What happened ?

[Drycreek]

Ok guys, I need some knowledge. I'm not a newbie at food plotting, but I certainly don't have the experience that some of you have. I had two plots fail this spring and they are the first failures I've experienced in several years. I don't want any repeats if I can help it.

Last year I planted 2.75 acres to IC peas, 2 acres in one plot, .75 acre in another about 100 yd. away from the first. The two acre plot had never been planted to anything to my knowledge. It's just a long narrow R. O. W. I burned it down with 3 oz. gly per gallon as I did the smaller plot. Both plots needed lime badly but I couldn't get any because it was too wet. I mowed both plots and disced them under and planted the same day. This was late in July, 2016. It was wet last year, hence the late planting. In the two acres, I got a great stand of peas that lasted until the middle of September before the deer ate them down to the vines. In the .75 acre plot, the hogs ate most of the seed. Hard to believe I know, but it looked like a hog stampede. You could not have pitched a quarter out there that wouldn't have landed in a hog track. The two acre plot is spring only, I don't hunt there. The other plot was planted to wheat around the first week of September. It made a fair crop and kept deer in front of me all season.

Fast forward to early spring, 2017. I was able to get the required amount of lime spread and I disced it in the same day. I had other plots to plant on other places so I got to this property about the middle of May and sprayed what little vegetation there was with gly. About a week or so later I disced grooves in the soil ( disc almost straight ) seeded and fertilized, and dragged it in. This is the method I used on all plots to seed peas. Today I went there to check my game cams and plots and what I found totally disheartened me. I have a great crop of croton ( goat weed ), various grasses, and weeds I do not know the names of. There were a few pea vines scattered about, eaten almost to the ground, but mostly weeds and grass. WTH happened ?

I know this is a long read, but don't know any other way to explain it. I'm open to any and all discussion and suggestions. Thanks !

 

[Semisane]

Just a guess, but I'd bet if you had cameras on the plot you would have gotten a lot of pictures of deer and/or hogs wiping out young bean plants.

 

[FarmerD]

You didn't plant enough acres of cowpeas! My first year planting copweas, I planted 1 1/2 acres and they got knee high, then the deer came in and wiped them out. The next year, I was going to fool them and plant 5 acres! The 2nd year, the deer never let them get 2 leaves on them and all I had was sticks in the ground. Then came the weeds .... and grasses. 5 acres of weeds is what I ended up with.

Sad but true story ........

 

[FarmerD]

This is one of those times, that having an exclusion cage would tell you a lot. I don't use them enough myself ......

 

[Drycreek]

Just a guess, but I'd bet if you had cameras on the plot you would have gotten a lot of pictures of deer and/or hogs wiping out young bean plants.

Maybe, but why didn't they wipe them out last year ? I do have a camera on the plot, but forgot to pull the card. I'll get it next time.

 

[FarmerD]

The first year, your deer didn't know what they tasted like, till the cowpeas flowered and the scent drew them in. This year, they were ready for them.

 

[Drycreek]

You didn't plant enough acres of cowpeas! My first year planting copweas, I planted 1 1/2 acres and they got knee high, then the deer came in and wiped them out. The next year, I was going to fool them and plant 5 acres! The 2nd year, the deer never let them get 2 leaves on them and all I had was sticks in the ground. Then came the weeds .... and grasses. 5 acres of weeds is what I ended up with.

Sad but true story ........

Again, maybe, but last year I had the same crop in the same place and it was great. I plant cowpeas on other places with much success.

 

[Drycreek]

The first year, your deer didn't know what they tasted like, till the cowpeas flowered and the scent drew them in. This year, they were ready for them.

Could be, but I saw them probably three weeks ago and they weren't eaten up at that point and there wasn't a lot of grass/weeds in them. That's the reason I'm so astounded. Not at all what I was expecting. I'm gonna try to find the pic I took of them last time I was there.

 

[X-farmerdan]

Tell me about the seed. Where did you get it? What did the seed tag say? When was the last time they were germ tested? The tag will give you the date. How did you plant the seed? Broadcast? I got the part about running grooves and dragging. Was there sufficient soil moisture to start and maintain germination? How deep do you think those seeds got pushed into the soil? Too deep? Not deep enough? Or, just right? No herbicides other than gly?

 

[Semisane]

Could be, but I saw them probably three weeks ago and they weren't eaten up at that point and there wasn't a lot of grass/weeds in them. ............

I can attest to the fact that three does can wipe every leaf off of 18" tall Iron/Clay Pea plants on a 1/3 acre plot in two nights. The funny thing is, they never touched those plants until they reached eighteen inches.

 

[Drycreek]

Tell me about the seed. Where did you get it? What did the seed tag say? When was the last time they were germ tested? The tag will give you the date. How did you plant the seed? Broadcast? I got the part about running grooves and dragging. Was there sufficient soil moisture to start and maintain germination? How deep do you think those seeds got pushed into the soil? Too deep? Not deep enough? Or, just right? No herbicides other than gly?

I got the seed at my local seed and feed, same as all the other plots I planted this year, and they are all fine.
Weed seed was almost nil on the tag.
Don't know about germ testing.
Broadcast the same as always into lightly diced soil and dragged in.
Moisture was good, soil temps were good.
Seed depth should have been as always, because I disced the plot the same as all my others.
No herbicides other than gly and there wasn't much vegetation when I sprayed about a week and a half before planting.

The only difference I can see in my method was I eliminated my usual burn down because I disced lime into the plots in early spring. Normally, I burn it down a couple weeks before planting, then disc that under, drag it smooth, disc the grooves in it, then plant and drag. It's a head scratcher for me.

 

[Drycreek]

I found some pics that might make this clearer. Looks like I planted mid-May. Note the shallow grooves in the plot.

 

[Drycreek]

I broadcast milorganite about a week later, just like last year, hopefully to keep the deer off the peas until they were established. You can see lots of peas have germinated.

 

[Drycreek]

This pic is from June 15, almost a month after planting. Lots of peas, very few weeds, but the growth is not what I expected.

 

[Jason Broom]

Zoom in on that picture...tracks everywhere. An exclusion cage would tell you everything you need to know.

 

[Drycreek]

Zoom in on that picture...tracks everywhere. An exclusion cage would tell you everything you need to know.

Jason, I was there ! I don't know what you're seeing, but it ain't tracks. I walked out in the plot and hardly any tops were nipped. That's why I felt so good about it. There were a few pig tracks, and we are loaded with them, but I've never seen a pig either on camera or in person, eat anything other than clover, and they eat very little of that.

 

[X-farmerdan]

So, the seed did germinate, right? If it was there and then it wasn't critters et everything in sight! Deer. groundhogs.

 

[X-farmerdan]

A suggestion to all. Keep your seed tags until your plants are established. Seed is 99% pure and viable. Occasionally, something misfires. Without the tag, you have no resource. In addition to some vital information you need to consider, the tag also has the lot number on it. If it goes wrong for you, others who have purchased the same lot will suffer the same consequences. There's power in numbers.

 

[Drycreek]

So, the seed did germinate, right? If it was there and then it wasn't critters et everything in sight! Deer. groundhogs.

No groundhogs here, just hogs !

 

[Drycreek]

Ok, critique this possibility. Next year I'm thinking RR beans (Real World) and a hot fence around the .75 ac. plot. This would exclude the deer and allow for grass/weed control. It also might allow for bean pods for fall and I could broadcast wheat or rye in the standing beans. This is my hunting plot.

In the two acre plot, I'm thinking about sunn hemp, both to outrun the eaters and ( I'm told ) to help shade out the unwanted vegetation. What say y'all ?