Food Plots Does it make sense to roundup this late?

[tug]

I am a little late to the party, but at least I am here.

My plots are about 5-10 years old. Originally clover. Now mainly grass. I have bush hogged, and finish mowed down to about 4 inches. Planning on a single bottom plow, disc, rotor tiller to reclaim them.

I don't know if there is enough photosynthesis going on right now in those plots to warrant a killing spray. Would I just be wasting time and money. Especially since I need to do so much prep work to reclaim.

Thoughts from the hive?

 

[DoubleRidge]

If the grass is green and growing your not wasting time....hit it with glysophate... we're still close to a month out from average first frost....but if your going to turn it over with a plow anyway....you can go that route as well and save money.... glysophate is high right now..... another option would be spray it....once brown....burn it off....very lightly disk and sow cereal rye and crimson clover...get a good fall stand... maybe without opening up the weed seed bank.

 

[tug]

If the grass is green and growing your not wasting time....hit it with glysophate... we're still close to a month out from average first frost....but if your going to turn it over with a plow anyway....you can go that route as well and save money.... glysophate is high right now..... another option would be spray it....once brown....burn it off....very lightly disk and sow cereal rye and crimson clover...get a good fall stand... maybe without opening up the weed seed bank.

Thanks. I don't think there is enough left to burn. I'll get a pic posted in a day or two.

 

[megalomaniac]

no need to spray if you are going to disc the ground, save the $$$.

 

[FourWFarm]

I sprayed a plot yesterday since it doesn't look like we are going to have rain for a while. I will probably disk it up and sow next week if we get some rain in the forecast.

My thought process was; if it kills the roots that disking won't, it will not come back up next spring.

 

[BSK]

I find tilling and disking of dead grass is much easier than live grass. The gly is expensive, but in quality of tilled ground, it's worth it (unless I was doing 20+ acres, that my change my calculus).

 

[MickThompson]

How long since you've had a good rain?

 

[tug]

How long since you've had a good rain?

Can't recall. Weeks ago.

 

[tug]

That dead grass and weed was 4 feet tall. I will spray the ankle high grass on the right.

 

[tug]

A different location. Same scenario. I am not even sure the spray will get through the cuttings. There is a little clover left there.

 

[tug]

Close up of the mess on the ground.

 

[megalomaniac]

My thought process was; if it kills the roots that disking won't, it will not come back up next spring.

It wont... but the million new weed seeds in the soil bank will still be just as prolific next spring

If you are really wanting to minimize weed competition, the best way to go is spray and drill instead of disc

 

[megalomaniac]

I find tilling and disking of dead grass is much easier than live grass. The gly is expensive, but in quality of tilled ground, it's worth it (unless I was doing 20+ acres, that my change my calculus).

No doubt... but its cheaper to bushhog, wait a week, then disk in vs killing with gly and disking in a week later.

Back when gly was $50 for 2.5g, I used it on Mississippi plots labor day weekend, bushhogged the dead grass first of Oct, then waited on the next big rain to disk, seed, and drag.

Now that gly is $170 per 2.5g locally... we are just skipping the gly, bushhogging 1st of Oct, and disking/planting first big rain chance after mid Oct.

 

[tug]

Don't have enough acreage to warrant a drill project.

 

[tellico4x4]

This late in year as hot & dry as it is I'd disk & wait on rain to plant. Heat & drought will kill some of weeds. Frost at end of Oct or early Nov will knock back the rest. Save a few dollars now & spend them next spring to get plot in shape.

 

[BSK]

No doubt... but its cheaper to bushhog, wait a week, then disk in vs killing with gly and disking in a week later.

Back when gly was $50 for 2.5g, I used it on Mississippi plots labor day weekend, bushhogged the dead grass first of Oct, then waited on the next big rain to disk, seed, and drag.

Now that gly is $170 per 2.5g locally... we are just skipping the gly, bushhogging 1st of Oct, and disking/planting first big rain chance after mid Oct.

At $170 per jug, I don't blame you! Thank goodness I can still find it around here for $90.

 

[tug]

I popped so many grade 2 shear bolts I can't keep up. But that is not your problem..............

This is about 75 yards x 50 yards.

I am thinking cereal rye and red clover.

Cereal rye for this year and clover for the next few years.

Any other better ideas?

 

[BSK]

Thankfully, my tiller has a clutch. No shear bolts to replace.

Just remember, Red Clover is a biannual, meaning it only lives two years.

 

[tug]

Was the one bottom plow that popped bolts. I moved to grade 5 and that helped a ton.

 

[BSK]

Was the one bottom plow that popped bolts. I moved to grade 5 and that helped a ton.

Ahh, yeah, if I plowed my plots I would break a lot of bolts! I have a lot of rocks the size of cantaloupe.