How late can plant grass/hay?

[Tree-Farmer]

I want to plant some grass for hay. How late would be the latest to plant it? I plan to plant a mix of Brome, Timothy, Orchardgrass and some clover. I would drill it into disked ground.

I’m in North Missouri, I read that we’re having an extended El Niño this year, which means that we’ll have a warmer than usual fall, so our deadline might be later than usual.

https://weather.com/2026/09/26/fore...-october-november-outlook-temperatures-precip

Our last dry time was in August, when we had 95 degrees for a week, then it turned wet and we’ve gotten an inch to 4 inches every few days. Now we may have a week or more without rain, so I might be able to plant this weekend.

What do you think? What would be the cutoff, the last time that you would plant grass in North Missouri?

 

[jhwis]

Not familiar with Missouri, but you can plant it pretty late. When is your first frost typically?

 

[wh]

You can plant it as late as you want. It may not live tho.

 

[Mule Meat]

Here in SW West Virginia people plant grass year round as long as they're no snow on the ground.

It will not geminate until the conditions are right. Moisture, soil temperature etc.

Wild flower and tree nut seed lay over winter and grow just fine when the conditions are right in the spring. Grass seed will do the same.

People here also give it two years to grow before they will cut it the first time. For once it grows to full height it will start growing down. Meaning the the root system will grow deeper and spread more once the grass is fully grown.

 

[Watthour]

Beans are hitting the trailers around here (Illinois-Wisconsin border), and if there is any break to allow corn to dry down more, quite a few acres will often get a cover planted as late as November 1 with onion, clover, radish, and some grasses, hoping that some of it takes root before a hard freeze. Last year we had a green Christmas so there is always a chance. With fuel at its present levels, there may be less of that this year and a lot of hopes that spring thaw and rain doesn't wash out soil before planting.

 

[showcrop]

Two years ago just after a road rebuild in front of my house they hydroseeded around Nov. 15. I had little hope for it but it is well established now.

 

[Tgrasher]

Down here, we generally can sow til around December 1st but a couple of years December was colder than January.

 

[miner09]

Oct is the time to plant. I always plant after the first rain in October. I should be able to plant this weekend rained last week.

 

[TheBartman47]

I did some seeding for winter variety mix as a cover for my garden a couple days ago. I'm in north Texas, right at the TX/OK border, and those seeds have already germinated.

 

[Tony in SD]

Pretty late. frost may get it or not. I have planted or more accurately broadcast grass seed just before a wet heavy snow. Grass grew like crazy in the spring. The snow pushed the seed down and when it warmed up with the melting snow moisture, it turned out great.

 

[m16ty]

Lots of people broadcast clover with snow on the ground in late winter. You don’t plant clover very deep and when the snow melts it will pull the seed into the ground. Only problem with that is we don’t get much snow around here.