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Post by Tooln on Mar 24, 2018 10:04:55 GMT -6
This year I thought about trying something different in my plot. I was thinking of frost seeding WR and just letting it go all summer. Then come fall spray, till it in and do my fall planting. I was at Menards yesterday and the had black oil sunflower seeds on sale. I've planted sunflower before in small amounts and they get wiped out as soon as they get 3' high. I bought a 20 lbs bag just for shits and giggles and figured to frost seed them also. What do you think?
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Post by Freeborn on Mar 24, 2018 11:53:55 GMT -6
This year I thought about trying something different in my plot. I was thinking of frost seeding WR and just letting it go all summer. Then come fall spray, till it in and do my fall planting. I was at Menards yesterday and the had black oil sunflower seeds on sale. I've planted sunflower before in small amounts and they get wiped out as soon as they get 3' high. I bought a 20 lbs bag just for shits and giggles and figured to frost seed them also. What do you think? Question, if you mow WR does it make it more palatable and more tender? WR will smothering all weeds buy it might not get allot of use if it gets tough and less palatable. If mowing would keep it tender that would be the best of both worlds. i like the idea of a sunflower plot. When would you plant it?
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Post by Tooln on Mar 24, 2018 12:05:59 GMT -6
This year I thought about trying something different in my plot. I was thinking of frost seeding WR and just letting it go all summer. Then come fall spray, till it in and do my fall planting. I was at Menards yesterday and the had black oil sunflower seeds on sale. I've planted sunflower before in small amounts and they get wiped out as soon as they get 3' high. I bought a 20 lbs bag just for shits and giggles and figured to frost seed them also. What do you think? Question, if you mow WR does it make it more palatable and more tender? WR will smothering all weeds buy it might not get allot of use if it gets tough and less palatable. If mowing would keep it tender that would be the best of both worlds. i like the idea of a sunflower plot. When would you plant it? I'm looking to build organic matter and control weeds with the WR. I'd be frost seeding within the next 2-3 weeks. I still have over a foot of snow in the plot.
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Post by Freeborn on Mar 24, 2018 12:48:38 GMT -6
Question, if you mow WR does it make it more palatable and more tender? WR will smothering all weeds buy it might not get allot of use if it gets tough and less palatable. If mowing would keep it tender that would be the best of both worlds. i like the idea of a sunflower plot. When would you plant it? I'm looking to build organic matter and control weeds with the WR. I'd be frost seeding within the next 2-3 weeks. I still have over a foot of snow in the plot. Isn't most of the OM from WR from the root system? Was thinking you could get a two for if the deer would browse it. Either way it should work well.
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Post by sd51555 on Mar 24, 2018 12:50:07 GMT -6
If you can find some, I'd try to get cover crop sunflowers. The only reason I say so is that bird food sunflower seeds are very dirty and the threat of bringing resistant super weeds from farm country on to your hunting property could be a nightmare. If you can find an actual cover crop dealer, they're very affordable ($25-35/big bag).
I think you'd get more organic material above and below from oats than you would same-season rye. Plus oats would finish up on their own and could eliminate the need to till. I've always wanted to try leaving a standing and mature plot of oats or barley and just broadcast brassicas into it once it was done growing. Those standing grain stalks might provide some great protection for small brassica plants.
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Post by Tooln on Mar 24, 2018 13:49:09 GMT -6
If you can find some, I'd try to get cover crop sunflowers. The only reason I say so is that bird food sunflower seeds are very dirty and the threat of bringing resistant super weeds from farm country on to your hunting property could be a nightmare. If you can find an actual cover crop dealer, they're very affordable ($25-35/big bag). I think you'd get more organic material above and below from oats than you would same-season rye. Plus oats would finish up on their own and could eliminate the need to till. I've always wanted to try leaving a standing and mature plot of oats or barley and just broadcast brassicas into it once it was done growing. Those standing grain stalks might provide some great protection for small brassica plants. Do you think frost seeding the sunflowers would work or would it be to early? Shit the bag was only $10.00 but I'd like to give them the best chance of doing something. I'm not real concerned about weeds. If seen deer browse thistles. Oat vs WR I have the WR seed.
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Post by sd51555 on Mar 24, 2018 16:08:10 GMT -6
I think sunflowers need warmer soil. Not soybean warm, but close to it.
