Quick answer: Crabgrass is a weed in most fields and a genuinely high-quality summer hay in the right ones. Managed forage types like Red River are lush, palatable, and — when you fertilize — among the highest-protein warm-season grasses. It reseeds itself if you let it head once, needs nitrogen to perform, and dries slowly, so give it an extra day. Leave 3 to 4 inches of stubble to regrow, and net-wrap the bales to protect a crop that horses love.
Mention crabgrass to most people and they reach for the herbicide. But ask a Southern hay grower and you will hear something different: some of the most palatable, digestible summer hay they make comes off a grass they used to fight. As one grower put it, "there is not a ruminant that will not eat it and relish it." This guide is for farmers who want to stop fighting crabgrass and start baling it — how to grow it, keep it coming back for free, cut it for fast regrowth, dry the slow-curing stuff, and sell it without the weed stigma. It is pulled from university forage research and growers on the HayTalk forums who have baled it for years.
Crabgrass as a forage: why the "weed" makes good hay
The crabgrass that invades a lawn and the crabgrass a hay grower manages are the same genus (Digitaria) put to very different use. Given nitrogen and moisture, it grows into a lush, leafy, highly digestible forage. There is even a named, selected variety — Red River, developed by researcher R.L. Dalrymple — bred specifically for hay and grazing. Growers who run it are blunt about the quality:
"It is a very lush grass; there is not a ruminant that will not eat it and relish it. I grow the Red River variety. I've never had mine tested but have been told it is only second to alfalfa in protein content. Keep in mind that protein is nothing more than nitrogen diluted in the plant, so protein content is determined by how much nitrogen is applied."
— TJ Hendren, on HayTalk
That last point is the key to the whole crop: crabgrass protein tracks the nitrogen you feed it. Extension trials back up the palatability and digestibility — forage crabgrass routinely tests as well as or better than other warm-season grasses (Alabama Cooperative Extension). The problem is rarely the hay; it is the name on it:
"I've been reading a lot of info that says crabgrass is actually more nutritious and more easily digestible than a lot of other warm season grasses, but it still has a weed image, especially to horse hay buyers."
— kimber55, on HayTalk
Volunteer or planted: the reseeding trick that keeps it free
Crabgrass is a true summer annual — it winter-kills once temperatures drop, and it comes back the next year only by reseeding itself. That sounds like a yearly seed bill, but the growers who run it have turned it into a free stand: let the crop go to seed once each season and it builds a seed bank in the soil that volunteers thick the following summer.
"It will only come back by reseeding itself. Winter kills the entire plant. A good heavy seed crop has enough hard seed that you can build a seed bank if that's what you want to do, and I do it. I let it go to seed once every year regardless of timing."
— TJ Hendren, on HayTalk
To wake that seed bank up, crabgrass wants the soil surface lightly disturbed — a chain-link harrow set aggressive, a shallow scratch no more than 2 to 3 inches deep, or in colder areas simply the winter freeze-and-thaw cycle. It does not take much. One north-Alabama grower found it took over on its own:
"I love crabgrass here in north Alabama. I had hybrid Bermuda and crabgrass took it over. I fought it for a couple of years. Finally gave up and added crabgrass seed to the volunteer stand."
— 69zfarmer, on HayTalk
If you are establishing a planted stand, the seed is small: sow 3 to 8 lb per acre no deeper than ¼ inch into a firm seedbed. But the single most important establishment rule is to leave the seedlings alone until they toughen up — crabgrass is fragile for its first couple of weeks:
"Do nothing to it, including fertilizing, from the time it germinates until it has four leaves on it, or there is a 98% chance you will kill it or severely injure it. It is very easy to kill during this time. It grows pretty quick so you won't have to wait long."
— TJ Hendren, on HayTalk
| Decision | Target |
|---|---|
| Seeding rate / depth (planted stand) | 3–8 lb/acre, ¼ inch max |
| Reseeding | Let it head once per season to build a seed bank |
| Wake the seed bank | Light tillage 2–3 in, or freeze-thaw |
| Hands off until | 4 leaves / 3–4 in tall |
| Cutting height | 3–4 in stubble for fast regrowth |
Feeding it: nitrogen, cutting height, and yield
Crabgrass "likes food and water" — deny it either and you get very little. Nitrogen is the throttle for both tonnage and protein, so plan on roughly 50 to 100 lb of N per acre, split across the summer as you take cuttings. Base your phosphorus, potassium, and lime on a soil test rather than guessing.
Cutting height is what separates a field that bounces back in days from one that stalls. Crabgrass regrows from the leaves and lower stem, so leave 3 to 4 inches of stubble and never scalp it:
"If your mower will cut 3 to 4 inches, cut it at that height and regrowth will be much faster; your field should still look green between the swaths. Very important to leave leaves on the stem for it to survive — don't just leave a toothpick."
— TJ Hendren, on HayTalk
Manage it that way and crabgrass is a multi-cut workhorse. Growers with moisture report three or four cuttings a season and solid tonnage:
"I have seen it make 8 4X5 rolls per acre 3 times a year. As far as drying time I give that field an extra day, so if I cut Monday I'll bale Thursday or Friday."
