brush hogged and sprayed...Now what?

[Buck_IT]

Hey WNY,

I did see your post with the electric fence, nice set up.  But i opted to not till due to the slope these plots are on. I was afraid the soil and seeds would have washed away/relocated.  So i opted for the no till method.  i might still try the no till method, but might try drilling next year

 

[WNYBuckHunter]

2 hours ago, Buck_IT said:

Hey WNY,

I did see your post with the electric fence, nice set up.  But i opted to not till due to the slope these plots are on. I was afraid the soil and seeds would have washed away/relocated.  So i opted for the no till method.  i might still try the no till method, but might try drilling next year

 

Thanks. Ive done lots of hillside plots (alot more slope than yours) the same way I did mine this year. No issues with erosion year in and year out. Here are a couple of examples. In the second pic, the plot there goes 50+ yards beyond the top of the ridge, which you see just behind the deer, and drops off significantly. The larger tree in the background with the thick bottom branches, those branches are 15+ feet up from the ground. We can drive 90hp tractors under them without dropping the ROPS.

[Robhuntandfish]

3 minutes ago, WNYBuckHunter said:

Ive done lots of hillside plots (alot more slope than yours) the same way I did mine this year. No issues with erosion year in and year out. Here are a couple of examples. In the second pic, the plot there goes 50+ yards beyond the top of the ridge, which you see just behind the deer, and drops off significantly. The larger tree in the background with the thick bottom branches, those branches are 15+ feet up from the ground. We can drive 90hp tractors under them without dropping the ROPS.

i cant see anything past that Bull/Buck!  wow .  

[WNYBuckHunter]

1 minute ago, Robhuntandfish said:

i cant see anything past that Bull/Buck!  wow .  

Yeah that ol boy was a hog

[Robhuntandfish]

44 minutes ago, WNYBuckHunter said:

Yeah that ol boy was a hog

He still there or did anyone get him?  Or like a lot of these big uns just not seen anymore.... couldn't get him in a headlock if you tried. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

5 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

He still there or did anyone get him?  Or like a lot of these big uns just not seen anymore.... couldn't get him in a headlock if you tried. 

He was shot the following season by one of the neighbors. Same basic rack configuration, just more mass. A couple of us saw him during the season, just never had a chance at him.

[J sin]

13 hours ago, Buck_IT said:

has anyone had poor experiences on their first plot? 

Wow, where do I start. 

[LET EM GROW]

Peas are hard to get to germinate without tilling.. unless your soil has moisture, and you can lay some vegetation over the top of seed with your roller/packer. Other wise the germ% drops significantly. Unless a ton of rain comes through afterwards, that eventually buries the seed some for you.. .

The hardest parts about going no till in these new places that have never broken soil before, is just that.. soil is firm. A first year no till plot of a Grain like wheat or rye and a radish is usually ideal to bust up the hard soils some, since all 3 germ pretty easily, and the grain would be your "cover/lay over crop" for the next planting. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

3 hours ago, LET EM GROW said:

Peas are hard to get to germinate without tilling.. unless your soil has moisture, and you can lay some vegetation over the top of seed with your roller/packer. Other wise the germ% drops significantly. Unless a ton of rain comes through afterwards, that eventually buries the seed some for you.. .

The hardest parts about going no till in these new places that have never broken soil before, is just that.. soil is firm. A first year no till plot of a Grain like wheat or rye and a radish is usually ideal to bust up the hard soils some, since all 3 germ pretty easily, and the grain would be your "cover/lay over crop" for the next planting. 

Another great ground breaker for first year plots is buckwheat. Adds N to the soil, grows with minimal fertilizer and plowing, and out competes most weeds. Weve used it a bunch of times with brand new plots.

[Buck_IT]

I went with the blend of rye, wheat and brassicas this year for the exact reason to help with future plots. I like the idea of buckwheat, when should that be planted, spring?

[corydd7]

Yes spring for buckwheat. You can then broadcast your next crop and roll it in after 65-75 days. That will terminate the buckwheat while creating thatch to hold moisture in the soil. 

[Buck_IT]

So let the buckwheat grow, then broadcast my beans(next rotation for brassicas), peas, and wheat/oats end of july, roll, then winter rye in September?  I do Have a older ford tractor with a nice tiller, i just chose the no till method because of time.  im hoping this first year will help with the PH

[LET EM GROW]

Buckwheat is great, but you may get some fussy ness with germination in no till plots. Just use the vegetation, a roller and future moistures to your advantage and you should be good. Tiller is great but you loosen and activate the weed seed bed every time you break soil. Which is no big deal if you have time to take care of plots/weeds etc.. either way its better than doing nothing at all as always. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

Buckwheat can be planted spring or fall. I like to plant in the spring, that way it can mature and seed out. Turkeys and other birds love the seed.