VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Phleum pratense | Timothy 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Timothy is a palatable and nutritious forage for domestic livestock and
big game animals [22,119].  It is cultivated for both hay and pasture
throughout North America [140].  Timothy is valuable for range seeding
because it grows under a wide variety of range and soil moisture
conditions [96].  On a Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) clearcut in
Montana, timothy was the preferred forage species of livestock [7].

Timothy is frequently seeded in mixtures with legumes for better
performance but is grown alone to make premium hay for horses.  Timothy
is also grown with meadow foxtail (Alopecurus arundinaceus), big trefoil
(Lotus uliginosus), and white clover (Trifolium repens) for hay and
silage [39].  Timothy is inferior to alfalfa and clover hays for
fattening cattle [22].

Timothy is grazed by deer and rodents in Washington [27].  Songbirds and
gamebirds consume timothy seeds.  It is an important forage for elk in
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado and elsewhere, and is eaten by
mule deer and mountain sheep [46].  In Arizona in July, timothy
contributed 0.38 percent to mule deer diets [53].  In Glacier National
Park, timothy contributed 20 percent to elk diets in the spring, and
just a trace in the winter [109].


PALATABILITY : 
Timothy is highly palatable to all classes of livestock and big game
species [119,122].  It is highly palatable to horses and cattle in
spring, summer, and fall; and to sheep in summer [141].  Palatability of
timothy is high for elk in the spring and summer, and high for deer in
the summer [108].

Palatability ratings for timothy from selected western states are as
follows [143]:

                        WY       UT       CO      MT      ND     

cattle                 good     good     good    good    good
sheep                  good     fair     good    good    fair
horses                 good     good     good    good    good
elk                    good     good     ----    fair    ----
mule deer              good     fair     ----    poor    ----
white-tailed deer      good     ----     ----    ----    ----
antelope               poor     ----     ----    ----    ----
upland game birds      poor     good     ----    ----    ----
waterfowl              poor     ----     good    ----    ----
small nongame birds    good     good     fair    ----    ----
small mammals          fair     good     fair    ----    ----


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The nutritive value of timothy decreases as plants mature; the
digestibility of cellulose is directly proportional to overall nutritive
value of timothy [8].

Crude protein, phosphorus, and carotene levels of timothy decline over
the course of the growing season.  Some nutritional values for timothy
are as follows [56]:

              dry    crude  crude  crude  ash   Ca     P    carotene
             matter protein  fat   fiber  (%)   (%)   (%)   (mg/kg)
              (%)     (%)     (%)   (%)         
STAGE                  
leaf stage    92.2   13.3   3.17   24.3   7.23  0.37  0.20   45.2
heading       92.6    7.20  2.57   28.3   5.13  0.22  0.12   29.8
seed ripe     94.4    5.70  2.10   29.7   5.50  0.25  0.08    5.80
cured         93.0    2.94  1.86   34.4   7.30  0.38  0.04    2.12 
weathered     95.1    2.45  1.20   42.5   4.85  0.26  0.03    1.00

Moisture content of timothy decreases as the plant matures; before
heading, moisture content is 78.5 percent; at full bloom, moisture
content is 67.2 percent; and as seeds mature, moisture content is 49.9
percent [46].

Feeds with low digestibility have a low net energy value; the net energy
value of timothy hay is 43 therms.  The best time to cut grass for hay
is a few days after it has reached the stage of maximum flowering and
before seeds begin to form.  It will yield a greater return of
digestible nutrients per acre [57]:

    Yields of digestible nutrients per acre of timothy cut at different 
                     stages of growth (in pounds)

               dry matter    crude    carbos   crude fat   total digestible
                            protein                            matter
STAGE
early bloom       3.41        135      1.68       43            1.91
full bloom        4.00        147      1.87       44            2.11
seed formed       4.01        113      1.80       51            2.03
seed in dough     4.04        98       1.70       54            1.91
seed ripe         3.75        92       1.58       38            1.75

Livestock utilize forested sites in the Black Hills of South Dakota less
than adjacent meadow sites.  Shading of timothy in forested areas
decreases sugars and easily hydrolyzable carbohydrates.  The high sugar
content of timothy in the meadow sites is associated with an increase in
utilization of these sites.  Phenological development is 1 to 2 weeks
later in forested areas than in meadow areas [83].


