Ambivalence.......

[Rit]

Doubtful, unsure, wavering, indecisive, and tentative. That’s me sometimes when it comes to all this habitat work. Lately it has been foodplots.

I am a TNM guy and I believe in the principles right down to everything soil health. I did a recent TNM planted on August 9th with Brassicas. I didn’t like the way the thatch laid down. It’s way too early for the jury to decide how that turns out. I had good germination in areas. I don’t like to spray but I did. Just after mowing I might add. I wasn’t going to have time later and with seed on the ground and rain in the forecast germination was imminent. It doesn’t look like I got a great kill and will overseed with WR next Friday. I will also plant the other half of my destination field in Oats, Barley, WR, medium red, and radishes. It will be planted the same way. I sprayed that plot 5 days ago but it was tall and I doubt I get a good kill with how tall the WR and weeds were.

So now I’ll seed then mow. I may have to spray again. I had a very good clover base in both plots. This makes germination and growth that much tougher without a good kill.

I am in bean and corn country. More than a 1000 acres surrounds me but this year is different. Spring rains in NW Ohio were terrible. Maybe only a few hundred acres were planted. The farmers in my area don’t plant alfalfa, nor do they plant cover crops. All you ever see is corn, beans, or stubble. What sets my place apart is very good cover and greens into December. If my brassica plot isn’t successful then I will have grains and 3/4 acres of clover. A few days ago I noticed a lot of the fallow fields around me were disced and nice seed beds were generated. I initially thought they were just prepping them for next year. But as it turns out I will now have hundreds of acres of Winter Wheat all over. This is not a great thing because my WR plots will just be on par with the neighboring lands.

From my experience there isn’t much preference between WR and WW. In my observation WR is most attractive at Spring green up. I am not saying deer aren’t attracted to it but I don’t feel like it’s a super draw. With that said eventually I’ll have over 60 fruit yielding trees in my destination plot and that will be all the draw I need. But that’s years down the road.

I think in the near future I am leaning towards a roller crimper. Of course two weeks ago it was a drill and last week it was a flail mower. Even with a drill or a flail mower it won’t elimiante the need to spray. I do like the the even distribution of material with the flail mower but that still won’t solve the issue of spraying and getting good coverage to kill. Same thing with a drill. In a perfect world I would terminate last years WR around the first week of June with the roller crimper and plant a great crop of buckwheat, Sunn Hemp, and crimson clover. Terminate it around the first week of August to plant Brassicas, Oats, Peas, and overseed with WR to start the process all over again.

If the roller crimper knocks cover crops down the way I hope it may really limit the need to spray. I have a 10’ culitpacker but it doesn’t lay thing down like I’d hope. I am going heavy on the WR this fall in hopes of a solid stand.

So for now the roller crimper is back on. At least until next week when I change my mind again.

 

[SD51555]

You're hitting the point where you would benefit from acquiring a knowledge of how plants grow, when they're planted, and when and how they are able to be killed. There are lots of ways to control weeds that don't include tillage and spraying, but it takes some savvy maneuvering with species, mixes, timing, and modes of intervention. All of our weed problems are results of what we've done.

Every time I have sprayed glyphosate on virgin ground, it has blown up in my face something magnificent. Today, I don't own a sprayer or a jug of weed killer. Best method I have found is to get yourself an opening via mechanical disturbance (i.e. tillage). Immediately bring broad spectrum diversity (grasses/legumes/broadleaves), and you can get yourself in a spot to replicate a natural balance and ward off the apocalypse of un-killable weeds. Do it with stuff that you understand.

What can go early in cold soils?
What will die on it's own by the time I want it dead?
What broadcasts well?
What grows well with the rest of this stuff?
When can I mow-kill this stuff?
What will help feed the entire soil biome?
What is best suited for my soils (dry vs wet/hot vs cold)

 

[Telemark]

If you need a draw for hunting in the years before your applesstart producing, corn ought to do it. If they are used to corn and like corn, then a bit of standing corn ought to be a great draw once all the surrounding fields are harvested.

 

[Rit]

You're hitting the point where you would benefit from acquiring a knowledge of how plants grow, when they're planted, and when and how they are able to be killed. There are lots of ways to control weeds that don't include tillage and spraying, but it takes some savvy maneuvering with species, mixes, timing, and modes of intervention. All of our weed problems are results of what we've done.

Every time I have sprayed glyphosate on virgin ground, it has blown up in my face something magnificent. Today, I don't own a sprayer or a jug of weed killer. Best method I have found is to get yourself an opening via mechanical disturbance (i.e. tillage). Immediately bring broad spectrum diversity (grasses/legumes/broadleaves), and you can get yourself in a spot to replicate a natural balance and ward off the apocalypse of un-killable weeds. Do it with stuff that you understand.

What can go early in cold soils?
What will die on it's own by the time I want it dead?
What broadcasts well?
What grows well with the rest of this stuff?
When can I mow-kill this stuff?
What will help feed the entire soil biome?
What is best suited for my soils (dry vs wet/hot vs cold)

I have started to do that to a degree. Looking for things like Proso Millet that are advertised as not recovering after a mowing. I certainly have to get a better feel for when to terminate crops or when they will terminate naturally.

 

[Rit]

If you need a draw for hunting in the years before your applesstart producing, corn ought to do it. If they are used to corn and like corn, then a bit of standing corn ought to be a great draw once all the surrounding fields are harvested.

I’m sure standing corn would be a big draw. I have not tried it but not sure if I plant enough to add corn. If you take out the 3/4 acre of clover I only plant about 2 acres and it’s in marginal soil.