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Florida Gardening

Hay for mulching/soil amending - does it matter?

13 years ago

Getting ready to pick up some hay for the fall garden - I've heard of using Coastal hay - but I see alot of ads for Tifton 44 - from a gardening perspective, does it matter?

I'm in Hernando County if it matters.

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Comments (16)

whgille
13 years ago
I use coastal hay in my garden, I don't know about the other one.

Silvia
fawnridge (Ricky)
13 years ago
"Salt hay" as it's been called for many years, is usually free of seed. You don't want to cultivate hay in your garden, do you?
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captstinky
13 years ago
I put unknown hay down two years ago as a ground cover in the garden, and had to rake seedlings the whole season. I'd ask about seeds in the hay to the seller...you might get a straight answer, you might not....good luck
gatormomx2
13 years ago
Coastal hay is probably Coastal Bermuda.
We put hay down as mulch after our septic drain field was replaced.
Had a nice wide section 50 feet long of bare earth.
Covered it in layers of hay.
Two years later this is a beautiful stretch of Bahia grass.
ALL the hay seeded and became a lawn.
Fine for us but is that your goal?
Straw is what you want.
msmarion
13 years ago
I used straw (no seeds) with great success when we lived in NH. I don't know if it's available here in FL.
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
13 years ago
I've used Coastal hay for years now & have had no probs w/ seeds sprouting from it.

Perhaps letting it spoil before using helps? Tho, come to think of it, I usually buy 2 bales & spread 1 right away & let the other weather for months before using it.

So I don't know about the sprouting problem, all I know is mine never seems to....

Never heard of Tifton 44 either - is it being advertised for mulch or feed? If as feed, that's not really an issue for gardening purposes. I know our local feed store sells timothy hay also - more expensive than the Coastal & reportedly better for feed purposes. Maybe that means more seedheads & more nutrition for animals?
User
13 years ago
Being a farm boy hay is something I know Coastal hay and Tifton44 are both types of Bermuda grass. Tifton44 has a bit more protein to it and a bit more nutritional value. Timothy which is a orchard type/ field type grass from up north would be even better but much more expensive. Alfalfa "hay" is not a grass it is a legume it is very high in nutritional value, excellent for the ground but the cost would be prohibitive. Straw is the long stalks that are left over when grain / cereal crops are harvested for example oats. Straw is great for building tilth in the soil but has very little nutritional value as the plant gave what energy it had to make those oats we humans like.

So if it were me picking and paying for it.........Timothy is out due to cost. Alfalfa is out due to cost. Straw is out as it is probably expensive here in the south and has little nutrition in it for feeding the ground. So we are left with the Bermuda grasses......both are fine and if they are the same cost I would pick Tifton 44 over Coastal as it gives your ground more bang for the buck.

I use Timothy myself, what the rabbits waste and what they give back after they...processes it I get 50 or so bales of Timothy a year from PA but I get it for free so cost does not matter.
saldut
13 years ago
I use grass clippings and leaves, etc. for mulch........as well as bags of pine-bark from HD and clippings from a tree-service..... I also use Alfalfa pellets in my roses and they love it, I get big bags at a Feed store.... seems it would work good for a veggie garden also, supposed to be a slow-release nitrogen......sally
annafl
13 years ago
When I went to the feed store, they recommended mulch hay. I'm not sure if it is called something else. Does anyone know what it really is, and is it seed free? Is this really a good choice?

Anna
User
13 years ago
Anna,

My bet is it is either old hay or has some other problem that makes it unsafe or unpalatable for livestock.
whgille
13 years ago
Bamboo - Thank you for the explanation. I was in the blind about hay issues,lol.

Anna - When I went to the feed store about 2 years ago, I asked them for hay with no seeds for the beds and they said they gave me something they use for bedding the horses and they never had seeds in it. And I have been using for 2 years now, with absolutely no problems. I only use it for the veggie garden, not for paths that are not attended. Last time I was there somebody mention that it was coastal hay, but I could not tell the difference. Probably Bamboo can.:)

Silvia
annafl
13 years ago
Bamboo rabbit, I called and asked them. They said it was old hay and was not fit for cattle because it could have mold, but nothing like pesticides, herbicides. They didn't think seeds were an issue. It turns out they do have coastal hay, so I'll probably get that next time. I won't have bermuda sprouting in my garden, will I? I forgot to ask about Tifton 44. I will need to see if they have that one.

Sivia, I am glad to hear you've had no problems. Hopefully it will work out that way for me too!

Anna
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
13 years ago
Spoiled hay is the best, IMO. Ruth Stout, author of the original 'no-till' gardening books, recommended it, I believe....
annafl
13 years ago
Thanks, Carol. I will just have to see whether it sprouts. If it doesn't, it is definitely the cheapest option.

Anna
jjaazzy
13 years ago
Just a word of caution you don't want to let hay sit around. It actually can catch fire by spontaneous combustion. So I if you purchase it use it fairly quickly, and keep it in dry place till you use it.
northflagardener
13 years ago
My advice is to never use bermuda hay on a garden. The seeds often sprout and bermuda is extremely difficult to eradicate. Every small piece of root left in the ground will regrow. See if you can find bahia grass hay. Even if it sprouts you can pull it out and be done with it. Straw is definitely your best bet. Check out any farm store that caters to horse owners. Straw is usually used as stable bedding.

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