Annual Weeds are proving to be a Strong Draw.

[letemgrow]

Worked up this field over a month ago and let nature do its part.

It has a lot of purslane and waterhemp/pigweed that sprouted.

 

[letemgrow]

 

[letemgrow]

 

[lakngolf]

Many times the areas where I just mow become favorite spots. I do have lots of clover underneath in some spots.

 

[yoderjac]

View attachment 26079
View attachment 26080

"Weeds", from a farmer's perspective, are some of the greatest deer food around. I am more and more moving toward weed management. Light soil disturbance seems to be much better than mowing for weed management. Mowing favors grasses and some forbs like clover over broadleaf weeds. Light soil disturbance promotes new growth of both forbs and broadleaf weeds.

"Weed" (or native herbaceous) management has turned my program upside down. I used to spray gly in the spring to give my crop chance over weeds given our browse pressure. That only seemed to promote noxious warm season weeds that have some natural resistance to gly like marestail. It took me a while to get the marestail under control, but that issue is behind me. I now wait until the summer weeds are done before spraying gly in the fall to control grasses. I now just let the seed bank take over in the spring. As my WR matures and my CC fades, a healthy mix of summer weeds covers my summer stress period. Deer seem to love the structure created by weeds of varying heights better as well.

 

[MarkDarvin]

I mix ragweed into all my perennial blends. I don’t have any on my place, and it’s slow to come. I planted the first three years ago. It’s getting the most attention in my clover plot right now.

I suppose plantain is a coin flip as far as weed vs purposeful forage. I’ve got some trophy plantain in that same plot for the fall. I buy that too. This is a 2-gal bucket. That plantain was knee high.

Throw in some native flowers too. These really took well in my other plot.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk