The Massey
- Thread starter KSQ2
- Start date
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
Definitely ready for the flood part of the rotation here. It has been a LONG time.
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
Took a walk at the Massey today, took a few pics. The Northern Whitetail Crabs continue to impress. I’ll be curious as to how the fruit turns out, assuming we get enough rain to keep them from aborting.
Droptine
30-06
Is this oak okay? It’s SO hard to keep stuff alive in this new climate of ours. We lost several young oaks again over the winter. I’m hoping this one is ok?
Found what I think is another callery pear in the north waterway. Should make a good graft base next year. I’ll ask a couple questions about it in the callery pear thread.
Another fail when it comes to perennial plotting. I don’t know exactly how much $$ I’ve wasted the last 3 falls on chicory and clover seed, but it hasn’t been cheap.
Droptine
30-06
Is this oak okay? It’s SO hard to keep stuff alive in this new climate of ours. We lost several young oaks again over the winter. I’m hoping this one is ok?
Found what I think is another callery pear in the north waterway. Should make a good graft base next year. I’ll ask a couple questions about it in the callery pear thread.
Another fail when it comes to perennial plotting. I don’t know exactly how much $$ I’ve wasted the last 3 falls on chicory and clover seed, but it hasn’t been cheap.
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
Took a WONDERFUL walk on the Massey today. Needed to get the Callery/kieffer pear graft supported, per Native. I walked across the south end of the field through standing water for the first time in 2 years. It was glorious!
Here’s a couple pics from the work. The Callery is quite the shoot thrower, I had to break/snip a bunch off.
Here’s a look from a couple steps back, it’s nice to have a couple young burr oaks off and running in the background.
Here’s a couple pics from the work. The Callery is quite the shoot thrower, I had to break/snip a bunch off.
Here’s a look from a couple steps back, it’s nice to have a couple young burr oaks off and running in the background.
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
Mowed the rye in the lower barn plot yesterday evening. Unfortunately, nothing much going on underneath. The consistent rains lately though have everything else looking great. When the ground firms up enough, my buddy is going to let me use his no-till to put in oats and clover and a little chicory left over from last fall. I plan to put a TON of clover in the ground.
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
I got my hands on a no-till to use this morning and it just might have changed my life!!! Put down a clover blend, a little chicory, and oats in a half acre of the lower barn plot. Trying to experiment a little bit since fall clover establishment has been so difficult with the drought.
The pears trees appear to have suffered the worst of all the trees from the drift weeks ago.
The burr-English oak in the barnyard bounced back admirably. You can see the burnt portions in the pic too.
The northern whitetail crabs are basically indestructible it appears. The crossbow, droptine, and 30-06 all have fruit this year for the first time.
The pears trees appear to have suffered the worst of all the trees from the drift weeks ago.
The burr-English oak in the barnyard bounced back admirably. You can see the burnt portions in the pic too.
The northern whitetail crabs are basically indestructible it appears. The crossbow, droptine, and 30-06 all have fruit this year for the first time.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
What kind of mower did you use on the rye?
When you say ground firming up, is that because you've gotten enough rain finally?
When you say ground firming up, is that because you've gotten enough rain finally?
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
Just a 3 point, 5’ brushhog.
We’ve had pretty consistent rains this spring. We’re not out of drought, but we’ve had some very good steps in the right direction.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
I hear ya. It looked like it did a nice job on the rye. I've started getting rain too. My area has gone from getting ready to hit D3 drought back down to D1, and I'd bet we get back to D0 by next week. I still need enduring rain to recharge the groundwater, but it's going the right way.
The drill went through the rye duff well?
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
VERY glad to hear you’ve finally gotten some moisture!
It appeared to do the job well enough, of course my inspection was that of a novice. I think running parallel with the duff helped keep it from hair pinning.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
My crystal ball sees a "fruitful" future for you....................
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
Went by the Massey earlier this evening, it looks amazing with all the rain! Hallelujah!!
Little crabapples are getting bigger.
This was a droptine from North American crabs before sunscald got to it. I’m beginning to think the regrowth is for sure coming from the root stock. I’ll probably have to graft onto it one day from the other droptine.
I believe this is yellow sweet clover, not sure about that though. Whatever it is, the bees love it!
My first experiment with the no-till appears to be a success, though with the rain we’ve been getting, it would have been hard to mess this up.
Clover appears to be popping up too.
It’s hard to beat years of rye organic matter.
Now back home, looks like we’re gonna have our first few chestnuts!
Our poor chestnut trees simply can’t catch a break though. The hail two weekends ago did a number on them.
NW side of the trees
SE side
Little crabapples are getting bigger.