COVER VALUE : 
Timothy provides important cover for a variety of game birds, small
mammals, and waterfowl [40,75,138].  It provides cover for dwarf shrews
and deer mice in southeastern Montana [75].  Stands of redtop (Agrostis
alba), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), and timothy are indispensable
as nesting cover and brood-rearing cover for prairie chickens in the
North Central States [131,138].

In grass meadows along drainage ditches in Wisconsin, timothy provides
nesting cover for sharp-tailed grouse, blue-winged teal, and prairie
chickens [40]. 

Regional cover values for selected wildlife species are as follows [143]:

                            UT       CO       WY       MT       
Elk                        poor     ----     poor     ----     
Mule deer                  poor     ----     fair     ----
White-tailed deer          ----     ----     fair     ----
Antelope                   poor     ----     poor     ----
Upland game birds          fair     good     good     fair
Waterfowl                  ----     fair     good     good
Small nongame birds        fair     ----     good     fair
Small mammals              good     ----     good     fair


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Timothy is widely used for rehabilitation of cutover, burned-over, and
overgrazed mountain rangelands [119].  It helps stabilize the soil and
is commonly used in Nebraska and the cornbelt for erosion control [107].
Timothy is used for rehabilitation of sites disturbed by construction of
railroads, canals, trails, and highways; logged sites; and sites altered
for recreational purposes.  It is recommended for use in the Alaska
boreal zone for reclamation and erosion control.  Timothy was seeded
onto a strip mine in south-central Alaska in 1976 and 1979, and was
found growing on those sites in 1981 and 1985 [25].  Timothy is well
adapted to intense disturbances.  Plant cover of timothy increases with
a corresponding increase in disturbance [63].

Timothy was used in the rehabilitation of a high-elevation mine on the
Beartooth Plateau, Montana.  Timothy was transplanted while dormant to
reduce physiological damage.  The well-developed root system and root
crown of transplants are not as susceptible to frost heaving and
desiccation as are those of emerging seedlings.  Consequently
transplanting is the most successful technique available for alpine
areas [13,14].  Timothy is good for short-term rehabilitation efforts
[13].

After a fire in South Dakota, timothy was seeded with other grasses at a
rate of ll pounds per acre (12.4 kg/ha).  As ground cover developed,
summer runoff and erosion rates decreased until cover density reached
about 60 percent.  Some stabilization of soil was realized in the first
growing season, and by the fourth growing season all areas were
stabilized.  Introduced species provide a more evenly dispersed cover
than native species and supply a steady accumulation of litter cover
[93].

Timothy was used as a part of a seed mixture for streambank and stream
bottom reseeding on the Manti-Lasal National Forest in Utah.  It was
recommended that all recently exposed sand and gravel bars within the
stream channel and floodplain be broadcast seeded with this seed mixture
to help control flooding and landslides [128].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Timothy is successfully and profitably used for reseeding rangelands
where the soil is moist and the growing season long enough for seed
production [119].  Before planting, managers should take into account
the grazing management plan for the ranch or range unit.  Seeded species
can do more harm than good, and timothy may not always be the most
appropriate species.  Exotic grasses are one of the most disruptive
factors in native fescue grasslands in Glacier National Park [118].
Timothy is the most widely distributed exotic in the park, where it is
associated with substrate disturbed by post-1980 underground utility
construction.  Timothy was intentionally seeded by outfitters in the
1940's and by park personnel in the 1980's.  Extensive tiller mats of
timothy limit cryptogam colonization sites and reduce native graminoid
colonization.  Reduction of timothy is not a realistic option in Glacier
or other natural areas; the most reasonable recommendation for resource
managers is not to use it for revegetating disturbed sites [118].

The exotics of greatest concern to wildland managers are timothy and
Kentucky bluegrass because they establish quickly, spread vigorously,
and usually escape early detection.  Timothy has the highest ability of
34 exotics tested to invade closed vegetation areas.  Constancy values
in forest, meadow, and alpine tundra is 99, 99, and 36 percent,
respectively.  Numbers and frequency of timothy increases from
undisturbed sites to regularly disturbed sites.  More resources are
available at the latter sites because competition is greatly reduced.
Timothy is of great concern because it often dominates the area it
occupies.  Control should include both elimination and simultaneous
introduction of a desirable competitor [130].

