Upstate Obsession

[dogghr]

Beautiful place.

 

[Chainsaw]

I enjoy seeing the many predators and different views on your property thru your pictures Tom. The views are spectacular. Our property like yours is too wet to put equipment on as well. In fact even our "roads" are too wet for the four wheeler or Polaris Ranger even. Usually by now there are some dry areas and some wet areas versus with all areas still to wet as it is now.

 

[Elkaddict]

The roads are such a mess I even the Atv’s leave ruts. It’s snowing this morning.

 

[Elkaddict]

Found this guy Saturday before the front blew in. I believe it’s a juvenile Eastern Red Spotted Newt. Usuallly don’t see these until mid to late May. I’ve counted as many as a hundred in an afternoon. One of the many welcome signs of spring. Weatherman is reporting 60-70 degree temps for later in the week. Hoping it gets the turkeys going.

 

[Triple C]

Snow on Monday...Holy Cow! What I love about this forum is the diversity of properties across the country. Always enjoy catching up on yours!

 

[lakngolf]

Agree with tripleC. Diversity is unreal. Enjoy following along

 

[Elkaddict]

Crazy spring weather. This morning at 4:45, it was 64! Gobblers were nowhere to be found this morning. Did see a dozen deer. Hoping the longbeards get their freak on soon

 

[Elkaddict]

You know the joke about “it” being done very carefully?

 

[Keith Nehrke]

Ouch! Don't tick her off...

 

[Elkaddict]

With the late spring and rain every weekend, I’m badly behind schedule. I got all of last years fall grains (triticale) mowed. It literally grew a foot the last week and it’s to the point where spraying cleth or raptor wouldn’t be real effective. I’m hoping to get 4 pallets of lime spread, and our corn and bean plots in this weekend. Sadly, my SIL can’t help. While turning some ground, I came across this killdeer on her eggs. I nearly didn’t see her in time. It amazes me how they’ve evolved to nest in such open areas. Her courage in not leaving her eggs when my tractor was 5’ away motivated me to leave her a little island. Hope she and the lil ones survive all the predators.

 

[Elkaddict]

Turkeys are still doing their thing. I’ve passed a couple of jakes.....looks like I won’t be thinning the flock with all the chores I’ve got to do.

 

[lakngolf]

I have stayed away from mowing this year so as to not spoil a nest of the new turkeys we have been seeing. Glad you saw nest.

 

[Elkaddict]

Last year I let the Rye go and had a really tough time planting brassicas because the mass had to be removed. I swore never again. I got it cut before it was really tall enough for deer bedding—-never seen the turkeys nest in it.

 

[Elkaddict]

Weekend was a challenge. I ultimately got 4+ acres of corn/beans in and a couple pallets of lime spread. Sadly, conditions were wetter than ideal (a 17% chance of sprinkles turned into an all day event Sunday). By noon Monday, it was just drying out enough to finish planting...far from ideal. What makes it so tough is removing all of last year’s stalks. I mow, rake and disc the balance in but it’s a huge headache. I also know I’m inevitably scraping a little top soil in the process. Burning isn’t an option. I’d welcome suggestions. I’m broadcastinng so don’t have the ability to cut through the trash. I keep threatening to give up on corn....but then see what a late season draw it is, and how accessible the grain is when there’s 3’ of snow covering the brassicas.

 

[Elkaddict]

A few updates: this is our mountain top plot. PH was low 4s 3 years ago. Today it is a lush paradise. When things dry out a little more, I’ll mow it to knock back the triticale from last fall. Clover is a foot high.

 

[Elkaddict]

This our well plot. We’ve got great clover but the grasses have come back fast this spring. It was too wet to spray when they grasses were young. I’ll mow if things dry out this afternoon and hit with cleth next week. If that doesn’t help, I’ll hit it with a light dose of gly.

 

[Chainsaw]

Elk, I use cleth a lot. It takes a very long time to work but work it does. In a one or two or even three acre plot I think it is worth spraying with the back pack sprayer early when the grass is young and the fields are too wet for the tractor. But then again being retired mostly, I have time to use the backpack sprayer which is not very efficient time wise.

 

[Elkaddict]

Another thing to look forward to in retirement Dave, what are your thoughts about mowing, waiting a week and then spraying the new growth with Cleth. More effective than spraying more mature growth? I know this makes a difference with Gly.

 

[Elkaddict]

Another thing to look forward to in retirement Dave, what are your thoughts about mowing, waiting a week and then spraying the new growth with Cleth. More effective than spraying more mature growth? I know this makes a difference with Gly.

 

[Chainsaw]

Another thing to look forward to in retirement Dave, what are your thoughts about mowing, waiting a week and then spraying the new growth with Cleth. More effective than spraying more mature growth? I know this makes a difference with Gly.

Tom, I have not tried that with cleth that I recall; As you say it does work with roundup. It makes a lot of sense though and sounds like a very good idea. You will be encouraging the grass to grow again and the chemicals I've used work best on actively growing plants versus mature plants or those in various stages of grow dormancy.

EDIT--I didn't want to leave you with the false hope that retirement means you will have more time; Projects simply become larger, more detailed and done better and more timely and more projects are taken on just because we can. Some retired people no doubt have more time left after quitting time each day but I'm not one of them and from the forum members I have come to know, they aren't one of them either. Sorry but that's the real story.