Food Plots SW TN Electric

[Swampster]

Doesn't apply to me, but SW TN Electric did a lot of clearing late this summer and early fall. They not only cut trees and limbs but ground it up and ran something on the ground to chew up the brush and roots. Where lines cut though or near wooded areas looked like great places to throw down some seed. I was wondering if any of you did that and what your results were like. Looking at it almost made me wish I did have power lines crossing my property.

 

[BSK]

The only downside to areas that have been mulched like that is the depth of the mulch. Often times it's too deep for the plants to take root in.

 

[megalomaniac]

3 years ago I spent $8000 reclaiming 6 acres of fallow fields plus mulch another .75ac field for a plot that hadn't been bushhogged in about 15 years. While I did rake and burn the areas where the mulch was over an inch thick, I didn't do any other work prepping the ground before I drilled. They are some of my best plots now.

 

[BSK]

Once all that mulch breaks down, it makes for great soil. It's that first year or two that can be a problem.

 

[DoubleRidge]

We have a large powerline through our farm and TVA hired a company to mulch everything that had encroached onto the easement...they mulched everything. While it was nice to see it opened up...and they did create "new ground" or added width to several of our plots....but while some of the material left was mulch...allot of what they left was long strips of wood...rough pieces...and deep layers....first couple of years following the clearing we didn't even attempt to plant...just let it lay and rot....then after few years we pushed any big stuff to the side and added lime and fertilizer....need more lime..... mulching is a great tool...but when clearing allot of trees it does leave allot of debris on the ground to deal with.

 

[BSK]

We have a large powerline through our farm and TVA hired a company to mulch everything that had encroached onto the easement...they mulched everything. While it was nice to see it opened up...and they did create "new ground" or added width to several of our plots....but while some of the material left was mulch...allot of what they left was long strips of wood...rough pieces...and deep layers....first couple of years following the clearing we didn't even attempt to plant...just let it lay and rot....then after few years we pushed any big stuff to the side and added lime and fertilizer....need more lime..... mulching is a great tool...but when clearing allot of trees it does leave allot of debris on the ground to deal with.

Where they did that along the edges of our powerline right-of-ways, still nothing is growing in those mulched areas. The mulch is too thick.

 

[megalomaniac]

Where they did that along the edges of our powerline right-of-ways, still nothing is growing in those mulched areas. The mulch is too thick.

2 words... rye grass

That thick mulch will be a carpet of annual rye grass in just a couple weeks after broadcasting. Prob helps the decomposition of the mulch as well.

 

[BSK]

2 words... rye grass

That thick mulch will be a carpet of annual rye grass in just a couple weeks after broadcasting. Prob helps the decomposition of the mulch as well.

Great idea. hadn't thought of that.

Actually, we kind of like the "no growth" along the edges. It temps the deer to walk right along the edge of the ROW against the woods instead of out in the thick center section where they can't be seen.

 

[wildlifefarmer]

I understand that you can spread nitrogen on the mulch to quicken the breakdown of the mulch. Plus sowing rye will do the trick.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I understand that you can spread nitrogen on the mulch to quicken the breakdown of the mulch. Plus sowing rye will do the trick.

Interesting....I did not know that....we have a few areas I would like to accelerate the breakdown.....thanks.

 

[wildlifefarmer]

Interesting....I did not know that....we have a few areas I would like to accelerate the breakdown.....thanks.

Yep. A biologist told me that tidbit, but with the lack of moisture nothing works very well.

 

[BigAl]

When our soybeans are cut the leftover "mulch" seems a little thick. Anyone had an experience broadcasting after the beans are cut?

 

[megalomaniac]

Can't get much thicker than this mat of sorgham and millet I grew for summer and laid over with the drill. Will let you know next weekend how the fall planting did (didn't get it drilled until mod Oct, so it will be behind quite a bit)

 

[DoubleRidge]

Can't get much thicker than this mat of sorgham and millet I grew for summer and laid over with the drill. Will let you know next weekend how the fall planting did (didn't get it drilled until mod Oct, so it will be behind quite a bit)

Looks great and should hold the moisture good during the dry periods.

 

[BigAl]

When our soybeans are cut the leftover "mulch" seems a little thick. Anyone had an experience broadcasting after the beans are cut?

Didn't matter. We did some overseeding where the farmer had beans. For some reason he chose to come back and spray it all dead! So waste of seed and money.