Time for an update. I took the week off to catch up on some chores. I rented an excavator to put in 3 20’ culverts, enlarge some ditches and to dig a grave for our dog with cancer. I also got 31/2 acres of Winfred Brassicas/Rutabagas in. I’ll put in another 21/2 acres of brassicas the next couple weeks.
I put in 4+ acres of corn in last month. It’s coming along. Broadcasting results are always unpredictable. The deer annihilated the beans as soon as they sprouted but have largely left the corn alone. With average rain and atypical acorn production (we’ve had more than that), the corn and brassicas should keep the deer well fed through the winter.
This plot has traditionally been our best clover plot. Unfortunately, we lost 3/4 of the clover. I’m going to replant Labor Day with a jumbo ladino/chicory mix and a cover crop of triticale. I plan to disc in several tons of ag lime before hand. A quarter of the plot is at 6.2ph while the balance is 5.7. The production difference is quite noticeable even after 4 years of plotting and 4 tons of lime. It takes a lot of effort to convert former forest into productive land with our acidic soils.
I planted this alfalfa last fall and it’s still filling in surprisingly. I’m going to overseed it heavily in the morning and mow it (we’re forecast to get a 1/2” of rain tomorrow afternoon). The deer spend more time picking at it than they do the adjoining clover plots. I’m hoping it will be a strong draw this fall. I’ve read it it doesn’t overseed well....I guess I’ll see what happens.
And for the truly ugly. This 1/2 plot has always been a rockstar. We planted Rutabaga/Winfred following the same process we always have. We got decent germination and things looked great 2 weeks ago. I was stunned to see half the plot has been taken over by this broadleaf. I’m at a loss as to both the cause and any cure. If the weeds continue to grow in height, I may give the wick bar a try? Any thoughts or suggestions? I’m not even sure what the weed is. The seed was new and I mixed it myself. I’m particularly surprised at how completely it’s overtaken this usually reliable plot. I’m not at all happy with the out come and have actually thought about terminating the plot and planting clover/chicory/triticale.
