Want to plant soybeans, but don’t want to till

[Chipdasqrrl]

I converted my best plot to a no-till rotation this past growing season, and I was pleased with the results. However, I bought a 1/2 acre electric fence and I’m dying to plant soybeans in the spring.

I don’t know anybody with a no-till drill, and I haven’t found any around me that could be rented. I’m also not very confident about trying to throw & mow beans.

I’d prefer not to do this, but I don’t think tilling again would be the end of the world. If I go this route I’d amend with dairy doo and phosphorus fixing inoculant.

What do you guys think? I’m not necessarily looking for a straight answer, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts

Thanks

 

[Jack Terpack]

I have had no success with throw and mow with soy beans. I tried it three times and got almost no germination.

 

[DocHolladay]

I have had no success with throw and mow with soy beans. I tried it three times and got almost no germination.

I did it and the deer kept it eat down so low that they finally killed the majority of the plants. It did what it was supposed to do and fed them for about a month. We started using exclusion cages and it’s amazing what truths they tell.


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[catscratch]

I did Throw-n-Mow means last yr with an efence around it. They did great. Lots of plant and if I remember right I averaged 35 pods per plant with 4 beans per pod. Deer hammered it for a while after taking the fence down and quail are still using it. I've been Throw-n-Mowing different beans and pumpkins for quite some time, it's a good method in my location.

To your question; unless you are making a committed effort to improve soil health I imagine tilling once in a while isn't the worst thing in the world.

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[MarkDarvin]

1. Get a stand of barley out there as soon as feasible in the spring. That'll give you some standing straw in 45-60 days.

2. Once you see seed heads forming, chuck your beans in there and mow it down.

3. Profit.

 

[Chipdasqrrl]

Sounds like people have throw & mowed beans with success. Guess I could give it a try.. Might just need to pack it down real well to get good soil contact


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[willy]

Chip, did you use a planter in the plots there prior or just till and broadcast seed? If you used a planter, depending on the soil you have you could just plant directly into the ground via the planter and you should get a good crop as long as you get adequate moisture. I have a heavy clay based soil and plant directly into it with a jd 71 planter without no till coulters and such and I have great results.

 

[FL Plotter]

I converted my best plot to a no-till rotation this past growing season, and I was pleased with the results. However, I bought a 1/2 acre electric fence and I’m dying to plant soybeans in the spring.
I don’t know anybody with a no-till drill, and I haven’t found any around me that could be rented. I’m also not very confident about trying to throw & mow beans.
I’d prefer not to do this, but I don’t think tilling again would be the end of the world. If I go this route I’d amend with dairy doo and phosphorus fixing inoculant.
What do you guys think? I’m not necessarily looking for a straight answer, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts
Thanks

"dying to plant", "don't have a no-till", "not confident on T&M"......till it up and plant the beans, man. Don't overthink it.

 

[Jeff H]

I did throw and mow beans a few years ago and they did well. I planted mine with sorghum, sunflowers and a few other varieties to help keep them hidden (small plot). Granted my WR was 5 ft tall so I had a lot of biomass to cover them. I didn't pack them either.

 

[THE LLC]

I have thrown beans and peas down and then lightly disked—just enough to turn up a little dirt. Do it right before a good rain. Gotten good results without messing up the soil structure too bad.

 

[Chipdasqrrl]

Chip, did you use a planter in the plots there prior or just till and broadcast seed? If you used a planter, depending on the soil you have you could just plant directly into the ground via the planter and you should get a good crop as long as you get adequate moisture. I have a heavy clay based soil and plant directly into it with a jd 71 planter without no till coulters and such and I have great results.

Unfortunately I just broadcast, need to get myself a planter


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[Mennoniteman]

A 1/2 acre of soybeans is barely worth it, as soon as you open the fence the beans will be gone like magic and you will be back to square one with an empty plot. Now if you plant a 1/2 acre of ladino clover you will have a gift that won't stop giving.

