I kept going through this and finally had to convert to spray, throw and mow no-till. Plots don't start out as pretty as tilled, but far fewer weeds down the road. Especially serecia, my nemesis.
Food Plots how do you plant your plots?
- Thread starter TNlandowner
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DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
Last year was the first time we ever planted buckwheat with spray and sow so I'm certainly no buckwheat expert....but I was just amazed at how it smothered out other weeds and how fast it grows. Also the germination rates were as high or higher than anything we've ever planted. As far as timing...we just let it go to maturity and reseed itself. Original crop started to naturally yellow and just before a rain we sowed our fall blend into the dieing buckwheat....and that year I mowed the buckwheat with bush hog over the fall blend seed.... another great quality is how well the buckwheat mows and chops up...plots we're smooth and clean looking after mowing.....so more specifically... maybe we wait until late May or early June to spray and sow the buckwheat....that would at least time out a little better for the fall planting.....I do remember last year as our fall blend germinated we also had little buckwheat sprouts popping up everywhere...which was fine with me.....I just hope the cost comes down some...$83 per bag is ridiculous.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
I feel your pain on the serecia ....we have one plot on another property where it's a battle....I can knock it back with spray and mow....but you better get something growing quick or the serecia will take back over in the summer months....tough to deal with.
Can ya send some of that rain west? I'm still waiting on some and haven't dropped a single seed.
I would love too! they are calling for 1.5-4" coming from Hurricane Sat-Monday. I had weeds in my plots Mid Aug that was over 6' high.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
Serecia sucks. Remedy is a good spray for it
BSK
Well-Known Member
I'm seriously considering a couple of different experiments next summer. Might try a couple of plots in pure Buckwheat. Also considering keeping a couple of plots in Crimson Clover by allowing the fall plots to seed out in May and then mowing them to naturally reseed. Then using Clethodim to keep the grasses down, plus mowing regularly to keep the Crimson from blooming out during the summer. And if we don't get another summer drought, try RR soybeans again in a plot or two (Eagle seed mix).
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
We experimented with a couple of plots this year that had last year's clover and allot of grass encroachment...top sowed clover blend and bought my first bottle of clethodim and sprayed clover and also sprayed some barasica plots that had grass coming up....hadn't been back to check them yet but hope it worked. Pictures attached are last year's buckwheat, pure stand, spray and sow. I couldn't believe the weed surpression....for the spray and sow method I'd say they were the cleanest weed free plots we've had.
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DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
I've been saying "one of these days" I'm going to try some eagle beans or an eagle brand summer blend....but this year wasn't the year for us with prices up so high....and looking back at the drought conditions I'm glad we didn't make that investment....but some day I do want to plant eagle RR forage type beans and see if they can handle the pressure as advertised....the testimonials are amazing.
When I see the seeds turning brown about mid July I will bush hog it and let come back up all over again. I figure by letting it grow up twice in a summer that's double the green manure to help build up my soil. Plus I'm usually trying to get 2 blooms out of buckwheat in the summer so my bees have something to forage on when nothing else is blooming.
BSK
Well-Known Member
So if you mow the Buckwheat before it finishes blooming out, it will regrow?
You will definitely want to wait to bush hog it when the white blooms are starting to go down hill a little. That's when you'll have the most seeds on the plant. If you cut it before the flowers bloom you won't get any regrowth.
BSK
Well-Known Member
So basically, it's reseeding itself?
I'll tell on myself here. I had about 2.5 acres that I thought would be a good holding plot for deer to help keep them out of the ducks holes I plant in Stewart county for next year but it was absolutely covered in serecia is so I mowed it twice and waited for it to come back then sprayed it with a hard dose of gly with a good surfactant. Success! Killed it dead! Got busy and didn't get back till last week. Checked it to consider next spring and found a rather robust stand of Johnson grass…..
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Get the Gamekeeper southern blend
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
We never had a problem and never even saw Johnson grass since we bought our place in 2000, until about 5 years ago. Only thing we can figure is someone that borrowed our bushhog mowed and then it came back and we mowed and the Johnson grass spread seed that the bushhog collected on top. We now pressure wash any equipment used on other properties when it comes back. Almost got it under control now, but it definitely almost took over one of our best fields.
What is Gly? Maybe a link to it please. Never used it. We have been using Arrest Max.
I have recently added a 1 row of that exact model without the no till tool bar. Took it to an Amish welding shop to have them fabricate a way to mount a coulter in front of the openers. I want it to replant corn rows hogs root up and to add a a little flare to a dove field and to plant my popcorn and sweet corn
Roundup or generic roundup
BSK
Well-Known Member
Glysophate, the chemical name for Round-up.
