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Post by Sandbur on Aug 7, 2024 19:30:41 GMT -6
^ Well....the Rye is supposed to suppress lots of weeds as it keeps roots in the ground and scavages nitrogen and provides potash when you terminate it. Lots of value there....when it works. What I somehow failed to do is to get clover well established in some areas.....and that provided space for the horsetail to take hole (that is what I think anyway). The drill I bought was configured to drop the seeds from the small seed box nearly as deep in the seed trench as the large seed box.........and I think that was my problem. Thus....buried so deep and having a high rye population the clover did not respond as it has in other years. Normally I plant my rye and any other large seeds at about 3/4" to an inch deep. (at least that is what I think happened). So....the marestail took over under the rye. They seem compatible for whatever reason. I have since reconfigured my drill to drop the small seed box behind the seed trench to be pushed slightly into the ground by the press wheels......and I hope that will solve my issues. I'm not 100% sure that this is the issue.....but it's what I am going with at the moment. Always more to learn. EDIT: Since the marestail issue.....I have sprayed some of the plots with glyphosate and some with Imox to get rid of the weed issues. Also had some poor soils with rye that I mowed as I wanted a re-seed from the rye. Accomplished two things by doing that.....got the rye reseeded via mowing.......and got rid of the Marestail before the seed is viable (I hope). Just today I put some seeds from the Marestail stalks in a rag doll test and will see if the seeds are viable. (the rye does germinate) The glyphosate allowed me to plant brassica immediately after.....and those areas are growing things again. However the Imox has some plant back restrictions......and I am not seeing a decent growth on some trial seeds I put down about 10 days later. I feel like I just wrote a novel. grin. Any thoughts on soil pH and the weed growth?
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Post by Foggy on Aug 7, 2024 20:02:52 GMT -6
^ Well....the Rye is supposed to suppress lots of weeds as it keeps roots in the ground and scavages nitrogen and provides potash when you terminate it. Lots of value there....when it works. What I somehow failed to do is to get clover well established in some areas.....and that provided space for the horsetail to take hole (that is what I think anyway). The drill I bought was configured to drop the seeds from the small seed box nearly as deep in the seed trench as the large seed box.........and I think that was my problem. Thus....buried so deep and having a high rye population the clover did not respond as it has in other years. Normally I plant my rye and any other large seeds at about 3/4" to an inch deep. (at least that is what I think happened). So....the marestail took over under the rye. They seem compatible for whatever reason. I have since reconfigured my drill to drop the small seed box behind the seed trench to be pushed slightly into the ground by the press wheels......and I hope that will solve my issues. I'm not 100% sure that this is the issue.....but it's what I am going with at the moment. Always more to learn. EDIT: Since the marestail issue.....I have sprayed some of the plots with glyphosate and some with Imox to get rid of the weed issues. Also had some poor soils with rye that I mowed as I wanted a re-seed from the rye. Accomplished two things by doing that.....got the rye reseeded via mowing.......and got rid of the Marestail before the seed is viable (I hope). Just today I put some seeds from the Marestail stalks in a rag doll test and will see if the seeds are viable. (the rye does germinate) The glyphosate allowed me to plant brassica immediately after.....and those areas are growing things again. However the Imox has some plant back restrictions......and I am not seeing a decent growth on some trial seeds I put down about 10 days later. I feel like I just wrote a novel. grin. Any thoughts on soil pH and the weed growth? I'm sure it's a factor.....as are lots of nutrient values. Just bought a book on this.....as SD has used it to reference some things. so much to learn....so little time. I just want to be like allot of farmers (poor ones)..........just drive my tractor and forget about all the agronomy. lol
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Post by sd51555 on Aug 7, 2024 20:38:45 GMT -6
I stole a page out of Foggy's book and tried a poor man's throw and crimp with my packer and wheeler. Kinda excited to watch this play out. What it was: Rye, balansa, red clover, hairy marvin, chicory. Everything was done growing except the chicory and hairy marvin. The clovers were completely dried off, laid down, and shelled out nicely. What i broadcasted: 12 bushels/ac rate of goliath oats. ($36 for a quarter acre) What's next: Let the deer have it until mid October, then broadcast 4 bushel/ac of winter trit. There's a trophy mat of duff out there. That's why I went with such a stupid high rate of oats. I'm expecting most won't punch through, but I wanted a high rate of success where there is an opening. I figure 2 months of hoof action out there, that duff mat should get pressed pretty close to the ground, and some of the trit will fall through and reach soil. If you're interested in the crazy, have a look. I also did the yard plot which was mostly the same except for no chicory, way more rye/trit residue, and more yellow sweet clover. rumble.com/v59n3t1-throw-and-roll-2024.html
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Post by Foggy on Aug 7, 2024 21:25:10 GMT -6
^ I really think that your Herd on the back of your wheeler would do a better (and far easier and faster) means of spreading that seed you put down. But....your young.....and can use the excursive and "experience". Grin.
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Post by sd51555 on Aug 7, 2024 21:46:20 GMT -6
^ I really think that your Herd on the back of your wheeler would do a better (and far easier and faster) means of spreading that seed you put down. But....your young.....and can use the excursive and "experience". Grin. In time grasshopper. The seed would have hit that 6' tall material and fallen to the ground right behind the wheeler. I do plan to try to get it going in time for October triticale spreading. Might even get at it this weekend. I've got my mowing guy coming saturday, but maybe saturday night I can get it in the shop and tear it apart and try to find the problem.
