Food Plots 10 days of hot and dry forecasted (WTI Clover Advice)

[MidTnBuck]

Well guys let me start by saying I've been a long time member on the forum (2009) until the platform switch and primarily just lurked around in this particular sub-forum for the past 8 years without recovering my old account (east10buck). Although you may not be familiar with me, I have been around and read these forums long enough I feel like I know some of you personally. That being said, I am glad to be back.. Now down to business.

About two weeks ago (Aug 1st) I worked up the ground of a 1 acre food plot on my farm that is a logistical nightmare to get to. I live at the foot of the mountain in Franklin Co so for any of you whom are familiar with the area, I am a glorified rock farmer. The past three years I have owned this farm this particular plot was a perennial clover plot (WTI) that I top dressed with wheat and oats in the fall. It has always produced and been a killer stand until the drought we had in mid summer of last year. Below is a pic of half the plot before last years drought

So...2 weeks ago I saw we had a ton of rain forecasted for our area over the next several days and decided to spray, disk, drag, sow, drag. Seed mixture was WTI clover, oats, and a bag of winter peas I had laying around. Below is a pic after sowing and dragging. And yes we used the 4Runner to pull an 8ft disk that was left up there by the previous owner.

Fast forward to today and I have a great stand of green carpeted clover, oats, and peas. Probably 6 inches in height at this point with no fert or PlotBoost added. I will try and get pics this evening. So I said all that to say this, we are looking down the barrel of 8-10 days of hot temps with no rain after tonight. Do you think the plot is up enough to withstand the dry (heat) as well as browse pressure? I am looking for any and all mitigation tactics because I feel I may have been impatient and jumped the gun on my planting this year. I still plan on top dressing in about a month with clover oats and wheat.

 

[megalomaniac]

Yes, you jumped the gun a bit. Will it handle 14 days no rain... a lot of it will. There will be bare spots in the drier areas that die. But weatherman is horrible 14d out. May get rain in a week, may not get rain in a month.

Personally, I NEED a week without rain in TN... several of my plots are too wet to bushhog right now, and my best plot can be bushhogged now, but I'll destroy my only road into that place if I take the tractor back there right now....

Once we get 7d w,/o rain, all summer plots are getting bushhogged, wait 7 to 10d, then drill before next rain event. So mine should go in anytime after Aug 28th or so this year IF we dry out.

 

[BSK]

Two weeks without rain on a newly tilled plot in summer is rough. Three weeks is a disaster.

But IF your plot can grow tall enough to shade the ground, much less soil evaporation.

I'm spraying my ridge-top rock gardens this week, but then I'm going to wait for a forecast of a couple of back to back rains before I till and plant.

And Mega is correct, any forecast beyond about 7 days is a guess at best. The models have gotten a lot better out to 7 days, but beyond that their accuracy is pretty poor.

 

[BSK]

And yes we used the 4Runner to pull an 8ft disk that was left up there by the previous owner.

I tried that with my truck once. Didn't end well...

 

[BigAl]

We've had lots of rain but it looks like the water spigot is about to be turned off. I didn't even get to plant last year due to the drought. I've mowed and sprayed and am just waiting on a rain chance.

I'm no expert, but I'd say just wait until some rain chances and do some overseeding when the time comes.

 

[tellico4x4]

I'd wait until September & overseed in front of rain. Of course Sept can be our driest month too...

Between last year drought & bitter cold at first of year I lost 17 clover plots totalling 16 acres that we are re-doing. Some were pretty much at end of life cycle anyway, but did lose some that really surprised me.

Started working towards planting a few weeks ago but at least 3 weeks out before putting seed in ground.

 

[BSK]

No real rain in the 15-day forecast as of mid-day today. It may be dry into mid-September.

At least it looks like the cool-snap train is getting revved up. Long-range models suggesting some good cool snaps starting around Aug 26, and then coming through pretty regularly after that. Fall is almost here!

 

[megalomaniac]

My centipede yard in south MS

 

[BSK]

Ouch!

 

[Boll Weevil]

Don't forget we are in the window for hurricanes/tropical storms and high humidity might help with dew through the night and into the morning hours. That being said weeks without measurable precip could be bad news. I know for sure some clovers can go dormant and then "wake up" when they get a drink but the other stuff in your mix is liable to get torched. Add in browse pressure and God forbid army worms, and it might take something just short of a miracle to survive.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Don't forget we are in the window for hurricanes/tropical storms and high humidity might help with dew through the night and into the morning hours. That being said weeks without measurable precip could be bad news. I know for sure some clovers can go dormant and then "wake up" when they get a drink but the other stuff in your mix is liable to get torched. Add in browse pressure and God forbid army worms, and it might take something just short of a miracle to survive.

Army worms are my worry from looking at the last couple years. So much so it has me wanting to wait later than usual. Hurricanes are good for us as far as rain is concerned, but don't the army worms also move up here from the south in these weather patterns? Seems I read they come from down south with the weather??

 

[BSK]

Army worms are my worry from looking at the last couple years. So much so it has me wanting to wait later than usual. Hurricanes are good for us as far as rain is concerned, but don't the army worms also move up here from the south in these weather patterns? Seems I read they come from down south with the weather??

They tend to invade TN more when we have prolonged winds out of the south.

 

[BSK]

Don't forget we are in the window for hurricanes/tropical storms and high humidity might help with dew through the night and into the morning hours. That being said weeks without measurable precip could be bad news. I know for sure some clovers can go dormant and then "wake up" when they get a drink but the other stuff in your mix is liable to get torched. Add in browse pressure and God forbid army worms, and it might take something just short of a miracle to survive.

Unfortunately, what the models are suggesting is actually drier air moving in (so little to no dew), and that drier air allowing greater swings of temperature low to high (like in the desert). In fact, some of the models have dewpoints in the 50s next week but afternoon temperatures topping the 100s. A cool snap should come in the following weekend, but no rain with it.

However, all of the models are hinting at some type of tropical system being in the Gulf by late week next week. let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Unfortunately, what the models are suggesting is actually drier air moving in (so little to no dew), and that drier air allowing greater swings of temperature low to high (like in the desert). In fact, some of the models have dewpoints in the 50s next week but afternoon temperatures topping the 100s. A cool snap should come in the following weekend, but no rain with it.

However, all of the models are hinting at some type of tropical system being in the Gulf by late week next week. let's keep our fingers crossed.

That may allow us to do some burning

 

[Boll Weevil]

Unfortunately, what the models are suggesting is actually drier air moving in (so little to no dew), and that drier air allowing greater swings of temperature low to high (like in the desert).

My tillable acres are good to go at this stage with all the rain we had last week and they've long since canopied. I need a good long dry spell with my logging operation still going.

 

[BSK]

My tillable acres are good to go at this stage with all the rain we had last week and they've long since canopied. I need a good long dry spell with my logging operation still going.

The next 10 days should help with that!