Throw N Mow thread...

[MarkDarvin]

Huh? Yall are above my pay grade!

Don't sweat the details. When the time comes you need to learn it, you can get caught up quickly. I didn't have to learn any of this until I kept hitting fail after fail after fail. I couldn't spray, plow, drain, or fertilize my way to success any longer.

 

[Deadeye]

I went up and re-mowed the areas for the last time this year. What a difference a year can make!

Last year the one area was wet enough that I got the 4-wheeler stuck while discing and had to use the winch to pull it out. This year it is SO DRY up there that the Waterholes/Ponds that we have in the wettest part of the property are drying up. One is down to Cracked Earth where there was water 2-weeks ago and the other 2, (well one is a continuation of the Cracked one) are way down. Animals are using it as there are tracks all around the waterline.

For Food Plots this year's drought has been disaster. I'm hoping for some rain and then some growth and they should be Prime Eating for when our late Gun Season kicks in in December thru February. Craziest Rut Pattern I've ever seen. Peaks the 2nd Week of February in our spot. Cameras confirm this. I got pics of the Buck my Son got the week before I got there (last week of Jan and I was there 1st week of Feb) and he shot him the 2nd week of Feb and the Cams should he was on the Plot chasing a doe an hour before and returned just as my son was easing in for a look. Perfect Timing or Dumb Luck, you decide.

 

[Crimson n' Camo]

Exactly! Mycorrhizae networks also move water up from deep in the soil profile. It's the magic that delivers resilience when the extremes in weather happen.

I think you guys may be right…..I think m. fungi is also playing a role in helping my seed to establish. This is a pic from a couple years ago of some seed that didn't get covered with thatch. Check out the bottom seed in the center of the pic. It's not even touching soil yet it's still getting established. I think the m. fungi is basically linking them into the chain.

 

[MarkDarvin]

I think you guys may be right…..I think m. fungi is also playing a role in helping my seed to establish. This is a pic from a couple years ago of some seed that didn't get covered with thatch. Check out the bottom seed in the center of the pic. It's not even touching soil yet it's still getting established. I think the m. fungi is basically linking them into the chain.

It's well documented that it's the cornerstone of natural ecosystems. This is why undisturbed areas don't die off from drought or excess rains, and live well, despite having no chemical or fertility assistance. Most soils are sitting on enough insoluble nutrients (rock) to grow a harvestable crop for 10,000+ years. It takes plant diversity and a rich microbial community to "soluble-ize" (spelling) an incredibly small fraction of that giant store of fertility to carry out the season's growth.

I used to think insoluble nutrients were worthless, like P for example. Now it makes perfect sense from a resilience standpoint. Insoluble nutrients don't need to be caught, held, or taken up in a certain period of time before they leach, run off, or volatilize. All the roots and bugs and fungus go the nutrient cellar and take just what they need and nothing more.

When these AMF networks get busted or burnt up, soluble fertility substitutes need to be added to the soil to put nutrition into plants. Imagine trying to add calcium to your diet by holding a chunk of limestone against your forehead. Try as you may, it ain't getting absorbed that way, despite you having 100 times the amount of calcium you need in the palm of your hand.

 

[readonly]

For Food Plots this year's drought has been disaster.

My clover plots have run their course a couple years now. Glad I did not invest in redoing them this year. I have 1/4 acre hunting plot that I kill of and seed in no plow every year. It gets the October deer in front of my cameras if nothing else to see what bucks are there. I did not do it last year. This year I killed it off 2 1/2 months ago and then sewed the no plow early September. Not a drop of rain until 1 1/2 weeks ago. 90 temps up to the beginning of October. The couple of rains we just got hardly any of my seed germinated, probably scavenged by birds and mice. So today I went over it again with another scattering of seed and I'm hoping it will take. Just not sure how much growth in the next few weeks. Long range weather says no frost for 3-4 weeks. We'll see what happens. Light rain tonight and more coming Tues so hopefully next weekend it will be sprouting.

 

[catscratch]

Pulled some oat and wheat plants from the Throw-n-Mow today. There is enough nitrogen for tillering, but the wheat is mining it some from their older leafs on bottom for the younger ones on top. It's not particularly bad as I haven't put anything on these plot (besides gypsum) for many yrs and it still looks ok. I will let it be and continue with rotations to try to keep synthetics out of the system.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[MarkDarvin]

Pulled some oat and wheat plants from the Throw-n-Mow today. There is enough nitrogen for tillering, but the wheat is mining it some from their older leafs on bottom for the younger ones on top. It's not particularly bad as I haven't put anything on these plot (besides gypsum) for many yrs and it still looks ok. I will let it be and continue with rotations to try to keep synthetics out of the system.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Very cool observation. What came before the oats and wheat, and how did you prep it? Just a mow, or a spray and mow? My oats are looking great this year, also with no nitrogen applied, and the deer have started in on them. I should have a pretty good buffet into gun season.

