Written by The Rabbit Hole Hay Team
Coarse Orchard Grass is usually harvested from the first cutting of the grass. Like Timothy Hay, the first cut of Orchard Grass grows very Coarse, with lots of seed heads and thick stocks. The last few years we have struggled to find very Coarse Hay, the hotter conditions have caused the hay to grow a little softer than normal. Generally we are looking for stalk and seed heads in a Coarse vs. a Soft (which we are looking for no stalks or seed heads).
Coarse Orchard Grass should have these qualities:
Harvest: First Cutting
Location: High Mountain
Color: Light Green with a tinge of Blue
Stems/Stalks: Present, sometimes thick and full, sometimes thin.
Leaves: Abundant, long and lush.
Seed Heads/Flowers: Short seed heads fully developed.
Leaf Crush: Should be none.
Weeds: Should be none, however we at times will see a little bit of Alfalfa.
Dust: Should be none.
Our goal is to offer the highest quality hay, however, all naturally grown and harvested hay holds minor imperfections such as dust, weeds, leaf crush, and brown leaf. The ideal version of Coarse Orchard Grass would have none of these.
The 2021 Ultra Premium Coarse Orchard Grass we have in stock is currently a first cut. Like last year our 2021 Coarse Orchard is on the soft side. This season was very warm which stressed the plants, they did not grow as fast as normal, this caused the harvest to be forced to be early in the plants normal growth cycle, which was later in the season. It is absolutely beautiful hay, however it is a little soft for Coarse Orchard Grass.
Here is the report on what we have in stock:
Overall Rating: 8/10
Harvest: First cut of pure Orchard Grass, it was harvested in June of 2021.
Location: Northern California
Color: Deep Blue Green
Stems/Stalks: Few stalks and those that are present are very moderate in thickness. Some of the stalks are lighter in color.
Leaves: Abundance of leaves that are broad and beautiful
Seed Heads/Flowers: Moderate seed heads that are fairly small in size.
Leaf Crush: Very minimal
Weeds: None
Brown Leaf: Almost none
Dust: None
Summary: This year's Coarse Orchard Grass is an okay example of what Coarse Orchard Grass should be. The only reason it doesn't receive a 10/10 is because of a the little bit of brown leaf found scattered throughout and that, like last year, it's on the softer side.
This year's Coarse Orchard Grass is an okay example of what Coarse Orchard Grass should be. The only reason it doesn't receive a 10/10 is because of a the little bit of brown leaf found scattered throughout and that, like last year, it's on the softer side.
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