No Mow May

[dogghr]

Most probably know , but you should not mow in May except perhaps your clover plots. People spend time and money to develop pollination plants for bees and butterflies.
In addition these “weeds” which typically have tap roots , are mining nutrients for you from the soils and busting the soil for aeration and moisture management
Drought protection, monsoon protection, fire protection.
And if you can resist the urge to fire up the mower until late summer, nature will plant and manage an amazing landscape, supplying a multitude of animals that will be a field of dreams. Did I mention fawning cover from your predator aggravation? Nature planted clovers? Vetches? Dozens more. Fallow is not a bad word.
Next time you have the urge to mow, just sit in your tractor and have a Coke , beer, water, whatever and observe. Then go back home.

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[MarkDarvin]

That is crazy talk. The mosquitos would carry me away if I drank outside this time of year.

Otherwise, I'm with ya. I won't be zapping anything other than the lawn until late summer. Gotta keep the grass low around the building to keep the critters away and skeeters down. I've got a plot right next to my lawn that is full of clover, vetch, alfalfa, chicory, trefoil, and more.

 

[massey]

I hear ya. But I can’t see any more critters on my cameras


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[massey]

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[massey]

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[Drycreek]

That is crazy talk. The mosquitos would carry me away if I drank outside this time of year.

Otherwise, I'm with ya. I won't be zapping anything other than the lawn until late summer. Gotta keep the grass low around the building to keep the critters away and skeeters down. I've got a plot right next to my lawn that is full of clover, vetch, alfalfa, chicory, trefoil, and more.

You’re right, those ND skeeters can stand flat footed and breed a turkey. I never could understand that in a place that the ground freezes 5 feet deep a mosquito egg could survive.

But to the original post, I never mow until I’m sure all the fawns are capable of getting up and away when I pass their way.

 

[Long Cut]

I’m mowing trails and any grass infested sections of food plots to spray with Clethodim.

Aside from that, I do agree let the animals have the woods

 

[dogghr]

Enjoying my chicken salad from local Amish shop while enjoying butterflies, bees, insects working the fields. Redtail cruising looking for lunch and fussing at me. Deer in the lower field. Fawns probably hiding in the mess.
WW of my annual grain/clover/ brassica plot starting to seed. Thick w white and red clovers beneath. Wont mow until it self terminates and replant grain/brassica for fall.
Enjoying the peace and quite which will come to an end soon as loggers attack my 80 ac of hardwood. I both dread and look forward to the mess. Been there before.
Listen to your land, it has much to tell.

“We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive.”-- Leopold

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[Mennoniteman]

Enjoying my chicken salad from local Amish shop while enjoying butterflies, bees, insects working the fields. Redtail cruising looking for lunch and fussing at me. Deer in the lower field. Fawns probably hiding in the mess.
WW of my annual grain/clover/ brassica plot starting to seed. Thick w white and red clovers beneath. Wont mow until it self terminates and replant grain/brassica for fall.
Enjoying the peace and quite which will come to an end soon as loggers attack my 80 ac of hardwood. I both dread and look forward to the mess. Been there before.
Listen to your land, it has much to tell.

“We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive.”-- Leopold

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Those Amish sure do know how to make a sandwich. That redtail might be hard on your turkeys.

 

[dogghr]

Mowed today. What??? But you said don’t mow!! Well there are exceptions. While I only mow the perennial clover plots couple times a year it is necessary to control weeds and grasses/grains especially if one doesn’t spray chemicals often.
My biggest love/hate relationship is with Goldenrod. While I love it for screening it loves prairie/clover plots. Although certain sprays like Cleth and Imox can control grasses and certain weeds, it is not affected by either and requires mowing and if wanted, select chemicals. Ph and healthy soil helps limit it.
These perennials are overseeded in Aug every couple years w grains and radishes, and those are allowed to reseed themselves, replanting the plot w no effort on my part.
There are other times fields must be mowed we will discuss later.

Brown areas are weed/grass kill from Imox spraying in May.

For those that wander about cab tractors, I mowed and cleared trees all day in the rain. Dry

Turkeys, hawks, and coyotes love to come around when mowing. Easy pickings of bugs, rodents , snakes, etc.

Terminate a clover plot because of its age?? Bull. 13 years going on this plot in the foreground.
In background to the left is annual rotational plot of radishes grains and clovers.
The mowed background to right is my clover Buffalo plot which planted itself with herd/tractor management. It’s obviously a field requiring mowing every 6 wks to maintain the browse and trampling mimic of a Buffalo herd. You can search it’s description on the forum.

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[Triple C]

Enjoying my chicken salad from local Amish shop while enjoying butterflies, bees, insects working the fields. Redtail cruising looking for lunch and fussing at me. Deer in the lower field. Fawns probably hiding in the mess.
WW of my annual grain/clover/ brassica plot starting to seed. Thick w white and red clovers beneath. Wont mow until it self terminates and replant grain/brassica for fall.
Enjoying the peace and quite which will come to an end soon as loggers attack my 80 ac of hardwood. I both dread and look forward to the mess. Been there before.
Listen to your land, it has much to tell.

