top of all the grass brown. All the old timers here are going ahead and mowing it and baling it. They say frost bite stunts the growth and it won't grow very tall unless you mow it down and it will grow better for the next cut. I'm a little skeptical of that. Is there any truth to it?

GordoSD · May 12, 2015

Believe the voice of experience

Zachary Hoyt · May 12, 2015

We get frost here in northern NY every year up until sometime in May and the grass seems to do fine and gets first cut in June or July depending when the rain lets up. Maybe the
kinds of grass we have are less susceptible to frost than whatever is grown in your area. I have never heard about this before so I am curious.
Zach

rrlund · May 12, 2015

I don't know that it'll hurt the grass,but a few years ago when we had all the hot weather in March,everything got off to a good early start then it froze up tight. The alfalfa got fried right off back to the ground. The older seedings with a lot of grass ended up with the grass being OK,but it had gotten so far ahead of the alfalfa that the alfalfa was just spindly little single stemmed stuff coming up through the tall grass.

coonie minnie · May 12, 2015

It depends on a lot of factors. How big when it froze? Did it frost it a little or did it freeze? Grass or legumes? Where are you?

There are a lot of old wives tales out there. A relative in Nebraska won't seed alfalfa until well after any risk of frost is gone, out of fear of killing
it. Here in Wisconsin we laugh at that.

Part Time Pete · May 13, 2015

It doesn't seem to be a problem here in Central NY, but it does get the apple trees every few years. Mine are blossomed out good - hope tonight's frost isn't too hard.
Pete

Jason S. · May 13, 2015

(quoted from post at 02:51:47 05/13/15) It depends on a lot of factors. How big when it froze? Did it frost it a little or did it freeze? Grass or legumes? Where are you?

There are a lot of old wives tales out there. A relative in Nebraska won't seed alfalfa until well after any risk of frost is gone, out of fear of killing
it. Here in Wisconsin we laugh at that.

I'm in east TN. It was a pretty hard frost. My fields are a mix of orchard grass,timothy,fescue,and red clover. It was up 7or 8 inches high.

sd pete · May 13, 2015

Didnt think grass would be hurt by a frost. The clover could be hurt.

Frost bite on hay fields

Jason S.

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GordoSD

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Zachary Hoyt

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rrlund

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coonie minnie

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Part Time Pete

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Jason S.

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sd pete

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