— JOR Farm, on HayTalk
The honest limitation: crabgrass is only as good as your rainfall. Without irrigation, a dry midsummer can cut you back to a couple of cuttings — it is a moisture-hungry crop, not a drought crop.
The catch: crabgrass takes forever to dry
If crabgrass has one universal complaint, this is it. The stems cure slowly, and every experienced grower budgets extra field time for it:
"Crabgrass takes forever, and a day, to dry."
— rjmoses, on HayTalk
Plan on it curing a day or so slower than orchard grass, run a conditioner, and ted to move it along. And do not rush it — crabgrass baled a touch tough and then handled throws a fine, itchy dust that both people and horses notice:
"It takes a while longer to cure than orchard grass, so there is always the possibility of rushing it and getting dust. I only have to deal with patches of it. Horses love it."
— Hayman1, on HayTalk
The dust is a real thing — one grower described it as itching "kinda like fiberglass" — so the play is to cure it fully and honestly rather than baling tough. Our guide to making dry hay faster covers the conditioning, tedding, and wide-windrow habits that shorten a stubborn cure.
Baling, net-wrapping, and selling crabgrass hay
Bale crabgrass like any dry grass hay — roughly 15 to 18 percent moisture for round bales — and confirm it with a probe, because a slow-curing grass is exactly the one that fools you into baling wet. Our baling-moisture guide covers the targets and the heating risk above them.
Then wrap it to protect it. A crabgrass round bale is leafy and headed for a quality-conscious buyer, so full edge-to-edge bale net wrap pays off: it holds the bale's shape, sheds rain, and trims the weathered outer layer that horse customers reject — important for anything stored outdoors (see storing net-wrapped bales outside).
Which leaves the "weed" stigma. Two things beat it. First, get it tested — a lab sheet showing protein and digestibility turns "crabgrass" into a number a buyer can compare, and crabgrass usually looks good on paper. Learn to read the report in our how to read a hay test guide. Second, lean on the horse market, where palatability wins repeat customers — crabgrass is soft, leafy, and, as growers keep saying, horses love it. Net-wrapped bales are safe for horses when you remove the wrap at feeding, and our how to sell hay guide covers positioning quality forage. If crabgrass has crept into your coastal bermuda or orchard grass stands — a common story — you may already be growing more of it than you think.
Crabgrass hay, start to finish
- Respect the crop. Managed crabgrass (like Red River) is lush, digestible, and among the better warm-season hays.
- Let it reseed. Head it once a season to build a free seed bank; light tillage or freeze-thaw wakes it up.
- Leave young stands alone — no fertilizer or spray — until they have four leaves.
- Feed the nitrogen. Roughly 50–100 lb N per acre split across the summer drives yield and protein.
- Cut at 3–4 inches and leave leaves, not a toothpick, for fast regrowth and three to four cuttings.
- Give it an extra drying day, condition and ted, and don't bale it tough or it gets dusty.
- Bale dry (15–18%), net-wrap, test it, and sell to the horse market to beat the weed stigma.
Frequently asked questions
Is crabgrass good hay?
Yes. Managed forage crabgrass, such as the Red River variety, is lush, highly digestible, and very palatable, testing as well as or better than many warm-season grasses when fertilized. Its protein tracks the nitrogen you apply. The main knocks are that it needs moisture and dries slowly, not the feed quality.
How do you get crabgrass to come back every year?
Let the crop go to seed once each season. Crabgrass is a true annual that winter-kills and returns only by reseeding, so a single heavy seed set builds a seed bank that volunteers the next summer. Light tillage a few inches deep, or a freeze-thaw cycle, helps that seed germinate.
How much nitrogen does crabgrass hay need?
Plan on roughly 50 to 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre, split across the summer as you take cuttings. Because crabgrass protein rises with applied nitrogen, N drives both tonnage and feed value. Base phosphorus, potassium, and lime on a soil test, and never fertilize a stand until it has four leaves.
How long does crabgrass take to dry for hay?
Expect it to cure about a day slower than orchard grass; many growers add an extra day before baling. Condition it, ted, and lay a wide windrow to speed it up. Do not rush it, because crabgrass baled tough throws a fine, itchy dust when handled.
Will horses eat crabgrass hay?
Yes, and they tend to love it. Crabgrass is soft, leafy, and palatable, which makes it a strong fit for the horse market despite its weed image. Get it lab-tested to prove quality, cure it fully to avoid dust, and net-wrap the bales to keep them clean and weather-free.
Related guides
Sources: Alabama Cooperative Extension System and University of Florida IFAS, crabgrass as a forage and hay crop (accessed July 21, 2026); Noble Research Institute and redrivercrabgrass.com fact sheets from variety developer R.L. Dalrymple on planting, fertility, and harvest (accessed July 21, 2026). Grower quotes from HayTalk.com discussion threads, linked above.
Hero image: southern crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris) by Osahiro Nishihata, released to the public domain under CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
