The Throw n’ Mow Method
- Thread starter Crimson n' Camo
- Start date
DEC
A good 3 year old buck
Ok, I am going to go for it. I just ordered two 4.5# bags of the Greens & Grains from Grandpa Ray. It will be here in a couple of days. I figure I don't really have much to lose since the plot is trash right now anyway.
Crimson n' Camo
5 year old buck +
Yep I agree.... Also, spread the seed before you ever mow so that it can fall down onto the soil surface and then be covered over by the hay that you mow down. It's going to be difficult to mow it down and then get seed under the thatch after the fact.
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DEC
A good 3 year old buck
I walked the area some today when I ran home for lunch. It is thick. I have two areas of concern to be honest. 1) In the broadcast of the seed, will it even ever reach the ground. 2) Is just what you said, the thatch being so thick that the seed never germinates.
Maybe I am over thinking it though. I just know that if I don't get what is there mowed down before the seeds on the plants fully develop then I will have a real mess next year when they germinate.
DEC
A good 3 year old buck
So I have read the bulk of this thread. I think that given how tall and thick my mess is, I am going to bush hog it as high as possible, then broadcast seed, and then bush hog it low a couple of different directions to cut up the thatch real well and distribute it as evenly as possible. Here are a couple of photos of the small plot that went completely wrong this year.
I was pointed to this thread in the Rye questions thread and it has been eye opening. I am a newbie. I planted my 1st plot this year. It is a little less than 1 acre with the LC mix of WR, oats, AWP, clover, and radish. It was planted on a clean slate after lime and fertilizer were tilled in. I was planning to till this under next summer for another fall plot for the OM and now will try to throw and mow. I do have timing questions though.
My goal next year is to split the plot into 2 strips with one being a brassica mix and the other being the LC grains mix. I believe I would want the AWP and radish planted earlier though. Here is what I am thinking timing wise and please correct me where I am wrong.
July (around 3rd week)
August (around 3rd week)
I understand that I would want to do the planting with rain in the imminent forecast. Does this approach seem accurate? I know I would want to rotate the 2 strips each year.
Also, I plan to broadcast in some BW next spring, particularly in the brassica section for weed suppression and food for the deer as well as the additional OM I would gain when it is cut the following summer.
Thanks everyone for assisting this newbie.
My goal next year is to split the plot into 2 strips with one being a brassica mix and the other being the LC grains mix. I believe I would want the AWP and radish planted earlier though. Here is what I am thinking timing wise and please correct me where I am wrong.
July (around 3rd week)
- Spread the AWP throughout the whole plot
- Spread the radish throughout the whole plot
- Spread the rest of the brassica mix (PTT, rape) in the brassica strip
- Mow the whole plot
- Spread lime (I know I will need amendments for PH) in whole plot
- Spread fertilizer in whole plot
- Roll the whole plot (not sure what I will have to use as a roller yet)
August (around 3rd week)
- Spread the WR, oats, and clover into the grain strip
- Roll the grain strip
I understand that I would want to do the planting with rain in the imminent forecast. Does this approach seem accurate? I know I would want to rotate the 2 strips each year.
Also, I plan to broadcast in some BW next spring, particularly in the brassica section for weed suppression and food for the deer as well as the additional OM I would gain when it is cut the following summer.
Thanks everyone for assisting this newbie.
Mahindra3016
5 year old buck +
Throw and mow plot as of today, awp buckwheat, rye and weeds. The peas came up great with lots of rye thatch.
The turkeys like it.
Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
The turkeys like it.
Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Exo
Yearling... With promise
What if you are planting in the woods with years of leaves? Do folks suggest blowing the leafs and than seed or just run the spreader with the seeds on top of the leafs and than just flatten everything down(since the seeds will fall under the leafs). I would run over the area with my track chair. I ask this since there is no other ground weeds, plants etc.
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bueller
Moderator
Sure did.
Looks awesome. Still learning here so I have another question. Why spray, spread, and roll versus mow, spread, and roll? I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of both methods and which would be best for me next year.
bueller
Moderator
I find that I get much coverage and therefore a better kill when I spray without mowing. PLUS I can do it all in a matter of a couple hours. Mowing and spraying in the same day is not likely to give you an excellent kill as some of your target weeds/grass will be sheltered by the cut stuff. And some of your targets plants will likely survive a mowing shortly after a spray because the plant has yet to uptake the chemical enough. Mowing and spraying a couple weeks later will give you a great kill.
edit... Semisane struck another great point. Getting the seed to the ground and not hung up in a layer of thatch is key.
Yeah, I worded that in the wrong order. I meant to have mow after spread. I was basically wondering why some people don't spray and just mow where some spray and don't mow.
If my plot was last years plot of WR, oats, clover, etc, would that need to be sprayed or could one spread and mow in that case? I can see spraying for sure if the plot had weeds and grass to get rid of.
