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Post by Freeborn on Oct 26, 2017 6:19:58 GMT -6
For some time I have been trying to figure out what I could add to my sandy soil to improve it. I understand manure is the best option but I don’t have a source of manure and so far it seems farmers in my area will take all they can get.
What I do have is allot of prairie grass that I can mow and could collect the clippings. I have both a brush mower and a flail mower so I can cut the grass in fine or long clippings. I would have to invest into equipment to collect and then spread the clippings.
I was thinking I could get into a routine where I would shallow till my soil, plant and then spread prairie grass clippings over the top. The clippings would sit on top of the soil until the next year where I would shallow till them into the soil for planting. If that is not practical I could spread the clippings before planting and then till them in each spring.
I’m not sure if this would be of value or if it’s even practical depending on how much clippings I would need to add to my soil to make a difference.
Has anybody tried this or seen anything about trying it?
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Post by Foggy on Oct 26, 2017 6:40:14 GMT -6
^ I think you would be better served to run a compost operation and spread that over your plot land.
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Post by smsmith on Oct 26, 2017 6:51:40 GMT -6
The vast majority of OM provided by NWSGs is below ground. If you want to improve OM long term, I'd start growing strips/plots of NWSGs with the goal of rotating those plots back in to food for a few years down the road. I'd also stop tilling.
I think an option that would provide much more above ground OM would be to rotate sorghum/sudan grass on those plots instead of NWSGs.
edited to add...The best source of OM I came up with on my folks' sandy soil was winter rye/hairy vetch planted in September and mowed short in May. Then spray with gly to terminate. Do that, then plant sorghum/sudan when the soil is warm enough. Terminate the SS in late summer and do the WR/HV again....do that for a couple years and you'd definitely increase your OM
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Post by coop on Oct 26, 2017 6:59:38 GMT -6
Freeborn - it seems like you’d be incorporating an intolerable amount of weed seed into your plots. Composting your clippings won’t break down all of that seed but it’ll knock it back. Composting eliminates the need to invest in new equipment.
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Post by nhmountains on Oct 26, 2017 7:18:25 GMT -6
I'm an outsider on this question because I've never dealt with sandy soil but, couldn't you plant something like buckwheat in the spring. Let it grow tall and mow it and let the tops rot into the soil? And plant winter rye in the fall. Let it bolt in the spring. Mow it and let it rot down?
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Post by Catscratch on Oct 26, 2017 7:50:59 GMT -6
The vast majority of OM provided by NWSGs is below ground. If you want to improve OM long term, I'd start growing strips/plots of NWSGs with the goal of rotating those plots back in to food for a few years down the road. I'd also stop tilling. I think an option that would provide much more above ground OM would be to rotate sorghum/sudan grass on those plots instead of NWSGs. edited to add...The best source of OM I came up with on my folks' sandy soil was winter rye/hairy vetch planted in September and mowed short in May. Then spray with gly to terminate. Do that, then plant sorghum/sudan when the soil is warm enough. Terminate the SS in late summer and do the WR/HV again....do that for a couple years and you'd definitely increase your OM ^^^^ This! This is exactly what I was going to type up until I read sm's post. The other option I would suggest is leasing your land to a local cattle farmer for a short period of time in the summer. Plant your sorgum (milo or millet), put cattle on the plot for a couple weeks. Let them convert the plant matter into inputs for your soil. Grab some cash from the rancher. Let it go fallow until it's time to plant your fall plots. This would be dependent on a water source, fence, and finding a guy who wants to move a few steers to some prime grazing. |
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Post by sd51555 on Oct 26, 2017 8:00:27 GMT -6
Hard to beat a solid stand of rye let go to mid july. Gonna be lots of duff above and below ground. I'd be excited for something like that beings that you've got a flail mower to chop it up.
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Post by Freeborn on Oct 26, 2017 8:39:02 GMT -6
Thanks guys, all good info. Currently I rotate Soybeans and corn and over-seed WR into the soybeans when the beans yellow. Its a good rotation if the rye gets moisture to germinate. Unfortunately broadcasting WR on sandy soil has been hit and miss for success. No till is probably the best solution that's practical for the long run. I'm only tilling about 2.5"-3" deep so I am trying to minimize my impact. I have had no-till in my sites for some time but don't have the barn space or planter yet to make it happen.
I brought up NWSG because its easily available but would probably cause more of a problem then what its worth.
I might try a 3 way rotation of corn/soybeans and SM's recommendation but I'm not sure if it would do allot until I go no-till?
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Post by nhmountains on Oct 26, 2017 8:46:09 GMT -6
FB,
If you started with buckwheat. Let it grow. Broadcast your winter rye when you're ready and then mow I bet you'd have great germination. It worked for me this year on a new plot.
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Post by kabic on Oct 26, 2017 9:05:19 GMT -6
I thought breaking down organic material tied up nitrogen. Adding extra clipping would tie up more which may affect your corn rotation???
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Post by coop on Oct 26, 2017 9:38:16 GMT -6
I thought breaking down organic material tied up nitrogen. Adding extra clipping would tie up more which may affect your corn rotation??? Supplemental Nitrogen should remedy that issue. |
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Post by mnaaron on Oct 26, 2017 11:33:06 GMT -6
I would try more cover crops and introduce more perennial crops into the rotation. Clover is great for organic matter and try to do as little tillage as possible. Tillage is your huge enemy when it comes to organic matter. It introduces oxygen into the system and disrupts the natural biota growing there.
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Post by Freeborn on Oct 26, 2017 13:12:05 GMT -6
FB, If you started with buckwheat. Let it grow. Broadcast your winter rye when you're ready and then mow I bet you'd have great germination. It worked for me this year on a new plot. Thanks NH, One of my goals with my foodplots is to provide quality food into January. I figure if I can feed deer into the next year they most likely will make it through the winter. Because of this I am hesitant to reduce my winter food (soybeans/corn) to much. Right now I provide 3 acres of corn and 3 acres of soybeans. I really need to go no-till as it would help my soil and not be a hard to implement. |
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Post by nhmountains on Oct 26, 2017 13:17:02 GMT -6
FB, If you started with buckwheat. Let it grow. Broadcast your winter rye when you're ready and then mow I bet you'd have great germination. It worked for me this year on a new plot. Thanks NH, One of my goals with my foodplots is to provide quality food into January. I figure if I can feed deer into the next year they most likely will make it through the winter. Because of this I am hesitant to reduce my winter food (soybeans/corn) to much. Right now I provide 3 acres of corn and 3 acres of soybeans. I really need to go no-till as it would help my soil and not be a hard to implement. I'm thinking out loud here but, why not do those in strips like Sandbur does and add winter rye into your beans and corn? Say early September? That winter rye will grow and provide green food early the next spring and help with the OM when you mow it down. |
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Post by Freeborn on Oct 26, 2017 13:24:55 GMT -6
Thanks NH, One of my goals with my foodplots is to provide quality food into January. I figure if I can feed deer into the next year they most likely will make it through the winter. Because of this I am hesitant to reduce my winter food (soybeans/corn) to much. Right now I provide 3 acres of corn and 3 acres of soybeans. I really need to go no-till as it would help my soil and not be a hard to implement. I'm thinking out loud here but, why not do those in strips like Sandbur does and add winter rye into your beans and corn? Say early September? That winter rye will grow and provide green food early the next spring and help with the OM when you mow it down. I'll have to go back and look at what Art is doing. Directly planting rye so I could ensure seed to soil contact would greatly help germination. |
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