Throw and Mow Seed Input

[Prelude8626]

All! I’m new to the forum and have property in southern Maine that we just purchased. I’m limited on equipment but do have an atv and a utv. We cleared a couple small plots last year and did WR with not good luck on being used by the deer but my ph text was only a 5.4. (We did do lime and fert) This year I was thinking of doing AWP, Clover Mix, Chicory and some WW. What do you all find to work the best with the throw and mow methods.

 

[Chipdasqrrl]

As a general rule of thumb - the smaller the seed, the higher chances of success with throw & mow.
I’ve only used clover when trying throw & mow, and it works pretty well. As long as you’re not using large seeds like corn or beans, you should have success.


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[MarkDarvin]

What kind of mowing equipment do you have?

 

[Prelude8626]

I have a bush hog and a regular lawn mower. Do you feel it’s better to till the ground? I could always rent a walk behind tiller.

 

[MarkDarvin]

I have a bush hog and a regular lawn mower. Do you feel it’s better to till the ground? I could always rent a walk behind tiller.

No. It may help in the short run, but the only time I move dirt is if the plot is really rough. The plots on my new place were low and grazed by cattle, so I had a mine field of ruts from hooves. I flattened it once with a rented skid steer and pulled a drag over. Never moved dirt since.

If you get rain, there's not much you can't do in a throw and mow situation. To get bigger things to go, you'll need to manage for straw and learn to produce it and effectively kill it and spread it out to do what you want to do. I like the concept of mow killing cereals, simply because I'm too lazy to spray, and I don't like handling chemicals.

For what you want to grow, I'd maybe skip the peas, and focus on a getting a straw crop growing first. I'm partial to barley simply because it grows and bolts quickly and can be mow killed by end of June in my area (zone 3). You may want to get a longer season oat, planted a little later as well, so that you can throw and mow your WW/clover/chicory around September 1st.

If you want to do large seeded things in spring or early summer the following year, I'd skip the wheat in the fall and go with winter rye and about 20% late maturity oats. That rye straw will be ready to mow kill by June 1st and you can throw and mow whatever you want into it.

 

[Prelude8626]

No. It may help in the short run, but the only time I move dirt is if the plot is really rough. The plots on my new place were low and grazed by cattle, so I had a mine field of ruts from hooves. I flattened it once with a rented skid steer and pulled a drag over. Never moved dirt since.

If you get rain, there's not much you can't do in a throw and mow situation. To get bigger things to go, you'll need to manage for straw and learn to produce it and effectively kill it and spread it out to do what you want to do. I like the concept of mow killing cereals, simply because I'm too lazy to spray, and I don't like handling chemicals.

For what you want to grow, I'd maybe skip the peas, and focus on a getting a straw crop growing first. I'm partial to barley simply because it grows and bolts quickly and can be mow killed by end of June in my area (zone 3). You may want to get a longer season oat, planted a little later as well, so that you can throw and mow your WW/clover/chicory around September 1st.

If you want to do large seeded things in spring or early summer the following year, I'd skip the wheat in the fall and go with winter rye and about 20% late maturity oats. That rye straw will be ready to mow kill by June 1st and you can throw and mow whatever you want into it.

I have WR in both plots at the moment and will come back during spring green up. I was gonna frost seed some clover and chickory.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I have WR in both plots at the moment and will come back during spring green up. I was gonna frost seed some clover and chickory.

That's a great idea. The WR will be a perfect nurse crop for the clover and chicory. In fact, you don't need to do much with it after frost seeding, the rye will terminate itself and you will have a beautiful clover field for next hunting season. Growing up on the farm my dad used to do exactly this to start his new clover fields. Combined the WR in June and the clover pops right out. But you don't need to cut the WR, it'll just fade away and add to your OM.

 

[weekender21]

Any known reason why the WR didn't do well? Do you have an exclusion cage? What month did you plant?

Cleared my first plot last year, post logging operation hardwoods in 6a (western NC). Starting with a PH of 5.6, will test again this spring. Added 800 pounds of pelletized lime by hand and: WR, WW, Oats, MRC, CC, DR, PTT, and DER. Added lots of extra due to slope and inbound hurricane.

Don't take the above as advice, I'm just learning from the pros here on the forum. My timeline is similar to yours so we’ll have to share results and tips!

2019 plans. Wait and see. Potentially nothing if the WR and clover do well this spring, maybe add fertilizer, seed to the bare spots, worst case nuke the whole thing. Definitely adding another few hundred pounds of lime.

SEP 2018 clearing

SEP 2018 limed and seeded

October 2018

November 2018

Exclusion cage picture. The plot didn't look as nice in November as it did in early October. In part because it's a first year plot planted relatively late but the deer were to blame as well.

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