I've never understood how throw and mow works when the field is covered with clover, grass, weeds, leaves and other organic material and I'm throwing the seed on that. I tried it for the first time this year and sure enough I went out to that field today for the first time in a month and was sorely disappointed. It's a rocky field so I can't get a disk on it except in a couple of spots so I decided to try t and m. I spread WR and some brassica. Literally the only places it germinated was in the few strips where I disked. I had plenty of rain after I spread the seed and decent cover. But my original puzzlement remains. How will it ever germinate without that soil contact?
Puzzled by throw and mow
- Thread starter srmtrap
- Start date
catscratch
Well-Known Member
I get good soil contact when I TnM. Spray the field, let it die down some, spread seed, then mow. Works really well.
I think mowing "shakes" the seed down to soil level.
Sorry it didn't work for you. With rain it has always worked for me.
I think mowing "shakes" the seed down to soil level.
Sorry it didn't work for you. With rain it has always worked for me.
DocHolladay
Well-Known Member
You might have to clear some thatch out of the way by using a rake or burning, but I have had good success in 10 year old hay fields.
rlb165
Member
srmtrap, I just came in from taking these last 2 pics. This is a small experimental plot. As you can tell from the first pic, it started off as mostly serecia lespedeza.
I scattered the seed, then bush hogged the area, with the bush hog raised as high as it would go. After I finished mowing, I saw that there was a lot of fescue growing beneath the lespedeza. I spot sprayed the fescue with glyphosate. I had planned on bush hogging a second time, as low as I could, but I ran out of time because of the added step of spraying.
It rained for the next 3 days.
This is mostly rye, wheat, or oats, as all 3 were in the mix.
This is Hairy Vetch and Austrian Winter Pea.
To be honest, Throw n' Mow has changed my entire food plot game, and I only started using it last Fall. You can't really tell from these pics, but this small plot is on a slope that I never would've planted using conventional tillage, for fear of erosion.
I'm sorry that you had disappointing results. Would you mind telling us exactly what steps you took? Maybe someone with more experience than me will jump in.
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I scattered the seed, then bush hogged the area, with the bush hog raised as high as it would go. After I finished mowing, I saw that there was a lot of fescue growing beneath the lespedeza. I spot sprayed the fescue with glyphosate. I had planned on bush hogging a second time, as low as I could, but I ran out of time because of the added step of spraying.
It rained for the next 3 days.
This is mostly rye, wheat, or oats, as all 3 were in the mix.
This is Hairy Vetch and Austrian Winter Pea.
To be honest, Throw n' Mow has changed my entire food plot game, and I only started using it last Fall. You can't really tell from these pics, but this small plot is on a slope that I never would've planted using conventional tillage, for fear of erosion.
I'm sorry that you had disappointing results. Would you mind telling us exactly what steps you took? Maybe someone with more experience than me will jump in.
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Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
I did a 1 acre plot for a friend this fall that had heavy thatch after spraying and we ran a drag over it with an atv after broadcasting seed, instead of mowing. This seems to work just as good or better than mowing depending on conditions. It shakes the seed down to soil contact, but had to throw several armfuls' of dead thatch off that rolled up on piles.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Sorry to hear things didn't work out. Below is a link to a thread that might help you. I gave some steps in it that I used to get good results.
Good luck.
PS: I was watching it from a distance this afternoon, and it had around 15 deer in it.
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/throw-and-mow-clover-13-months-later.3027/
Good luck.
PS: I was watching it from a distance this afternoon, and it had around 15 deer in it.
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/throw-and-mow-clover-13-months-later.3027/
Thank you all. I'm wondering the same thing about running a rake over it next year. I didn't spray and maybe that makes all the difference but to be honest I don't see why. I mowed after I spread the seed and like I said I had decent coverage and lots of rain. But even as I was spreading the seed I'm thinking...it's landing on a reasonably thick layer of grass, clover, weeds etc....I don't see how this is going to work. Anyway...I definitely realize it works for so many of you but clearly I'm missing something. I certainly could rake a bit to turn up some soil but the rocks are tough in this field and will be hard on my rake like they were on my disk before I stopped.
I have had some throw and mow plots that did not take. The second time I came in and fertilized including some nitrogen. Waited two weeks and spread seed again. Only rye and crimson clover because they seem to grow on concrete. Plot was thin for two plantings thereafter. After several crops it grows ok but I don't think the soil is too good. Rather small plots so i didn't soil test.
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
catscratch
Well-Known Member
I TnM long strips in native pasture. I always seed past the edge a little and seed goes into grass that isn't sprayed and dead. I never see growth in the edge where it wasn't sprayed and is still living grass. In that I think you would need to mow it or graze it, then seed it with a drill.
Crimson n' Camo
Active Member
This is not meant to criticize the OP in any way……..but this is a good example of why you have to understand the principles and not the method. There’s hundreds of different situations out there that will all have a different combination of variables. You need to be able to assess the situation and then form a short term and long term game plan for how to attack it based on each induvial situation. Good luck with your future plantings srmtrap. 
This is not meant to criticize the OP in any way……..but this is a good example of why you have to understand the principles and not the method. There’s hundreds of different situations out there that will all have a different combination of variables. You need to be able to assess the situation and then form a short term and long term game plan for how to attack it based on each induvial situation. Good luck with your future plantings srmtrap.
Point well taken
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Jason Broom
Well-Known Member
CnC, since you are the most experienced person I know of when it comes to throw-n-mow, how critical would you say it is to spray with gly, for an area that is being converted from pasture or old-field into a first-time food plot? I have to confess that all of my throw-n-mow plots were started with a more conventional mow-wait-spray-wait-disc and plant. I don't have any experience creating a brand new plot without at least some kind of mechanical tillage to get the process started.
rlb165
Member
This is my first year of trying Austrian Winter Peas, so I'm not sure how much the deer will like them.
But, I'm very impressed with how well they've germinated. Based on what I'm seeing so far, you might want to consider adding them to your Throw n' Mow plots.
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But, I'm very impressed with how well they've germinated. Based on what I'm seeing so far, you might want to consider adding them to your Throw n' Mow plots.
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Crimson n' Camo
Active Member
It really depends on what’s growing in the field and what time of year you plant. Grasses are gonna be you’re biggest issue. Most broadleafs will terminate with mowing if it’s late enough in the season and they’ve gone to seed. The old summer crop needs to terminate though in order for the new fall crop to establish. You can’t just have the old established crop rebound and start growing again.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Like you said, throw n mow is a shaky proposition if done without spraying at all, unless seeded into a mature crop like grain, or broadleafs that self terminates after mowing.
Osceola
Active Member
So this has been the hurdle I can't quite get over with T&M. Most of us include clover in the fall planting for deer nutritional purposes the following spring and summer and for soil health. I'm still new at this, but I've never had the faith to just over seed into clover in the fall without spraying to at least set the clover back. Can you really T&M into established clover without spraying with good results?
jsasker007
Active Member
Small seeds work the best to get through the thatch layer and make contact with soil.
catscratch
Well-Known Member
I did throw n mow with a bunch of grocery store beans last fall: black eye peas, lima beans, black beans, etc. Just like your winter peas I had great germination and the deer loved it (too bad they ate them all in a week).This is my first year of trying Austrian Winter Peas, so I'm not sure how much the deer will like them.
But, I'm very impressed with how well they've germinated. Based on what I'm seeing so far, you might want to consider adding them to your Throw n' Mow plots.
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