This was a droptine from North American crabs before sunscald got to it. I’m beginning to think the regrowth is for sure coming from the root stock. I’ll probably have to graft onto it one day from the other droptine.
I believe this is yellow sweet clover, not sure about that though. Whatever it is, the bees love it!
My first experiment with the no-till appears to be a success, though with the rain we’ve been getting, it would have been hard to mess this up.
Clover appears to be popping up too.
It’s hard to beat years of rye organic matter.
Now back home, looks like we’re gonna have our first few chestnuts!
Our poor chestnut trees simply can’t catch a break though. The hail two weekends ago did a number on them.
NW side of the trees
SE side
Last edited:
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
That is absolutely yellow sweet clover. A favorite of mine and you will be hard pressed to find any other plant that will draw in beneficials as good as that. Also a titan when it comes to biomass. M
The Dakotas and Montana blow up in YSC when they get rain. I’ve seen elk in a stand of YSC and it nearly hid a walking elk with its head up.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The Dakotas and Montana blow up in YSC when they get rain. I’ve seen elk in a stand of YSC and it nearly hid a walking elk with its head up.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
It's beginning to filter in to the edges of the lower barn plot as well; I guess I'll let it do its thing. It seems to come on strong early then fade into the background each year.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
Took another walk at the Massey this afternoon. Needed to trim a trail I cut this late winter; hopefully the deer will turn it into a highway by fall.
Deer are already using the end of it closest to the stand. Have a lot more tsi to do next year.
As you can see, little elms don’t have a chance on our edges, between me and the deer.
It’s exciting to see the oaks that have survived the drought; we lost quite a few of them, but the survivors are really taking off with the recent rains.
The white oaks are out-pacing the reds for the most part. This swamp white looks really good.
One of the reds is shining though.
I’ve come to the conclusion that chestnuts aren’t cut out for direct seeding, and neither are allegheny chinquapins. The crazy productive small burr oaks from the high school yard are doing well though. I’ll be harvesting nuts there again this year, and placing them in the tubes of the failed chestnuts next spring or even this fall perhaps and let nature do the cold stratification for us again. Cool thing is of the 4 trees, 2 produce on even years, and 2 produce on odd years. I’m REALLY hoping the trees they throw do the same!
We have a vining plant popping up in the lower barn plot some, I’m going to post it on the mystery plant thread, to see if it’s going to be a problem. I found the chicory seed left over from a couple falls ago, I forgot to mix in with the no-till clover. I went ahead and just broadcast it into the plot, not the best plan, but don’t really want to save it for next fall, not knowing the germ rate.
Deer are already using the end of it closest to the stand. Have a lot more tsi to do next year.
As you can see, little elms don’t have a chance on our edges, between me and the deer.
It’s exciting to see the oaks that have survived the drought; we lost quite a few of them, but the survivors are really taking off with the recent rains.
The white oaks are out-pacing the reds for the most part. This swamp white looks really good.
One of the reds is shining though.
I’ve come to the conclusion that chestnuts aren’t cut out for direct seeding, and neither are allegheny chinquapins. The crazy productive small burr oaks from the high school yard are doing well though. I’ll be harvesting nuts there again this year, and placing them in the tubes of the failed chestnuts next spring or even this fall perhaps and let nature do the cold stratification for us again. Cool thing is of the 4 trees, 2 produce on even years, and 2 produce on odd years. I’m REALLY hoping the trees they throw do the same!
We have a vining plant popping up in the lower barn plot some, I’m going to post it on the mystery plant thread, to see if it’s going to be a problem. I found the chicory seed left over from a couple falls ago, I forgot to mix in with the no-till clover. I went ahead and just broadcast it into the plot, not the best plan, but don’t really want to save it for next fall, not knowing the germ rate.
Last edited:
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
Spot sprayed the bindweed early this evening. There wasn’t much in the plot, but it’s getting going in some other places. I plan to weedeat to the ground where it’s getting thick and spot spray it when it comes back. This was my main tool for the trip, I mixed the gly pretty hot.
KSQ2
Well-Known Member
I ended up taking the mower over to mow down the bindweed, and I’m GLAD I did. There was much more of it around than I thought. Some was already beginning to suffocate one of our young red oaks. I called the extension office and will hopefully hear back from them tomorrow, about what to use in terms of spray. It would be great if they would pay for a portion of the chemical, since this is an invasive, but I’m not counting on that. I don’t want to use glyphosate on it on these bigger area and kill everything. Especially on the hillside and in the waterway. I’m hoping that by mowing, it will getting the older parts of it growing aggressively again, so I can get a good kill.
