megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
You arent completely in the clear until 1st frost
After first freeze.When is it safe to say they are gone for good?
I'd believe that. I would definitely like to see some data on that - a tilled plot with a lot of green coming up versus a plot that's drilled into thatch. Ours look like a bunch of brown dead grass, but the green stuff is coming up good underneath and poking through it. Thus far, no indication of army worms, fortunately.I bet those were your best and most lush plots. My understanding is that when the moth is flying over it can't see very well and the brightest most lush grass is where the eggs get laid. Hence is why a fresh growing food plot or Bermuda grass gets hit first.
Freshly germinated, so yes, lushest plots.I bet those were your best and most lush plots. My understanding is that when the moth is flying over it can't see very well and the brightest most lush grass is where the eggs get laid. Hence is why a fresh growing food plot or Bermuda grass gets hit first.
I'm now happy. I was kicking myself in the butt for not planting 10 acres of our newly created plots in cereal rye and crimson right before this rain. Just got confirmation that the ONE plot I did plant in that is now down to the dirt.Army works got 3 of my 4 rye plots. Didn't eat the clover, just the rye. Why/how they missed the one plot I don't know. They didn't touch my wheat/clover plots.
Good info. Never heard of army worms until this year. May explain some years in the past where plots have failed for unknown reasons.All of my plots were tilled, broadcast, and chain-harrowed. I even have sections of wheat/crimson touching sections of rye/crimson, and the army worms didn't touch the wheat/crimson but ate all of the rye out of the rye/crimson.
I'm going to plant wheat simply because I have more confidence in it this year.
I have a lot of rubber made-tubs I thought about putting those bags in the basement in the tubs (stays about 65 degrees year round).JC, if you are sitting on seed, plant it before the next rain. Unless you have a freezer to store it in, you are going to have to seed at twice the rate next year for the same germination rates. Buy fresh seed next year!
(Been there, done that... and even had a family of mice help themselves to the seed I was saving for the following year!)
And that is why I planted rye. Trying to maximize biomass in newly bulldozed plots compared to my old plots which grow wheat exceptionally well, and have no problems with biomass considering the number of years they were spray/mow planted.I was wanting to create a lot of biomass for the soil, as we are doubling our food plot acreage (9 acres to 20 acres of food plots). As they say, it's a process. Looks like we are going to have predominantly wheat and crimson clover plots this year
That's good to hear! I have 11 "new" acres to plant (new plots that were timber). The 1.5 acres that was planted in rye and clover was demolished by the hell worms. I'll give it a few weeks to see how it responds. Next weekend, I plan on drilling the last 5 acres of our existing fields in wheat and crimson. For the new plots (11 acres), I'll mix the wheat, crimson and the rye…..and hope for the bestOne of my plots is coming back after the army worm infestation. It is about half back. I'm still going to top seed it with wheat and probably crimson clover, but there is hope for the original rye.
Mine has recovered only about 10 percent. I tilled half of it and replanted it. Will see how that goes.One of my plots is coming back after the army worm infestation. It is about half back. I'm still going to top seed it with wheat and probably crimson clover, but there is hope for the original rye.