The Throw n’ Mow Method

[Bassattackr]

Figured I’d post the results of my throw-n-mow from last September here along with my property thread.

It started out slow due to lack of rain in September and October, but made up for it in February and March. The clover, vetch, winter peas, and cereals all did awesome.

I’m mowing it down so I can spray next week in preparation of planting. I would have preferred to throw-n-mow, but I’m going with a mixture heavy on soybeans and I don’t think my germination would be up to par with throw-n-mow on them.

Looks great! Do I spy a rotary cutter? Looks like a pretty uniform cut, great looking field!

 

[IkemanTx]

Looks great! Do I spy a rotary cutter? Looks like a pretty uniform cut, great looking field!

Yep, it took some adjusting to get it cutting good and level. I did get a little windrowing in some of the taller dry matter of the dove field I cut the same day, but in this fresh green plot it cut like a dream.


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[SD51555]

I like the look of bloomed out vetch. The blues and purples seem to do exceptionally well with the pollinator crowd.

 

[IkemanTx]

I like the look of bloomed out vetch. The blues and purples seem to do exceptionally well with the pollinator crowd.

The whole field was covered in pollinators.


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[TreeDaddy]

Ikeman,

That picturesque plot is too beautiful to terminate!!!!!!

bill

 

[Bassattackr]

Yep, it took some adjusting to get it cutting good and level. I did get a little windrowing in some of the taller dry matter of the dove field I cut the same day, but in this fresh green plot it cut like a dream.


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Post up your soybean mix and planting method (even if not TnM), I'd be curious to follow along!

 

[IkemanTx]

Post up your soybean mix and planting method (even if not TnM), I'd be curious to follow along!

I am going to try minimum tilling the mix in and see how that goes. If anyone has an example description or picture of how to do minimum tillage, that would be awesome.

I have already mowed, will be spraying on Monday, and will be planting the first week of may. I am thinking of spreading the seed into the short, dead, remains of the plot and setting the disk almost completely straight and making a few passes over the plots....?

The mix I used is the Hancock Seed “Spring Buckshot” mix.

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[SwampCat]

I am going to try minimum tilling the mix in and see how that goes. If anyone has an example description or picture of how to do minimum tillage, that would be awesome.

I have already mowed, will be spraying on Monday, and will be planting the first week of may. I am thinking of spreading the seed into the short, dead, remains of the plot and setting the disk almost completely straight and making a few passes over the plots....?

The mix I used is the Hancock Seed “Spring Buckshot” mix.

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I have had good luck spraying, and then spreading seed on almost bare ground - and then going over it with a 3 pt tiller set to run a out one inch deep

 

[TreeDaddy]

Lotta permutations to TnM that will probably work

This year , I plan to spray , broadcast and "let it go" without mowing

bill

 

[Catscratch]

Lotta permutations to TnM that will probably work

This year , I plan to spray , broadcast and "let it go" without mowing

bill

Do it often without mowing (or packing, rolling, crimping) with great success. Also TnM large seeds like beans and pumpkins with success. A few key things I look for need to happen, but like you said many styles work.

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[yoderjac]

Do it often without mowing (or packing, rolling, crimping) with great success. Also TnM large seeds like beans and pumpkins with success. A few key things I look for need to happen, but like you said many styles work.

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I think a lot of the variation has to do with soil type and condition. When I first started, my soil needed any advantage I could provide as well as time to heal from my 2-bottom plow abuse years ago. I know some folks have to terminate buckwheat before it goes to seed because the volunteer crop will smother their fall plant. My volunteer crops are never heavy enough to be problematic. In fact they enhance my fall plot. I think you simply need to do less in some soils and climates. You can take a lot of shortcuts and never notice a difference if you get timely rain. For example, not mowing the spring plant may not make a difference if you get timely rain. Rain both improves seed/soil contact and provides the moisture needed for germination. On the other hand, if you don't mow that crop for mulch to hold in moisture and you get a long dry spell, you could get a much different result.

