Chicory plot issue

[Fantail]

Trying to figgure out what went wrong, what I did wrong.

It's a new plot for this year, expanded old logging trail little less then a 1/4 acre I'd say. Just prior to Turkey season I put down some lime. Mid May I hit it with round-up. By the end of may I went back up with the tiller & went to town. 1st run I chewed it up then put down 80lbs of 8-8-8 w/lime. Chewed it up again. Broadcasted tecomate chicory for 1/4 acre, went over it litely with a rake to get contact.

Two weeks later some growth showing. Another week goes by and it's looking good, a little more growth. Last weekend - 1/2 gone or died out.

What the heck even? 20-30 yards away the clover plot with a litle chicory in the mix is doing fine. Back-up plan is plant winter rye month out from Archery as it may be late to replant chicory again. But, they chicory was the back up in case there's a dry spell.

Edited June 18, 2012 by Fantail

[growalot]

Army Worms?...lack of sun?....grubs/cut worms?....lack of rain...Too much of moister?

Edited June 18, 2012 by growalot

[Fantail]

Army Worms?...lack of sun?....grubs/cut worms?....lack of rain...Too much of moister?

Don't think so. The other plots are close and the clover/mix is doing good. Of course the clover is established. Forgot to mention the ph avg is 6.

[First-light]

My chicory plot did awful the first year. Similar to what your saying. 2nd and 3rd took off and looks great.

[dave6x6]

I know you've done enough of these where you know what your doing but a couple small things came to mind while you described your problem. Chicory is such a small seed that any time i'm using a tiller, i always make sure i cultipack or roll the soil before broadcasting. The tiller fluffs the soil so much that even a moderately heavy rain can drive those seeds so deep that they wont germinate. Roll- seed-rollagain usually works best and gives you all the seed contact you need. I don't believe that has anything to do with this particular problem though because you said the plot did fine up to a point and then died off. Chicory likes heavy soil so maybe that loogging road is too well drained for that planting.?? Chicory also likes alot of sun and in my experience clover will tolorate a bit less sun so maybe like growalot stated, it maybe just isn't getting enough to survive. It's too bad though. I've been frustrated by plantings myself in the past and it can tick you off. Chicory is surprising though. It is usually pretty reliable.

[Fantail]

You got me there, fluffed up the new plot twice over. Didn't pack it down. Perhaps the new growth somehow couldn't dig in. I don't have a roller, it would be another heck of a thing to get one back to where the plots are by hand.

I was thinking a month has gone by, there's been a few decent rain storms, and I did the same thing to the expanded part of the clover plot & its growing slow but ok. Maybe there's time to reseed the new plot with a 50/50 clover-chicory mix.

Edited June 19, 2012 by Fantail

[dave6x6]

I hear ya Fantail. You know what your doing and i'm sure it really isn't a prep issue. I remember a frustrating planting i had a couple years back. We put about an acre of Power Plant in one year and it did awesome. So the next year we worked 4 acres right next to this original plot and had everything perfect when we planted. That freeegin' thing grew nothing but a handful of beans and a bunch of weeds. To this day I have no idea what happened there. As for what to do now on your site, hard to say, but i do like the chic/clover mix alittle better then the straight chicory. It's probably the lushest, highest tonnage plot i have right now. It is in full sun though.