Mow (Clear). Spray. Plow. Disc. Spray again? Lime? Plant? Then spray on occasion? Is this the correct order?
Mow. Let it sit for 2-3 weeks so you get some healthy young shoots coming up, that's when the glyphosate spray will be most effective. Once you spray, let it sit for 2-3 weeks to rot the root structure down a bit. Then I always limed first and then disced preferably all in the same weekend to get the lime into the ground faster and reduce what blows off. Then I would seed on the disced up ground. After seeding, I would fertilize and then drag everything with a section of chain link fence to lightly cover. Try to time the seeding/fertilizing/dragging to again all occur in the same weekend, and also time it for rain within 24 hours of fertilizing to minimize the evaporation of nitrogen from your fertilizer . I also always tried to plant within a week of discing so that other seeds didn't get a chance to germinate before my plot seed. When I was able to time everything perfectly like this, I always had some killer plots. When I wasn't able to time everything perfectly, we still did OK but the difference was clear when I nailed each aspect.
I would add burn to the beginning. I burn, then wait and spray a couple weeks later as earlier suggested. Burning will do several good things. It will actually help dormant seed in the soil to sprout, which you can then kill w. Roundup. Plowing and disk will work, but I till. Why? It's easier for me and I have a tiller for my tractor Then I broadcast the seed and use a drag over it. Eventually the drag will be replaced w. a cultipacker. Then pray for rain. You can come back and spray again once the plot starts to get some nice growth in it to kill the weeds, and again as needed.
Considering that I am a Lieutenant on the local Fire Department and open burning of agricultural land in the spring months in my township is ILLEGAL, this is not a smart option. Now i could get approved, but this is a hassle that i dont want to deal with.
RJ......Mowing, waiting 2-3 weeks then spraying seems like a good idea. After that 2 week wait do you then plow?
Well that right there is a down right ignorant law! Prescribed burning is a very important tool used in land management. The conservation department do it all the time around here. All it requires is some planning and some intelligence. I till a 5' wide fire break all the way around mine. Wait for a calm day and burn early in the morning or late in the evening. Can you explain why it's illegal to do this in Ohio? Hell the local Ag extension office loans out drip torches and water sprayers to aid landowners in the process.
First off, there are state and local burning laws, seasonal burning laws, ect. Most of the time fire departments dont blink and eye to farmers who do it the correct way, but seeing as i am in a supervisor role, i cant be breaking the laws. In Ohio, you can get burns approved. But i have seen many fires that were "safe" by the owners ideas get out of control and burn things down (boats, sheds, cars, RV's houses). I also fought a fire a few years ago that burned 300+ acres. That was a bear.
Ok, so I read your laws and am a bit confused. It says it is illegal between 6am - 6pm????? Plus you could burn in February. So does that make it legal to burn at night? http://ohiodnr.com/Portals/18/fire/pdf/OhioFireLaw.pdf
Like i said it is a hassle. We have 3" of snow right now so burning wouldnt be possible either way. I would say burning at night is not a smart option...but thats just me.
For my clover plot, I check ph of soil myself, did the roundup, after a little while I added lime, the powdered form and fertilizer, I then had farmer disc up my acre plot and I hand seeded the clover with a hand spreader. Lastly I pulled fence behind my atv over seed and prayed for rain. It worked great. Scoot
This is what happens when big brother gets too big Night burning is pretty common around here. During the spring months the wind can be an issue during the day, but usually it dies down at night and you don't have the thermals that can be hard to read. Sorry to hear a basic conservation practice is illegal where you live, it can be a very effective and beneficial tool for land management. Our conservation department preaches the practice and promotes it over just brush hogging.