In general, I think we have "best practices" and what we actually do based on time, equipment, and other limitations. The bottom line is this: If what folks are doing to minimize tillage is working well, continue. If folks hare having issues, lean harder into best practices.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[chaded]

This was the plot i did last late August/early September. The deer kept it looking like a putting green until now. It has some weeds and grass in it but owell. Still havent made up my mind what im going to do with it. Im thinking about letting it grow longer and at some point doing a TNM with it for buckwheat for the summer? Thought about mixing sunn hemp ? Idk...

 

[rtaylor]

This was the plot i did last late August/early September. The deer kept it looking like a putting green until now. It has some weeds and grass in it but owell. Still havent made up my mind what im going to do with it. Im thinking about letting it grow longer and at some point doing a TNM with it for buckwheat for the summer? Thought about mixing sunn hemp ? Idk...


View attachment 34639

Good looking plot. I had a similar question about TNM for buckwheat and was told that the seed is too big for this method and disking would be required. I hope someone knowledgeable chimes in to confirm or deny.

 

[chaded]

Good looking plot. I had a similar question about TNM for buckwheat and was told that the seed is too big for this method and disking would be required. I hope someone knowledgeable chimes in to confirm or deny.

I guess I have never heard of that. It seems pretty common to use buckwheat for throw and mow. I would think you would need good thatch but don't see why it wouldn't work?

 

[Catscratch]

Good looking plot. I had a similar question about TNM for buckwheat and was told that the seed is too big for this method and disking would be required. I hope someone knowledgeable chimes in to confirm or deny.

Big seeds (I TnM beans and pumpkins) can be successful but you do need great rains, thatch, and decent soil that isn't pure sand. In my experience buckwheat and winter wheat are pretty easy to be successful with.

 

[PatinPA]

Can I broadcast buckwheat into an existing yard, then mow it and spray it? I want to turn my camp's yard into a food plot. It's primarily just grass but it's pretty thick. I have a rototiller. Should I just run it over the top inch to break up the thatch before I broadcast? This was my first food plot location but I messed it up terribly. Never killed off the grass. Just tilled the absolute crap out of it. It was extremely wet that year and it turned it into a muddy mess and all that came up was the grass I didn't kill off.

 

[yoderjac]

Can I broadcast buckwheat into an existing yard, then mow it and spray it? I want to turn my camp's yard into a food plot. It's primarily just grass but it's pretty thick. I have a rototiller. Should I just run it over the top inch to break up the thatch before I broadcast? This was my first food plot location but I messed it up terribly. Never killed off the grass. Just tilled the absolute crap out of it. It was extremely wet that year and it turned it into a muddy mess and all that came up was the grass I didn't kill off.

If it is fescue, you will need to work to kill it first. Turf grass may require more work to kill.

 

[SwampCat]

I am going to try minimum tilling the mix in and see how that goes. If anyone has an example description or picture of how to do minimum tillage, that would be awesome.

I have already mowed, will be spraying on Monday, and will be planting the first week of may. I am thinking of spreading the seed into the short, dead, remains of the plot and setting the disk almost completely straight and making a few passes over the plots....?

The mix I used is the Hancock Seed “Spring Buckshot” mix.

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I have no luck tnm with soybean, and wouldnt even think about corn - with hogs present

 

[yoderjac]

I have no luck tnm with soybean, and wouldnt even think about corn - with hogs present

We don't have hogs (yet), but I still can't T&M beans or corn with my soil.

 

[txbowman12]

Good looking plot. I had a similar question about TNM for buckwheat and was told that the seed is too big for this method and disking would be required. I hope someone knowledgeable chimes in to confirm or deny.

I had good germination of buckwheat in very thin thatch. Caught a great rain a few days after I planted. Broadcast, sprayed, ran a drag harrow teeth down to get some soil disturbance and that was it (plus the 6" of rain the following week lol)