Livestock use:  Timothy maintains itself well with proper management,
but it is not resistant to heavy grazing.  It will grow up to 12 years
on properly managed rangelands, but stands tend to die out in 6 to 7
years [119].  Grazing is chiefly responsible for impoverishment and
retrogressive succession of vegetation in Utah; erosion caused by sheep
and cattle grazing is pronounced, and the runoff in many riparian areas
has reached flood proportions.  Grazing must be regulated better in
these areas [20].  Moderate grazing in Iowa and Wisconsin was more
destructive than mowing.  Grazing compacts the soil and if important
range grasses are overgrazed, timothy will start to dominate range sites
[23].

Cattle grazing should be deferred to late summer to lessen streambank
alterations; forage utilization should be monitored closely to enhance
improvements in bank protection [78].  Noncontinuous grazing early or
late in the growing season has a less detrimental effect on other
vegetation than does continuous season-long grazing [67].  Meadows
should be grazed on a rotation plan.  In humid zones, timothy should be
grazed until the jointing stage, then mown for hay at bloom stage; this
can be repeated two to three times under favorable grazing conditions.
Timothy meadows should be harrowed and fertilized annually [130].

Riparian areas are directly affected by upland site conditions.
Management including no grazing, limited grazing, or artificial
restoration can stabilize erosive areas and reduce sedimentation and
destructive erosive runoff to downslope riparian areas [111].  

Timothy seedlings can be detrimental or beneficial in young conifer
plantations.  They may hinder conifer seedling establishment by
preemption of resources, allelopathy, attraction of insects and animals,
and increased fire potential.  They can be beneficial by excluding other
competitive plant species.  Timothy seedlings compete strongly with
conifer seedlings, especially when conifer seedlings are not fully
established.  After establishment of conifer seedlings, approximately 5
years, timothy seeds may aid conifer seedling growth by excluding shrub
competition.  Grasses should be eliminated from plantations until
conifer seedlings have become established; the limiting resource is soil
moisture [82].  The interior Douglas-fir-Engelmann spruce (Picea
engelmanii)-subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) biegeoclimatic zones have
potential for producing both trees and grass depending on soil
capability, erosion hazards, regeneration objectives, and cattle
management problems [85].

Establishment:  Timothy should be planted before or early during the
2-month period most favorable for rapid germination and seedling growth:
late summer, early spring, or late fall in most regions; June or early
July in high mountains; August for irrigated plantings.  When used in
mixtures with legumes, the mixture should be at the optimum time for
seeding legumes.  Timothy seeds germinate rapidly:  10 days in lab
testing aided by prechilling.  Timothy seedlings are moderately
vigorous.  They usually become well established by the second growing
season, and sometimes by the end of the first growing season under
favorable conditions and a longer growing season.  Maximum dry matter
hay yields are obtained by harvesting in the postbloom stag  [129].

Fall seeding is best when seeding timothy alone or with winter wheat.
Seedlings from fall seedings are less likely to be injured by dry
weather in late spring or early summer than seedlings from spring
seedings.  Also, less seed is required for fall than for spring
seedings.  For the fall, 3.5 pounds per acre (4.0 kg/ha) are needed; in
the spring, 10 pounds per acre (11.2 kg/ha) are needed.  Timothy is
commonly sown with clover or alfalfa to produce hay with higher protein
content and to maintain better soil productivity [119].  When timothy is
seeded in mixtures with other perennial grasses, it will be replaced by
the slower developing, longer lived species in a few years.  Except at
higher elevations, properly managed stands are maintained by good seed
crops.  Timothy competes successfully with native grasses only where
moisture and soil are favorable [104].

Fertilizers increase timothy seedling establishment in mineral and peat
soils.  There is more rapid growth on peats, but sustained growth is
better on mineral soils that are kept moist.  Fertilizer trials indicate
that a N plus P treatment is most effective [9].

Diseases:  Timothy is susceptible to winter crown and root rots.  Purple
spot (Heterosporium phlei) is widespread in timothy stands but is rarely
severe.  Severe infection will impair hay quality and reduce seed yields
[139].

Cultivars:  There are 25 varieties of timothy used in agricultural
practices today.  In Montana, recommended varieties are 'Climax' and
'Hopkins'.  'Climax' timothy should be used for seed production on
irrigated land or dryland with favorable moisture.  'Hopkins' timothy
should be used for hay and seed production on irrigated lands or high
altitude dryland with favorable moisture [18].  Another cultivar used
frequently in Alaska, is 'Engmo' timothy.  It is a long-lived perennial
that can persist indefinitely if not killed by winter or pathogens [62].

Related categories for Species: Phleum pratense | Timothy