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Post by batman on Mar 24, 2018 17:44:30 GMT -6
Why are super dirty weeds bad for a guy trying to attract deer? Red cedar, phrags, Russian olive, trefoil? Great for deer. Period.
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Post by kl9 on Mar 24, 2018 17:58:29 GMT -6
Why are super dirty weeds bad for a guy trying to attract deer? Red cedar, phrags, Russian olive, trefoil? Great for deer. Period. It’s all about the monoculture dontcha know?
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Post by Sandbur on Mar 24, 2018 18:47:31 GMT -6
If you can find some, I'd try to get cover crop sunflowers. The only reason I say so is that bird food sunflower seeds are very dirty and the threat of bringing resistant super weeds from farm country on to your hunting property could be a nightmare. If you can find an actual cover crop dealer, they're very affordable ($25-35/big bag). I think you'd get more organic material above and below from oats than you would same-season rye. Plus oats would finish up on their own and could eliminate the need to till. I've always wanted to try leaving a standing and mature plot of oats or barley and just broadcast brassicas into it once it was done growing. Those standing grain stalks might provide some great protection for small brassica plants. My brother in law had a patch of oats he did not get harvested due to wet soils a few years ago. It headed out and reseeded and was cover and feed both by fall. I suspect the mature oats gave frost protection to the young oats.
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Post by sd51555 on Mar 24, 2018 19:02:42 GMT -6
If you can find some, I'd try to get cover crop sunflowers. The only reason I say so is that bird food sunflower seeds are very dirty and the threat of bringing resistant super weeds from farm country on to your hunting property could be a nightmare. If you can find an actual cover crop dealer, they're very affordable ($25-35/big bag). I think you'd get more organic material above and below from oats than you would same-season rye. Plus oats would finish up on their own and could eliminate the need to till. I've always wanted to try leaving a standing and mature plot of oats or barley and just broadcast brassicas into it once it was done growing. Those standing grain stalks might provide some great protection for small brassica plants. My brother in law had a patch of oats he did not get harvested due to wet soils a few years ago. It headed out and reseeded and was cover and feed both by fall. I suspect the mature oats gave frost protection to the young oats. One of the first food plots I ever did was accidentally an oats plot. We had a 3 acre field inside the woods that had oats harvested and I got my dad to let me plant the one end into a food plot. So I hit it with the cultivator and drag and then broadcast brassicas. We well combined with one of those old machines that blew about ten percent out the back with the straw. The brassicas came in outside the discharge row, and the oats reseeded where we baled. The deer smoked the oats and ignored the brassicas.
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Post by sd51555 on Mar 24, 2018 19:12:33 GMT -6
Why are super dirty weeds bad for a guy trying to attract deer? Red cedar, phrags, Russian olive, trefoil? Great for deer. Period. I'd rather pick my own weeds than battle 10 foot tall resistant weeds. Don't get me wrong, I love weeds. Having a mix is key to keeping weeds down IMO. My favorite concept is putting a grass into clover vs fighting it, but I want it to be my pick, and this year I'm choosing awnless winter wheat (in the fall anyway).
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Post by nhmountains on Mar 26, 2018 5:15:26 GMT -6
Tooln,
Is the snow down enough to frost seed?
I'm guessing my plots will be bare enough this weekend to spread clover. Then the middle of next week we are due for another storm. That should get them down in the ground ready for May.
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Post by badbrad on Mar 26, 2018 6:27:27 GMT -6
Tooln, Is the snow down enough to frost seed? I'm guessing my plots will be bare enough this weekend to spread clover. Then the middle of next week we are due for another storm. That should get them down in the ground ready for May. Not yet by me. But I'm a little farther north than Mike is. They are talking some rain tonight and maybe 50 on Wednesday. That should help. Then cold again this weekend.
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Post by Tooln on Mar 26, 2018 19:46:54 GMT -6
Tooln, Is the snow down enough to frost seed? I'm guessing my plots will be bare enough this weekend to spread clover. Then the middle of next week we are due for another storm. That should get them down in the ground ready for May. Last I was to the plot I had over a foot of snow. That was Thursday. Didn't have time to get back there today but it's raining now so I suspect it's going to get knocked down fast. I'll more than likely frost seed the wr and go back once the ground warms up and broadcast the sunflowers
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