Lazy Food Plots

He’s baaack!!
Mowed the weeds in my perennial clover plots but left the clover intact. Hot dry weather is set in and clover won’t be touched w mower until Sept.

Also mowed the WW in my 2 annual plots. I mow it about a foot high to keep from creating too much thatch when I broadcast brassica in 3 wks. I’ve found too thick of a mat is almost worse than no thatch. Sometimes I will spray before planting but most times I do not. Heavy clover presence beneath the wheat so I prob won’t spray even tho it really won’t kill the clover just make it mad.

Now if I have a complaint of using WW it’s that it’s seems to decompose slower than WR which can be a problem of causing too much thatch w TnM.
Rye used to be cheap but now with most farmers no till and rotational cropping it’s kinda got up there.
See what we taught the farmer. I used to get looks of confusion when I spoke of brassica and grains. Not any more. A prophet I am.

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As said I mow the wheat half it’s height then in a few weeks will broadcast seed mix and mow short at that time.


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Plenty of clover beneath the dying grain this the conundrum of whether to spray for fall planting. Sometimes do , other times not. Don’t really see much difference in results.

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If you going to do T&M you have be willing to play the weather odds. Rain past wk of several inches, few storms moving in tonight, and some rain this weekend.
So I decided do my brassica planting. Typical LC mix PTT 3#/ac. DER 2#. Forage radish 5#.
Chose not to spray since so much WC present. Mowed short. Didn’t have time for fert but will apply 200# 10-20-20 and 50# urea. Fert prices are crazy.

This plot was planted WC in 2009. It has been sprayed gly and tilled several times before I went no till and yet the clover will not die. Clover loves abuse.

I will overseed WW sometime from Sept-Nov

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And yes love it when God’s plan and mine come together!! Sitting right on top of my farm!!
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Brassica planted couple wks ago had germinated and growth present user the thatch. Spread 10-20-20 and Urea today since I didn’t have time at planting. Half the time I don’t fert but brassica love N. I didn’t use my typical 19-19-19 as price savings was nice.

Thatch makes so much difference w moisture retention and shelter from heat or cold. I love T&M so much easier and cheaper.

You don’t need expensive equipment. I did my first clover plots in 2009 w a cheap bag spreader and dragging a bedspring. If you have never put down 400# of fertilizer w a bag spreader you haven’t lived !!!
Those plots are still going.
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I can't help cringing a little seeing the 4 wheeler on an incline

bill

I couldn’t tell if I should take you serious but if so we prob better not do a land tour at my place. My Bear stand is straight up a 60+ deg slope and we won’t even discuss my Nosebleed stand. Lol. I get nervous in flat land.


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I love the terrain and elevation variation and heights don't bother me

Unfortunately, I've seen too many ATV/tractor rollover accidents on inclines

Just be careful,dogghr!!!!

bill

PS i would learn a lot from a land tour at your place
 
Houston , we have lift off!!
Brassica Babies have squeezed thru the birth canal.
Three wks from planting. TnM. WW thatch. No spray. No fert at planting.
Clover and weeds left intact except for short mow.
Will throw some milk/Urea at them In another couple weeks.
If I get any lazier plots would need to fall from Heaven like mana.

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Brassica erupting amongst the clover and grasses. Lower plot with better soils doing better than ridge top but both look good after 4 wks planting. Spread a dose of urea today.
I’ll overseed winter grain end October after brassica leaves are browsed.
Pictures of deer feeding on existing clovers and weeds and they will begin browsing brassica early October.
I doubt I will ever go back to any monoculture planting.

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Brassica erupting amongst the clover and grasses. Lower plot with better soils doing better than ridge top but both look good after 4 wks planting. Spread a dose of urea today.
I’ll overseed winter grain end October after brassica leaves are browsed.
Pictures of deer feeding on existing clovers and weeds and they will begin browsing brassica early October.
I doubt I will ever go back to any monoculture planting.

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Looking good. When you overseed grains and/or brassicas into an existing clover plot, do you just mow over the seed, or do you do anything more?
 
Looking good. When you overseed grains and/or brassicas into an existing clover plot, do you just mow over the seed, or do you do anything more?

I mowed the standing WW to half height about a month prior. Then when I seeded I mowed the remaining standing thatch to about 6”.
I’ve found the standing 6” helps prevent early browsing by deer as they don’t like have those stubs poking them in the nose/mouth.
TnM requires extra effort like that to help promote success of early establishment as opposed to other methods.
As I stated previously I do sometimes spray w gly at time of planting. Most times I do not , especially this year as clover was exceptionally heathy do to rains. [ sorry drought people].
But in reality , years of developing the soils and thatch most times circumvent dry periods.

As a side note Steve I’ve quit adding chicory to my plots. It has self planted everywhere including my roads and fallow fields. As many times said I’m cheap and lazy.

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I mowed the standing WW to half height about a month prior. Then when I seeded I mowed the remaining standing thatch to about 6”.
I’ve found the standing 6” helps prevent early browsing by deer as they don’t like have those stubs poking them in the nose/mouth.
TnM requires extra effort like that to help promote success of early establishment as opposed to other methods.
As I stated previously I do sometimes spray w gly at time of planting. Most times I do not , especially this year as clover was exceptionally heathy do to rains. [ sorry drought people].
But in reality , years of developing the soils and thatch most times circumvent dry periods.

As a side note Steve I’ve quit adding chicory to my plots. It has self planted everywhere including my roads and fallow fields. As many times said I’m cheap and lazy.

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That's great about the chicory. I overseeded a clover plot with just mowing the other day. We will see how it works out. I put in mostly wheat with a few brassicas.
 
Getting brassica to grow is not a problem for me. Keeping the deer from destroying them before they can grow more than a foot is the issue. Last week I had brassica thruout this field. This week none. Cameras show deer camped out mowing both it a clover heavily. I’m not sure why I still plant them but I do.

Sprayed Cleth in this old clover plot 2 wks ago. All brown is dead grasses. Usually wait until mid Sept to spray but it’s been such a rainy year things are ahead of schedule.
I do use Imox some but Cleth is still my go to. This time 16 oz Cleth/ 32 oz AMS.
Did not use a surfactant since there was a mixture of brassica in the field and didn’t want to burn them.

You can see my loggers old Knuckleboom sitting at far edge.

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Now don’t give me grief on ugly. If one wants to do multicultural , no spray, TnM, then one has to accept ugly just as I do when I look in the mirror.
But I do know I have clover and brassica, natural native browse , and eventually grains growing providing nearly year round food with little or no input.
A lazy man I might be.
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Now don’t give me grief on ugly. If one wants to do multicultural , no spray, TnM, then one has to accept ugly just as I do when I look in the mirror.
But I do know I have clover and brassica, natural native browse , and eventually grains growing providing nearly year round food with little or no input.
A lazy man I might be.
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I don't see anything that bothers me in there other than those few spears of sedge. If you come up with a way to deal with it, please let me know. I am struggling with that one in my year 4 plot.
 
I accept sedges as long as they are sparse. Depending on type of sedge it is a native grass but occasionally can overwhelm and need nuking but typically it’s not worth the effort for me.


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I don't see anything that bothers me in there other than those few spears of sedge. If you come up with a way to deal with it, please let me know. I am struggling with that one in my year 4 plot.
I used SedgeHammer successfully this year in a clover plot. It didn't bother the clover at all. It's not cheap, but it works. You can put single packets that will mix a gallon, if you just need to spot treat.

Sedgehammer Herbicide - Nutsedge Control | Fast, Free Shipping - DoMyOwn.com
 
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