If my plot was last years plot of WR, oats, clover, etc, would that need to be sprayed or could one spread and mow in that case? I can see spraying for sure if the plot had weeds and grass to get rid of.
bueller
Moderator
I spray because 99% of the time I have some weeds and grass to control to give my plantings a chance to get out ahead of them.
IF you don't have weeds or grass invading that plot then the only thing alive should be clover. WR and oats will have run their course already. IF all you have is clover growing right now then yes you can spread and mow without spraying. I just did something similar on a plot of mine except all I did was spread WR into my red clover. I could have cut the mature rye and weeds but I choose not to.
scott44
5 year old buck +
The only time I spray my cereal grains is if there is a lot of grasses creeping in otherwise I broadcast and roll the grains down, you could broadcast and mow.
Below is a post I made about my attempt at throw, spray, and roll of some brassica's. Here's a pic of the plot taken on Monday. For whatever reason it was a complete failure.
In a couple of spots I had a few brassica's sprout, but not very many and not very big IMO for a month of growth and the plot had darn good moisture in that time.
So, in an effort to salvage the effort, I lightly disked the plot, broadcast 70# of rye, 2.5# DER, 25# forage oats, 6# of clover mixes, and about 2# of a mix I had left over. I cultipacked after spreading the grains and again after the spreading the clover.
I worked on 3 other, smaller plots this weekend as well. One I had planted buckwheat in and on that one I spread WR and packed it. The other two had been tilled and soybeans broadcast on them. I didn't make it down to spray this spring/summer so they were chock full of weeds. Mostly golden rod, poke salat, ragweed, wild carrot and ironweed that were well over 5' tall in most places. Interestingly enough there was little to no grass in those plots, but was a decent amount of clover underneath. I was able to spread the winter rye as I dozed my way through the weeds with the UTV hauling the spreader. Suprisingly, upon checking the ground a good amount of seed was hitting the dirt. On one plot I made a round with the handheld spreader around the outside with the rye then cultipacked that path. I would then make another pass alongside the standing weeds with the spreader and spreading seed into the standing stuff, then another pass with the 'packer. I then went over all 3 plots with the sprayer and hit it with a dose of glyphosate. I'm hoping that WR is as durable and easy to grow as I have read. The thatch isn't all that thick and I think those big broad leaves on those will break down pretty quickly. So, for now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed to see if I can get anything to happen...
In a couple of spots I had a few brassica's sprout, but not very many and not very big IMO for a month of growth and the plot had darn good moisture in that time.
So, in an effort to salvage the effort, I lightly disked the plot, broadcast 70# of rye, 2.5# DER, 25# forage oats, 6# of clover mixes, and about 2# of a mix I had left over. I cultipacked after spreading the grains and again after the spreading the clover.
I worked on 3 other, smaller plots this weekend as well. One I had planted buckwheat in and on that one I spread WR and packed it. The other two had been tilled and soybeans broadcast on them. I didn't make it down to spray this spring/summer so they were chock full of weeds. Mostly golden rod, poke salat, ragweed, wild carrot and ironweed that were well over 5' tall in most places. Interestingly enough there was little to no grass in those plots, but was a decent amount of clover underneath. I was able to spread the winter rye as I dozed my way through the weeds with the UTV hauling the spreader. Suprisingly, upon checking the ground a good amount of seed was hitting the dirt. On one plot I made a round with the handheld spreader around the outside with the rye then cultipacked that path. I would then make another pass alongside the standing weeds with the spreader and spreading seed into the standing stuff, then another pass with the 'packer. I then went over all 3 plots with the sprayer and hit it with a dose of glyphosate. I'm hoping that WR is as durable and easy to grow as I have read. The thatch isn't all that thick and I think those big broad leaves on those will break down pretty quickly. So, for now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed to see if I can get anything to happen...
I'm trying a variation of this method this year on a plot I was hoping to use a more "traditional" approach. This plot was planted a couple of years ago with limited success and not touched since then. I sprayed the plot in April, it was tilled shallowly in mid/late May and broadcast + cultipacked RR soybeans on Memorial Day weekend. Life got in the way and I never made it back to do any follow up spraying. Well we made it down to the cabin this weekend and a "bean plot" not quite what I found...
There were soybeans mixed in with all the other stuff, but the grasses took over and browsing was pretty evident.
The original plan was to spread fertilizer, lightly disk it in, and then broadcast+cultipack a brassica blend. I did not have the time available to turn that plot over with the equipment I have at my disposal, so I changed plans. I broadcast the fertilizer, then the brassica seed, sprayed with gly, and cultipacked it. Now I'm in a wait and see mode. I'm pretty sure that my planting method should be sound enough, just hope I can get some help from the weather. I am a bit concerned about being too light on the seed and getting it spread evenly. First time spreading brassicas with the tow behind spreader and it took a bit of trial and error to get it coming out of it at a not too slow or fast rate. The plot is roughly 3/4 acre and I spread 5# of seed. So, we'll see what it looks like in a month when I head down to do the rye/oat/clover plots...
Here's my sprayer at work making sure he's going the right speed! But I think he liked the cultipacking step better... ;)