 

[catscratch]

Very cool observation. What came before the oats and wheat, and how did you prep it? Just a mow, or a spray and mow? My oats are looking great this year, also with no nitrogen applied, and the deer have started in on them. I should have a pretty good buffet into gun season.

I did Throw-n-Mow beans and sunflowers this spring. They never got more than 4in tall... so the field was mostly fallow this summer with grasses and native forbs growing in it. Last year this spot had clovers and sorghum in the summer and fallow in the winter.

I sprayed, waited too long for rain and let the dead vegetation fall over and create a thick matt, spread seed and used my mower as a shaker to get seed through to soil.

The oats are from a secret source. They grew in the Throw-n-Mow, didn't grow in my clover patch.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[MarkDarvin]

I did Throw-n-Mow beans and sunflowers this spring. They never got more than 4in tall... so the field was mostly fallow this summer with grasses and native forbs growing in it. Last year this spot had clovers and sorghum in the summer and fallow in the winter.

I sprayed, waited too long for rain and let the dead vegetation fall over and create a thick matt, spread seed and used my mower as a shaker to get seed through to soil.

The oats are from a secret source. They grew in the Throw-n-Mow, didn't grow in my clover patch.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Did you mow your clover at all around the time you put the oats in there? I broadcasted into thick clover without any mowing and struck out too.

 

[catscratch]

Did you mow your clover at all around the time you put the oats in there? I broadcasted into thick clover without any mowing and struck out too.

Yes, I mowed after broadcasting. I figured it would work.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[MarkDarvin]

Yes, I mowed after broadcasting. I figured it would work.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

How low did you mow your clover?

 

[TX-Aggie]

Got a text from my dad on his trip to check up on the farm a couple of weeks ago - his comments were the food plots were a “bust”, filled in with grass and can’t find any food we planted. He sent me our game camera pictures later that night...

I responded to him with “I wish we had busts like this every year!!!” I do wish we had time to spray this year, but being non-resident landowners we only have so many hours on our trip, and I surmised seed down and mowing was higher priority




Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum

 

[TX-Aggie]

I was able to get up to my property for the season this past week. The food plots came in decently well in areas, though one plot struggled (some food, but weeds as well). Due to the lack of rain for 3.5 weeks after seeding and mowing, the turnips and radishes did not make much “tubers”. We did have some evidence that the deer were digging the plots so maybe there was some produced.





Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum

 

[Bowman]

Had a tough year with frost in June, then drought. Some plots were disappointing. Oats were a great performer. Looking for some "different" forages, possibly vetch. A lot of clover went to seed this year. Did this on purpose as many thin, bare spots appeared. I want to use some "heavy reseeders" to keep seed in the bank. So a question is, how do you manage clovers, chicory, trefoil and more? Should I mow to prevent forage from going into reproduction or not? Mow then overseed? Ideally, I would like to have many forages growing and maturing sequentially. I have read that mowing more that half of the forage retards growth in perennials. Would anyone seed brassicas into mowed perennials to use the nitrogen? Looking for options.

 

[KSQ2]

I threw into two clover plots today in a steady rain. Neither plot has much mulch. One the clover dried down and went dormant over a month ago and just began waking up. The other is in a hay meadow and the landowner cut it for hay about 3 weeks ago. That said, there’s not much to mow, will the cereals be ok germinating without mowing? We’ve ended up about an inch of rain so far, nice and slow.

 

[DocHolladay]

They should come on just fine. The rain will help tremendously


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mennoniteman]

The hey should come on just fine. The rain will help tremendously


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Like Doc said, if you get enough rain you don't need cover for the seed. After all, the purpose of mowing a thatch on top of seed is to keep the seed moist.

 

[Brian]

We’ve ended up about an inch of rain so far, nice and slow.

Those are the planting conditions I pray for every year!

 

[jlane35]

My 2020 throw and mow. 2 acres worth of year round food. I’m hooked!

 

[MarkDarvin]

My 2020 throw and mow. 2 acres worth of year round food. View attachment 20017 View attachment 20018 View attachment 20019 View attachment 20021 I’m hooked!

That looks great! What you all got in there?