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Post by Sandbur on Aug 8, 2024 1:58:52 GMT -6
I stole a page out of Foggy's book and tried a poor man's throw and crimp with my packer and wheeler. Kinda excited to watch this play out. What it was: Rye, balansa, red clover, hairy marvin, chicory. Everything was done growing except the chicory and hairy marvin. The clovers were completely dried off, laid down, and shelled out nicely. What i broadcasted: 12 bushels/ac rate of goliath oats. ($36 for a quarter acre) What's next: Let the deer have it until mid October, then broadcast 4 bushel/ac of winter trit. There's a trophy mat of duff out there. That's why I went with such a stupid high rate of oats. I'm expecting most won't punch through, but I wanted a high rate of success where there is an opening. I figure 2 months of hoof action out there, that duff mat should get pressed pretty close to the ground, and some of the trit will fall through and reach soil. If you're interested in the crazy, have a look. I also did the yard plot which was mostly the same except for no chicory, way more rye/trit residue, and more yellow sweet clover. rumble.com/v59n3t1-throw-and-roll-2024.html. Will the turkeys be able to dig out that seed? High number of turkeys on the other corner of zone 172.
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Post by Sandbur on Aug 8, 2024 2:06:13 GMT -6
Any thoughts on soil pH and the weed growth? I'm sure it's a factor.....as are lots of nutrient values. Just bought a book on this.....as SD has used it to reference some things. so much to learn....so little time. I just want to be like allot of farmers (poor ones)..........just drive my tractor and forget about all the agronomy. lol If I’d didn’t make it into vet school, I was thinking of soil chemistry or water quality/ chemistry work. I wish I knew more, but no longer worry about it. I do find some comments from my dairy farmer/ renter/ buddy interesting. Liming seems to reduce some weeds but we seem to always get something else to replace the weeds with all of the chicken, Turkey, and hog operations here. It’s kind of like my red cedar woods. If I take some down, it turns into a buckthorn thicket. So don’t expose the soil unless that is what you want in that area. I did find very little weeds in some tiny woods plots north of you and on virgin soils. Then I carried in a bag of black dirt from Walmart. Thistles galore!
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Post by sd51555 on Aug 8, 2024 5:55:07 GMT -6
I stole a page out of Foggy's book and tried a poor man's throw and crimp with my packer and wheeler. Kinda excited to watch this play out. What it was: Rye, balansa, red clover, hairy marvin, chicory. Everything was done growing except the chicory and hairy marvin. The clovers were completely dried off, laid down, and shelled out nicely. What i broadcasted: 12 bushels/ac rate of goliath oats. ($36 for a quarter acre) What's next: Let the deer have it until mid October, then broadcast 4 bushel/ac of winter trit. There's a trophy mat of duff out there. That's why I went with such a stupid high rate of oats. I'm expecting most won't punch through, but I wanted a high rate of success where there is an opening. I figure 2 months of hoof action out there, that duff mat should get pressed pretty close to the ground, and some of the trit will fall through and reach soil. If you're interested in the crazy, have a look. I also did the yard plot which was mostly the same except for no chicory, way more rye/trit residue, and more yellow sweet clover. rumble.com/v59n3t1-throw-and-roll-2024.html. Will the turkeys be able to dig out that seed? High number of turkeys on the other corner of zone 172. There’s a herd in my neighborhood. I rolled up hard on a dozen last weekend in one of my plots. I’m kinda worried they’re gonna rip up my thatch just to get at the rye and trit heads I laid down.
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Post by Foggy on Aug 8, 2024 6:44:53 GMT -6
I got pretty fair numbers of turkey too.
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Post by Sandbur on Aug 8, 2024 8:27:25 GMT -6
There is an irrigated soybean field next to my woods in the north country. Not much deer sign and numbers still have to be down. The wet summer has also provided lots of feed in the woods. I hope they put a rye cover crop in after harvest.
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Post by smsmith on Aug 8, 2024 10:56:20 GMT -6
I added a $250 drag to my foodplotting tools this year. Probably wouldn't have even needed it this year with all the rain.
I'm to the point in foodplotting that clover/alfalfa/chicory mixes and brassicas are all I care to grow.
I've increased tonnage of food per acre exponentially in the last 12 years, mainly by getting sun on the forest floor. Maintaining sections of this acreage in early successional forest is more "powerful" than any ag crops I could grow in terms of deer numbers and protecting bucks.
The farmer across the road can grow the corn, beans, and small grains.
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Post by benmnwi on Aug 8, 2024 11:02:07 GMT -6
What drag did you get? You can get a lot of food plot work done with an atv, sprayer and drag.
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Post by smsmith on Aug 8, 2024 12:00:48 GMT -6
What drag did you get? You can get a lot of food plot work done with an atv, sprayer and drag. Just a 4' DR drag harrow. I haven't figured out how to post links on my phone. It rips stuff up pretty good and "floats" over rocks without getting hung up.
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Post by benmnwi on Aug 8, 2024 12:17:03 GMT -6
I have a couple of different style of drags that I pull behind my ATV, but my favorite one has seen better days. It is a spring loaded type of drag that was originally on the back of my friend's chisel plow. It was old when I got it and over time those spring loaded tines tend to break.
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Post by smsmith on Aug 8, 2024 12:25:21 GMT -6
My neighbor uses a section of an old spike tooth drag. It does a good job. I needed something I could transport in an atv trailer to access my woods plots. The one I bought is relatively easy to get in and out of the trailer (for now anyway).
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