Plot log

[DiSc0Rd]

I don't have an official "here's what I'm trying" thread so I thought I would start one as much for my record as entertainment for you guys. Sprayed on the weekend of the 4th. Came back and put buckwheat down the next Tuesday. Wife,son and myself say in the back of my father's pick up and her drove in circles as we spread the seed with hand spreaders. Son then followed behind with the atv to help pack it down. Wanted to get to it this weekend (July 19), but got busy. Try and get back this upcoming weekend to check it out. Around labor day I'll put in a1/4 acre of brassica and an acre of winter rye and smash the buckwheat down with the atv and to start to build the soil, and if atl goes well....bring in the deer. Will post more pics and updates next time I'm there.

 

[35-acre]

I wish I would have done the same! T&M has done so well for me, but the fine-tuning of the "what I did" and "when" would be nice to have a record.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

I wish I would have done the same! T&M has done so well for me, but the fine-tuning of the "what I did" and "when" would be nice to have a record.

I'm not very patient, so it helps when I can show my brain some progress even if it's tiny.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Speaking of small progress, thought I would make a bit of a control group. I put 2 seeds in the ground with the wife's flowers and one in a cup in a window ledge. The yard seeds haven't really done anything visible. But the cup seed has sprouted so it gives me hope the seed at the farm is doing the same. The cup is just sand from the yard same as the farm. Nothing added, I only water it if we get rain.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

so i didnt make it out to get pic by my dad took out a few stands and checked out the plot and said we have a bunch of sprouts coming up. no pics from him either, he still has a flop phone and texting is about all he can handle. there were a few bare spots he said but hell i dont care one bit at this stage im just glad it's coming up. ill get pics this weekend. thank you to everyone that had any input or advice.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Finally got a chance to change some cameras check out the field there was definitely some disappointment it might germination rate but I did have realistic expectations going in no one had touch this field and who knows a decade or more and I put no lime or fertilizer just throw and drive over method I'm still planning to put winter Rye down during the Labor Day weekend see how that turns out I'll get it soil test and I'll probably need to put down lime before next year. If nothing else it was good family time planting it.

 

[35-acre]

You could always put down some 10-10-10 or other general purpose fertilizer now. It might help and it's cheap enough to buy a few bags. Same with some pelletized lime. While it's supposed to take a longer portion of time for it to really have an effect (months), you're still months away from having a mature plant. So in my experience that won't hurt either.

I did this when I planted Buckwheat years ago (into the heavy clay) and it came up well.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

You could always put down some 10-10-10 or other general purpose fertilizer now. It might help and it's cheap enough to buy a few bags. Same with some pelletized lime. While it's supposed to take a longer portion of time for it to really have an effect (months), you're still months away from having a mature plant. So in my experience that won't hurt either.

Not a bad idea. I'm going to plant in Sept so it can only help I'd think.

 

[35-acre]

If you're planting again this season, then for sure get some lime down now and general purpose fertilizer won't hurt either. I always thrown 10-10-10 or similar (19-19-19) general purpose fertilizer down when I seed as a rule. It helps get things going. I'm at my property every 2 weeks typically all spring/summer, for maintenance so I keep an eye on my field. If things look like they need to be fertilized again, I hit it again with the same. When I'm planting things that need urea, I have some of that too. This year will be interesting to see what I need to do with the mixture that of plants that I put down.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

If you're planting again this season, then for sure get some lime down now and general purpose fertilizer won't hurt either. I always thrown 10-10-10 or similar (19-19-19) general purpose fertilizer down when I seed as a rule. It helps get things going. I'm at my property every 2 weeks typically all spring/summer, for maintenance so I keep an eye on my field. If things look like they need to be fertilized again, I hit it again with the same. When I'm planting things that need urea, I have some of that too. This year will be interesting to see what I need to do with the mixture that of plants that I put down.

i have a soil test on the way and see where i stand. i imagine i will need lime considering how poorly the buckwheat grew. where do you get your lime from?

 

[35-acre]

i have a soil test on the way and see where i stand. i imagine i will need lime considering how poorly the buckwheat grew. where do you get your lime from?

i have a soil test on the way and see where i stand. i imagine i will need lime considering how poorly the buckwheat grew. where do you get your lime from?

