Food Plots Fingers crossed! Update

[megalomaniac]

Tomorrow is planting day for me... 15 acres of plots going to be drilled. All plots cut and sprayed last week.. Getting a light rain today to put a bit of moisture in the ground, forecast more rain Friday.

Mix of buckwheat, dwarf sorgham, millet, Laredo beans, cowpeas, cheap soybeans, sunflowers, okra. $650 worth... my first year trying this blend. Sure hope it produces! Hope to cut the big 8ac plot for haylage for the cows late summer.

 

[DoubleRidge]

We planted some soybeans today....started raining while we were planting..... planting buckwheat tommorow on a couple of newer plots as well as a few established plots..... hoping for a good ground soaker Friday.

 

[megalomaniac]

.16in rain yesterday evening. Need a good one tomorrow for the seed!

 

[megalomaniac]

All done. But only got .3in rain on it.

Everything drilled, but I really needed a hard rain to get the seed through the winter thatch on the new plot we pushed in last fall that we cant get the drill into. Made a ton of biomass for its first year, got a great burndown on it, just hope the seed works its way down to the soil through all the killed vegetation

 

[BSK]

Keep us updated on how that planting technique worked Mega. Very interesting.

 

[megalomaniac]

2/3in rain this morning with more to come hopefully. Should start seeing sprouting by this weekend!!!!

 

[BSK]

2/3in rain this morning with more to come hopefully. Should start seeing sprouting by this weekend!!!!

Absolutely!

 

[megalomaniac]

1.5 weeks...

Rain helped, plants are sprouting! First 2 pics are a plot with heavy thatch broadcast into the thatch. Last pic is the area we cut haylage off and drilled.

No weed competition this far...

 

[JCDEERMAN]

That looks really good, mega. I knew the drilling would be good, but wondered about the broadcasting onto such a heavy thatch. Looks like it took to it! I'd love to see its progression in the upcoming weeks

 

[BSK]

VERY cool!

 

[tellico4x4]

Can't beat a timely rain

 

[megalomaniac]

We've had a tough time for rain... several showers spaced out, but no significant rainfall. Only 1.5in total since planting. The big field is doing great. The no till food plot is decent considering the amount of thatch that was on the ground. Sure wish we had more rainfall... oh well, not really feeding the deer, just building soil.

 

[BSK]

Mega, looks good for rain Wed-Fri.

 

[megalomaniac]

Well only got .3in yesterday. My other farms got well over an inch yesterday. Made it up to TN to do a little work and check the progress myself. Mixed results. The big field I reclaimed 2 years ago has done really well, esp with the sorgham, millet, and buckwheat. Sunflowers and beans are there, but less than I would have liked

 

[megalomaniac]

The northern plot I broadcast into the thick mulch has a decent stand of sorgham and millet... but the buckwheat is puny and yellow. Almost no beans. Looks like it needs more fertilizer. Ofc, this is a new plot just dozed in last October... so not terrible for first summer planting in the middle of what used to be woods

 

[megalomaniac]

My south plots only saving grace is I have very little weed pressure. This plot was drilled through my fall blend, but just failed. No idea why... pH is good

 

[megalomaniac]

But critters are definitely moving into this new farm since the improvements I've made starting 2 years ago. Pleased to see this flock of 10 males and 2 hens I spooked between plots. Lots of bugs for them to feast on, just wish the 2 girls had a dozen poults with them

 

[BSK]

The northern plot I broadcast into the thick mulch has a decent stand of sorgham and millet... but the buckwheat is puny and yellow. Almost no beans. Looks like it needs more fertilizer. Ofc, this is a new plot just dozed in last October... so not terrible for first summer planting in the middle of what used to be woods

That's pretty good for a first time summer planting of a newly cleared plot. Hard to get pH and soil nutrients up fast.

 

[megalomaniac]

Bushhogged it all today... too thick and too tall to just spray. I may end up with a couple dove shoots on it. Pretty amazing considering this mix was nothing but sereca and gravel 1 year ago!

Gonna spray with gly to completely terminate, then time for fall planting

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Sweet. I had dwarf sorghum. Sprayed this morning and just got done drilling 4 acres. Most of the sorghum is still standing, so they'll have the heads to eat