Grass growing from hay seeds--which hay?

[galadriel]

Where I toss hay for my horses, there is some interesting grass growing up. Where my normal grass is somewhat coarse and dry even when young shoots, this stuff is very narrow and fine and juicy. It's also very, very green.

What I've fed the horses recently is coastal/bahia, which is the same as my grass pasture, and also peanut hay, and timothy/alfalfa hay. I suppose that these very green soft shoots must have come from seeds in one of the hays; does anyone know which it might have been?

It looks so nice, and the horses are keeping it so short, it must be tasty. I was thinking that I might buy some actual seeds and overseed my pasture to provide a bit of variety :) Especially since it is growing well in this weather.

[Laetitia]

Sounds fascinating, bahia hay/ peanut hay. What is it and how do you make hay out of peanuts. Sorry to show my ignorance, just interested. L

[galadriel]

Originally posted by Laetitia
how do you make hay out of peanuts

It's the above-ground greens that they make into peanut hay. By harvesting the plant growth regularly, they keep the plant from forming any harvestable peanuts (underground). I think that the plant greens harvested to make the peanut hay are a legume hay. The hay itself has a stiff narrow stalk with leafy branchs, and the little leaves are about the size of my thumbnail. It has much the same nutrient content as alfalfa.

My husband was confused at first, because he thought that peanut hay must be a byproduct of peanut growing. But the peanut plants that are made into hay never grow peanuts that are harvestable, so you only get one or the other. Peanut hay's fairly expensive, which was why he was protesting--if it were a byproduct of an otherwise already profitable business, it wouldn't be fair to charge as much as they do.

The stuff smells really funky--nothing like grass hay or alfalfa hay--but the horses love it :) so who am I to criticise?

[Laetitia]

Thank you really interesting. To be honest I've never thought much about peanuts and where they come from, and now to learn there is a different sort that hay is made from. Can you get the major allergic reaction to peanut hay as you can from peanuts/oil we eat? I suppose I could go and look it up rather than bending your ear! Cheers L

[galadriel]

Originally posted by Laetitia
Can you get the major allergic reaction to peanut hay as you can from peanuts/oil we eat?

You know, I don't have a clue. It is the same plant from which we get peanuts, they just harvest the greens instead of the roots. I suppose if the plant produces the oils in the "nut" (peanuts aren't really nuts) then there might be peanut oil in the plant itself...but by the time it's dried out for hay, there doesn't seem to be anything like that.

[Wally]

We have little choice, I buy a grass seed mix from the agricultural seed supplier which is specially blended for our soil and climate. It is called "Shetland hill mix"