 

[Chipdasqrrl]

A 1/2 acre of soybeans is barely worth it, as soon as you open the fence the beans will be gone like magic and you will be back to square one with an empty plot. Now if you plant a 1/2 acre of ladino clover you will have a gift that won't stop giving.

Unfortunately clover never gets touched from late October until April this far North. That’s actually what I’ve got planted right across the two track from the plot I speak of.

My plan would be to take the fence down about 4 days before the rifle opener. We have a fairly low population so I think it could last 10 days, that’s all I need. Draw every deer within a square mile while it counts

I’d also broadcast grains into the beans in September in hopes of maximizing the food production


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[THE LLC]

If they're like my deer, half acre won't last the first night.

 

[Chipdasqrrl]

If they're like my deer, half acre won't last the first night.

Lots of food around, not many deer.. I’d like to give it a shot


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[MarkDarvin]

Unfortunately clover never gets touched from late October until April this far North. That’s actually what I’ve got planted right across the two track from the plot I speak of.Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum

That is weird. Clover is fantastic by me until it's gone or buried. Have you put any gypsum on it? i know I beat that drum a lot, but it's a $10 experiment. Changed my whole property management plan. It's way easier to grow perennial clover than to try to grow warm season annuals

The countryside is covered in clover by me, and of every kind. I thought it absolutely dumb to grow clover when it was everywhere. Naturally occuring clovers get some use, but mine, with some sulfur applied, gets buzz cut to the ground every year. I expand my clover acreage a little each year, and I still don't have any left by winter.

And my clovers are nothing special, just cheap cover crop clovers. No coatings, innoculants, trade names, or BOBs.

 

[Chipdasqrrl]

That is weird. Clover is fantastic by me until it's gone or buried. Have you put any gypsum on it? i know I beat that drum a lot, but it's a $10 experiment. Changed my whole property management plan. It's way easier to grow perennial clover than to try to grow warm season annuals

The countryside is covered in clover by me, and of every kind. I thought it absolutely dumb to grow clover when it was everywhere. Naturally occuring clovers get some use, but mine, with some sulfur applied, gets buzz cut to the ground every year. I expand my clover acreage a little each year, and I still don't have any left by winter.

And my clovers are nothing special, just cheap cover crop clovers. No coatings, innoculants, trade names, or BOBs.

I guess it could have a lot to do with the fact that the deer have eaten pretty much all of the clover by November, which is also when it gets buried. I’m not sure what would happen if there was a considerable amount of clover left in mid November.. I’ve never had a white clover plot more than 1/4 acre. Guess I have to give it more consideration.

No gypsum yet, I want to get a more in-depth soil test done first; I’ve only done whitetail institute which doesn’t show sulfur


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[Mennoniteman]

Unfortunately clover never gets touched from late October until April this far North. That’s actually what I’ve got planted right across the two track from the plot I speak of.

My plan would be to take the fence down about 4 days before the rifle opener. We have a fairly low population so I think it could last 10 days, that’s all I need. Draw every deer within a square mile while it counts

I’d also broadcast grains into the beans in September in hopes of maximizing the food production


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I'm not trying to throw cold water on your idea, I say go for it, if it works like you outlined it would be a game changer for rifle season. If it works you deserve the rewards for your extra efforts. Remember, to broadcast you need to seed heavier since they won't all germinate, at 1/2 acre the extra cost of wasted seed is almost nothing, If you have a disc I'd seed at about 120% to 150% of regular rate then disc the plot twice and roll afterwards. If throw-n-mow I'd seed at 150 - 175% of regular rate and then mow. I'd watch when the local farmers plant beans and then plant right after they do. Weed control in beans is harder than in corn, I'd check what's growing in early spring, spray with gly 3 weeks before planting, if you have any of the hard to kill broadleaf weeds add 2,4-D to the gly. To tank mix it has to be 2,4-D ester, not 2,4-D amine.