Keystone Krops

I planted corn once……once ! The hogs went down the rows the first night and ate almost every kernel. I think I had two stalks in that plot. I just planted about 8/10 rows for a barrier next to my main road through my place. The next year I used a commercial blend from Frigid Forage and it worked great until the seed heads got ripe. Yeah, the hogs destroyed it too. 😖
 
Ladino is such an easy fun plot to grow. This is a plot that's ATV access only, therefore the plot doesn't get much in the the way of fancy treatments, but it's jumping out of the gate!20230819_123357.jpg
 
I'm not on speaking terms with white clover right now. I've got one more idea to try to get rye up through it. It wasn't my idea, it was some habitat friends told me to try it. I'm going to broadcast rye into mine around first frost. Within a couple weeks, the deer should have the clover down enough that if the rye germinates, it'll get about 30 days to get a footing.

If that works, and I get rye up the following spring, I'll switch everything back to ladino.
 
MarkDarvin said:
I'm not on speaking terms with white clover right now. I've got one more idea to try to get rye up through it. It wasn't my idea, it was some habitat friends told me to try it. I'm going to broadcast rye into mine around first frost. Within a couple weeks, the deer should have the clover down enough that if the rye germinates, it'll get about 30 days to get a footing.

If that works, and I get rye up the following spring, I'll switch everything back to ladino.
Click to expand...
I've done a lot of experimenting with clover and small grains, and my experience is that over-seeding anything into a tight stand of clover is not going to work. Also, your proposed planting date seems a bit late to get much growth out of the rye once it does get started. IMO taking a drill and and seeding into clover then mowing short is the best option, in your zone I'd do it right away. Second best if you have no drill is to do a throw-n-mow. The key to timing for clover inter-seeding and mowing short is to wait long enough that the heat of summer is broken and the clover is growing well again, but to do it early enough that the clover has time to regain full growth and height before the first day of hunting season. If this plan is firing on all cylinders the rye seed (or oats, but don't mix them together) starts germinating right away because it's 1" deep in the soil, and the rye pops out just as the clover is closing off the sunlight again, for a perfect mix of rye and clover. The problem with throw-n-mow in thick clover is that the clover chokes the rye before it can get going, this problem is alleviated with my no-till drill which turns up a narrow trail of dirt at 7" intervals through the clover, allowing the rye just enough time to get going before the clover closes in that gap again.
I hear you on the ladino, it's usually the only clover that I plant although I might experiment with some clover mixes in the future.
 
Where I've still got white clover, I don't really need the forage. It'd be nice, but I'm getting my plot acres up to the point where clover can go the distance most years. So I need rye to grow in the spring and summer to keep the other grasses at bay.
 
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MarkDarvin said:
Where I've still got white clover, I don't really need the forage. It'd be nice, but I'm getting my plot acres up to the point where clover can go the distance most years. So I need rye to grow in the spring and summer to keep the other grasses at bay.
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We plant rye in the fall for winter forage, I guess with snow cover all winter that's not an option for you?
 
Mennoniteman said:
We plant rye in the fall for winter forage, I guess with snow cover all winter that's not an option for you?
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I've got one newer plot where I left out the white clover altogether. That one can grow forage worthy quantities of rye in the fall. That does get excavated handily by the deer after the snow flies. Anywhere i've got white clover though, I've yet to be able to get rye to grow. Last chance is to try late when the clover starts getting browsed off.
 
On August 19th I rescued a failed corn plot with drilling rye and radishes, two great fall/winter plantings that don't break the bank to put out. With the recent sporadic droughts and failed food plots I've just gone through, inputs and costs are getting a lot more attention. It looks like this planting is going to make it, it's jumping right out of the gate considering that it's been very dry in the three weeks since I planted, but the one timely rain right after seeding made all the difference. It should be prime for hunting season.20230909_095400.jpg
 
MarkDarvin said:
Those drills do a nice job. What are your thoughts on inputs and costs? You considering coming to the dark side?
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20 LBS of Diakon radishes for $31.60, 200 LBS of rye for $40.18, 10 LBS of VNS Ladino for $46.30, so I spent $118.08 plus about 2 gallons of diesel fuel for about $65 per acre on this 2 acre fall plot and we should end up with nice clover plot in the spring all for the same money.
As far as me coming to the dark side, I am a guy that changes sides faster than a baby needs a diaper changed or faster than a liberal politician changes his mind. One field I'm no-tilling beans into rolled barley with-out any chemicals, then the next field I'm spraying with 44 oz. of glyphosate and ripping up the entire field with a chisel plow as if I had no conscience at all.
If you noticed in my picture, that no-till does look really good with the soil covered in mulch, and I didn't spray any chemicals on it either, just chopped the earless cornstalks.
 
Mennoniteman said:
20 LBS of Diakon radishes for $31.60, 200 LBS of rye for $40.18, 10 LBS of VNS Ladino for $46.30, so I spent $118.08 plus about 2 gallons of diesel fuel for about $65 per acre on this 2 acre fall plot and we should end up with nice clover plot in the spring all for the same money.
As far as me coming to the dark side, I am a guy that changes sides faster than a baby needs a diaper changed or faster than a liberal politician changes his mind. One field I'm no-tilling beans into rolled barley with-out any chemicals, then the next field I'm spraying with 44 oz. of glyphosate and ripping up the entire field with a chisel plow as if I had no conscience at all.
If you noticed in my picture, that no-till does look really good with the soil covered in mulch, and I didn't spray any chemicals on it either, just chopped the earless cornstalks.
Click to expand...

I’ve been pondering soil testing some of my work areas where I buried my topsoil in pond spoils clay. One area has been green for four straight years. I did zap it this summer, and that set me back.

I was out kicking dirt to see if I had any color change yet, and I don’t. However, it grows amazing crops with no inputs other than seed and some generous shots of gypsum and calcitic lime. Still hard as pavement, but the forages look great. And that is with 4” of rain since winter.

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b278cf2a98de38f57f54709772c8be03.jpg



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