What do you want to plant? I've experimented alot. (not like you have, but back on subject) Either way, lime as soon as you can. If you have a pickup or trailer and access to an ag supply, get bulk pulverized. Easy way to transport, after the dust (lime) settles, cover it with a soaking wet blanket. Prior to leaving your house, stuff an old blanket in a 5 gallon bucket and fill, let absorb and fill, let absorb and fill until blanket absorbs no more. It won't splash on the way there and you won't look like the Duke Boys even when you're on pavement. Drop spreader works best for spreading, but I've spread 2.5 acres with a shovel and sweat at times too. On a calm day I've heard tel of guys using a leaf blower from the bed of the truck or trailer. You can go to this trouble and pay like 40 bucks for a crapload of lime that takes effect quicker or you can cheese out and get pelletized by the bag for like 6 bucks per 40 lbs. I've blown a ton, of money on seed. If you want clover, God bless ya. If you have a mower than can mow it and the time to do it, again, God bless ya and REALLY pay attention during the weed killing segments. I live where the deer aren't going hungry if I don't plant. You guys have the deer, it's killing them you want do. So keeping them fed all year is the farmer's job. Getting them minerals is your mineral station's job. Getting them to a certain location or on a trail to a location is your food plot's job. I've narrowed down my plantings to a few crops: Early Archery : Antler King Red Zone, Peredovik (Black Oil) Sunflowers All Season: Plain old feed oats Late Season: Green Globe Turnips I hate paying 40 bucks a bag for commercialized seed, but Red Zone's worth it. Two different varieties of beans, peas, sunflowers, and buckwheat. One thing gets hammered, the next pops up. Planted in the 3rd week of August, they regularly hammer it for the first two and a half weeks of October. The same goes for the sunflowers. You can find them anywhere. (Peredovik is the type I've had the most success with.) Red Zone at 4 weeks Buckwheat popping Post demolition 2.5 acre plots with Red Zone, Oats, and Turnips. Oats, I'm in love in love with oats. Four or five years ago, I watched a special the Drury's put out about transplanting your deer from brown beans to green oats in the early season. At the time I was primarily hunting a 35 acre bean field near my house. Their theory was that they'd plant the oats late, like Labor day, in the corner if a bean field and come season they'd be young green and the deer would prefer them over the beans. Of course they killed some pig the first week of the season, but that's irrelevant. I did it, killed a doe opening night and melted down and missed a dandy buck in the days to follow. Not only that, the deer utilized them ALL season until the snow covered them. Even then, if a tip stuck out, it got clipped. EVEN BETTER, because it never made maturity, it stood up to the grazing. I watched deer in them nearly every night that first year. To say I was sold, was an understatement. ABOVE ALL THAT, when I tried them up on the mountain, they grew with literally horrible soil, minimal lime, and no fertilizer.......and they're CHEAP!!!! In PA, I plant them near Labor Day. The goal is to get them to 6-8 inches at frost. Taller than 4 inches you're in the money. Taller than 12 inches, you still see use, but they like em young. Here's a food plot on a log landing on the side of a mountain. No lime, no fertilizer. They shouldn't look like this. I'm a HUGE advocate of lime, weed prevention, and fertilizer, but I don't go crazy on most of my oat plots. The turnips, sunflowers, and Red Zone really benefit from it. Turnips, I've tried many varieties. Green globe has grown and attracted the best for me. Purple top works good too. If you're buy from a bag and this goes for ALL seed mixes LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGES ON THE BACK OF THE PACKAGE. It will astound you to find that you think you are buying turnips and it's 16 percent t rape and a bunch of rye grass, not rye. Which looks green and pretty, but isn't really appealing to the deer I know. To the more pressing topic.....weed killing. RJ's got it. I know, because I took his advise when I knew nothing. Prior to desired plant date. Mow, wait 10-15 days, spray with glyphosate, and wait 10 days or so and till. Gly, go buy a 2.5 generic at tractor supply, again look at the percentages. You want 41% glyphosate and i mix that stuff lethal, like 2 times the recommended. Kill em dead. END RAMBLE.
for my fall plots, I spray round up first week of may, then again first week of July. there will be no living weeds in the third week of July and the organic matter of the killed plants will break down easily. That's when I go in and disk, spread fertilizer, broadcast seed, then roll it with a lawn roller and pray for rain!
I've got more stuff flying in my head, just got tired of typing. Need to know what you desire to plant. What fertilizer you use depends greatly on that. Don't get me started on home made implements, that's a whole nother thread. And.....your welcome. Life......kids and work have slowed me a bit, but maybe I can help straighten your curve a bit from my mistakes.
