How to Seed Timothy Hay

Conventional Tillage

• 1

  Plow the area. Use the tractor and plow to plow the area. Smaller areas can be roto-tilled just as effectively. This should be done in the fall.

• 2

  Apply an herbicide. Check with your local distributor for an appropriate herbicide that is not detrimental to timothy grass. Apply an herbicide if you get regrowth in the spring before you plant the timothy seeds.

  If the area you are planting had tall grasses or grasses that grow in sods, apply the herbicide in the fall.

• 3

  Disk the area. Use the tractor and disker to kill any remaining vegetation and further break up the soil. This should follow plowing in the fall, and should be repeated in the spring before planting timothy seeds if there is regrowth of vegetation.

• 4

  Compact the area. Use a tractor with a roller (also called a cultipacker) to firm the soil before planting. This should be done in the spring prior to planting the timothy grass. The area is properly compacted when a footprint hardly shows up.

• 5

  Plant the seeds. Depending on the local climate, plant the seeds from spring to early summer. Check with your local university agriculture extension or seed distributor for the best time to plant. Pure live seed (PLS) should be planted by broadcast spreader at a rate of eight to twelve pounds per acre.

  Cool season grasses can also be planted in late summer, although spring plantings are usually more productive.