My initial soil test showed that I need like 1500lbs of lime per acre. But to put that much down at one time does not make sense. I did some research and found some lime that was higher "density" (solu-cal) and would require less poundage to account for the same impact. It turns out that they sell it at Home Depot under a different name (Sta-Green Rapid-Lime). I reached out to the company with my soil test results and they gave me a plan to put down the lime over the course of a year. If I recall it was like 300 lbs/acre done three different times.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

8-6-20
Grabbed a few cam cards had a few new bucks showing up but none are shooters. Got one stand put up but, I was very pleased with how the field was looking. The back side where the sun hits the most had stalks almost 8 inches tall. A lot more was coming up then the last time I was there. Brought the Mrs. And the kids brought their current love interest. Had a bag of buckwheat we forgot so over seeded bare spots. The wife also found an old bag of garden seeds that we planted as well. Some PPT, cucumbers squash pumpkins, kale, lettuce and mustard. She wasn't even sure how old they were so no loss of they don't come up. Rain should start tomorrow here, so we will see. If nothing else we had a really good time we were out there for 4 hours messing around.

 

[35-acre]

Looks good. Buckwheat is a fast grower. Don't forget that fertilizer and lime. I do all of my plot spreading with an over the shoulder rig (bad pic below), seeds, lime, fertilizer and so forth. I just re-limed with 150lbs last weekend.

You look like you've got a good deal of biomass on the ground already. Getting seed through that is likely your only challenge from the planting side of things. Sometimes I think that's where the "mow" comes in. However I tried mowing my field last year and didn't really see a difference (I did strips of rolling and mowing) BUT my mowing efforts were with a push mower that I had to put up on the back of my ATV to get it to my field. Given the results for me (I don't have near the same amount of dead biomass as you) I won't be doing that again.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Looks good. Buckwheat is a fast grower. Don't forget that fertilizer and lime. I do all of my plot spreading with an over the shoulder rig (bad pic below), seeds, lime, fertilizer and so forth. I just re-limed with 150lbs last weekend.

You look like you've got a good deal of biomass on the ground already. Getting seed through that is likely your only challenge from the planting side of things. Sometimes I think that's where the "mow" comes in. However I tried mowing my field last year and didn't really see a difference (I did strips of rolling and mowing) BUT my mowing efforts were with a push mower that I had to put up on the back of my ATV to get it to my field. Given the results for me (I don't have near the same amount of dead biomass as you) I won't be doing that again.

There is a ton of dead stuff on the ground. you can see the pictures that have the best growth were where the truck tires pushed the seed in the ground. we just got a cultipacker so we will be using that when we put the rye and brassicas on the ground. next year the buckwheat will go in sooner so we get more growth out of it. i plan to plant in sept and im not sure how much taller it will get in the next 4 weeks. I hate to roll it down when its looking so good, but that seems to be what everyone does

 

[35-acre]

I definitely understand that. Everyone starts with the grow/kill process to build up what you already have. I'm still trying to build that layer. That layer is so important. It's what eventually rots and becomes soil. It's where microorganisms live that really take your soil to the next level.

I think you're past me in those regards. I think you gotta start looking at trying to keep your soil with something growing in it all the time now (google Ray the Soil Guy Youtube). keeping a live root system of something will improve your soil health as other things (microbes) will help with the breakdown. Then you'll have to watch what you plant to help keep the soil nutrient rich. I'm not doing that phase "justice" by being so high-level with it.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Needed to move a camera yesterday and swap out some batteries. Swung by the ole buckwheat plot to check it out and put a camera up and it was so sad I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture. I know, I know I should have just for documentation sake but they withered and looked like kale after you cook it. Good news is we had a storm come through today with more rain in the forecast. I'm hoping they bounce back. I'm putting 3 or 4 stands up this weekend so I'll check it then and report back. If next weeks 10 day forecast has a lot of rain scheduled I might put my RW and brassica down.

 

[DiSc0Rd]

8-15-20
No rain in a week, and none slated for the next ten days. What buckwheat was coming up has been almost all eaten. What few leaves are left are in sad shape. Rain needed desperately or the buckwheat will fail. Rye and brassica still planned for early Sept when rain is more cooperative.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Check the cactus and horse nettle!!

Looks like my place

bill

 

[DiSc0Rd]

Check the cactus and horse nettle!!

Looks like my place

bill

it's about all that is left. things were growing well until the rain stopped. checking again today and still no rain for the next 10 days

 

[Skeeter]

Don't give up. Brassica and rye will grow just fine without the buckwheat thatch.