“We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive.”-- Leopold

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Nice lookin' sammich.

 

[George]

You sure do have a bunch of flat ground.

G

 

[dogghr]

You sure do have a bunch of flat ground.

G

Lol. Only a guy from KY could tell a WV he had flat land. But indeed all things are relative.


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[dogghr]

Good guy to follow on native species. More south than me but still has good info on his videos.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/5048976081888030?fs=e&s=cl


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[Drycreek]

Good looking clover dogghr ! I agree on terminating clover plots. The only white clover plots I ever had to replant were a couple that got away from me because I was working too much and didn’t tend them properly.

 

[KSQ2]

Enjoying my chicken salad from local Amish shop while enjoying butterflies, bees, insects working the fields. Redtail cruising looking for lunch and fussing at me. Deer in the lower field. Fawns probably hiding in the mess.
WW of my annual grain/clover/ brassica plot starting to seed. Thick w white and red clovers beneath. Wont mow until it self terminates and replant grain/brassica for fall.
Enjoying the peace and quite which will come to an end soon as loggers attack my 80 ac of hardwood. I both dread and look forward to the mess. Been there before.
Listen to your land, it has much to tell.

“We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive.”-- Leopold

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Love it!!!

 

[weekender21]

Are you sure I can’t mow? Deer are getting swallowed up in this waist high vetch!

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[dogghr]

I know some insist upon keeping clover mowed free of weed and grass. For some perhaps true. Was on my annual backpacking trip and some mint on the pillow wilderness exploration at/in DS and OC wilderness areas.
These deer at the base resort had an option of several acres of mowed clover and yet here is where they spent their time. Heads buried in a buffet of food with underlying clover. Don’t be deceived of photo clover plot. I see the same results at the farm. All meat on the buffet bar is boring wo some taters thrown in. Same w wild life.
Our state no longer keeps every road side and park areas mowed like golf greens. Native waist high growth provides food , cover , and pollination. Drives my wife crazy though and is constantly making fun of unmowed areas. Hard to educate those closest to you as a prophet is never recognized in their own country. A hardship I must endure.

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[dogghr]

And some more pics you get from not mowing or even spraying. Black raspberry and blackberries thickets with Milkweed and goldenrod. Throw in some naturally occurring vetch blooms And then there is the ragweed , chicory , and dandelions deer love.

Have you guys even see how some hunters drool over milkweed for their seed pods? I’ve got them by the thousands. Maybe a new mail order company for me??

And you do know all the rage of BUYING milkweed seeds to plant for the monarch butterfly?? For the love, we can have this stuff for free.

Manage your land as an amalgamation of various plants providing food and shelter for a variety of interacting animals and mining and supplementing soil requirements. God absolutely does not like a monoculture in the environment or otherwise synthetic supplements and invasives become the norm.

More deer palatable plants than I have time to name. One of my Hazelnuts in the background. Cool shrub/ bush for deer.

Bees? Butterflies? They are happy.
How do you like that field screening??Black Willows that chose to plant themselves along the creek bank. All of which is controlling erosion, flooding , water retention in drought, and filtering water that I’ll send to the Gulf of Mexico.
All this from a rambling mountain man.

Loaded Blackberries this year but I won’t get a single one as bear sit with bowl and spoon to gobble each one. Ever watch 400# brute strong enough to roll a 1000# log, gingerly pick berries with his tongue and lips like a ballerina dances??Pretty amazing.

Yes mam I jumped a deer out of this thicket as usual.

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[Native Hunter]

And some more pics you get from not mowing or even spraying. Black raspberry and blackberries thickets with Milkweed and goldenrod. Throw in some naturally occurring vetch blooms And then there is the ragweed , chicory , and dandelions deer love.

Have you guys even see how some hunters drool over milkweed for their seed pods? I’ve got them by the thousands. Maybe a new mail order company for me??

And you do know all the rage of BUYING milkweed seeds to plant for the monarch butterfly?? For the love, we can have this stuff for free.

Manage your land as an amalgamation of various plants providing food and shelter for a variety of interacting animals and mining and supplementing soil requirements. God absolutely does not like a monoculture in the environment or otherwise synthetic supplements and invasives become the norm.

More deer palatable plants than I have time to name. One of my Hazelnuts in the background. Cool shrub/ bush for deer.

Bees? Butterflies? They are happy.
How do you like that field screening??Black Willows that chose to plant themselves along the creek bank. All of which is controlling erosion, flooding , water retention in drought, and filtering water that I’ll send to the Gulf of Mexico.
All this from a rambling mountain man.

Loaded Blackberries this year but I won’t get a single one as bear sit with bowl and spoon to gobble each one. Ever watch 400# brute strong enough to roll a 1000# log, gingerly pick berries with his tongue and lips like a ballerina dances??Pretty amazing.

Yes mam I jumped a deer out of this thicket as usual.

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Looking good. I really like those willows. Do they make a pretty good screen in winter?