Couple Beginner Questions

[PackerBacker]

Pictures aren't very clear but wondering if the plot is at the point that I should be mowing it down?







Second question - I planted 24 crab apple trees in an area that I want to put a food plot in. Any way to spray between the trees and around the edges without killing them off? Can I cover with plastic while I spray gly?

 

[scott44]

What are you trying to do? Is this a clover plot? If it is a clover plot I would mow it just so I clipped the seed heads off the clover not much lower.

 

[SD51555]

If you got some rain coming, I'd cut it about 6" high. That'll clean up that foxtail for ya and it'll get some tender clover coming back in. If you're dry, you may want to leave it or you'll likely just get more foxtail.

I'd only hand spray around your trees and go with bigger droplets instead of mist. Then you should be able to get around without hurting them. Do you have some kind of guard around the trunks? If not, you may want to get something on them like field tile. That'll help keep the spray off and the critters out come winter.

 

[PackerBacker]

What are you trying to do? Is this a clover plot? If it is a clover plot I would mow it just so I clipped the seed heads off the clover not much lower.

It is a clover plot that I am going to maintain for the season. Depending on the changes to my habitat plan, this plot might come out next year so planning on getting a plot put in that I know will be part of the plan as well as replanting my 2nd plot that didn't come in this season.

 

[scott44]

It is a clover plot that I am going to maintain for the season. Depending on the changes to my habitat plan, this plot might come out next year so planning on getting a plot put in that I know will be part of the plan as well as replanting my 2nd plot that didn't come in this season.

Sounds good, like SD said mowing this time of year can actually be worse than not mowing because of the lack of rain. I guess if it were me I'd mow it high but most of my clover is in lower areas so moisture is not a factor. Hope this helps

 

[wiscwhip]

One thing for future consideration, as it is too late now, mow before your foxtail and other grasses produce viable seedheads. You may have to walk those areas first if you mow earlier, due to potential fawn use, but allowing those grasses to dump new seed into that plot is only going to cause bigger headaches, higher expenses, and more work down the road. Mowing earlier also allows you to cut a good bit shorter than mowing now because you likely can still count on good rains to help it bounce back in mid June as opposed to mid July or later.

 

[PackerBacker]

If the plan would be to keep it mostly clover and disc in winter rye and wheat this fall - does the extra seedheads cause any longterm issues? Looks to thick to me to disc in brassicas as planned so will plant them in the new plot.

That is part of the reason that I didn't mow earlier - we have a couple fawns and poults on the game cam that covers the field. First time we have had either on camera and didn't want to risk killing them.

 

[wiscwhip]

I wouldn't disc a thing, if you disturb that soil now you will plant all that foxtail seed right along with anything else you throw in there. Is there any way you can kill the grasses with a spraying of herbicide? It won't kill the foxtail seed that has matured, you will have to deal with that later, but it will kill the existing growth of both grasses and other broadleafs and it should be fine for your clover. If I recall correctly, LC used a mix of 12oz of cleth, 6-8oz of gly and 32 oz of crop oil per acre for clover stands. The reduced rate of gly does not kill the established clover.