Dipper rotation

[dipper]

I'm telling you guys, it's amazing how these plants are programmed to survive. My red clover is a couple years old now, it was only planted at 2 pounds/acre. It is getting really thick, it seeded itself to get that thick. 2 pounds/acre is really thin when planting red clover.
I no tilled my warm season crop into this stuff a little over a month ago. I do doubt there would be the same germination by just broadcasting, but I don't know. Last week I decided to cut the clover to set it back a little. I was pretty much writing my warm season crop off because that clover was looking so thick and tall.
I checked it today, and the soybeans are about 10"s tall, peas are up to 2' and the oats and sunflowers are holding their own. I also have a few volunteer brassicas that are about 8"s.
I'll admit, it isn't pretty. It isn't what were used to looking at. But it is serving its purpose, it is nothing but deer food.....a food plot. Basically I have: rye, clover, oats, soybeans, sunflowers, AWP(spring planted) and a few brassicas.
The real funny thing is I haven't added a grain of fertilizer. The soil is extremely deficient in potassium, with a 1.6 OM. My beans aren't obviously as thick as the surrounding ag, they aren't intended to be, but everything looks healthy. If the warm season plants can hold their ground for another couple weeks. I'm gonna flatten everything and add my cool season plants. I'll have to get some pics. Sorry, I left my camera at home today.

 

[dipper]

We did a little dinner night tonight, and the lioness needed to swing by her food plot. Nothing like a stalk in high heels.

3 does were feeding in the warm season mix, and a decent looking buck was inside the rye.
Some pretty hard browse on the beans. I'm thinking another 10 fat sows are going to need to depart her 30 acre piece this fall.

 

[bueller]

High heels for still hunting?? Less surface area to snap that branch or crunch that leaf :D

 

[huthut]

Bueller might be on to something... high heels probably closer simulates a deer foot walking in the woods A new dipper experiment??

 

[dipper]

It was kinda funny, but the clover on the road kept her up pretty good.

 

[dipper]

In 2 years red clover planted at two pounds an acre, gets thick. The super thick clover spots it's hard to find the no tilled beans, peas, and sunflower; but they are in there and doing well. Beans are a foot high peas are 3'.

The deer are in here, pea browse is apparent, but still 2.5' on this guy.

No tilling into clover is going to give you a no fail food plot. The clover can get to thick if you want the diversity. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. The red clover has flowered out, and it is starting to dry up. I might just use my congenital drill and seed my cool season crop, but I'm not sure.

 

[dipper]

Score one for the good guys. Dippers going to be including some wheat in his rotation this year. 590 pounds for $40 cash, even MO couldn't beat that price. I thought I couldn't get affordable wheat locally, and there's 2 million bushel 3/4 mile from my house. Things got a little dusty, but I'll deal with it.

 

[Tree Spud]

I'm familiar with winter rye, what is spring rye?

 

[bueller]

Dipper you should've put some dirt in that bed first. Portable food plot :D

 

[huthut]

- dipper if that is too much seed for you I know someone who is not too far away that would take some off your hands:)

 

[dipper]

Lacing up some soybeans, sunflowers, and oats with a mixture of assorted brassicas and wheat. Another no fail plot with little effort or money.
There is some crabgrass that germinated over the last couple days. I'm debating if I should spray, and I leaning towards passing.
This plot hasn't been tilled in over 50 years.

 

[Tree Spud]

Asked this question earlier ... what is the difference between spring rye and winter rye?

 

[wiscwhip]

Winter rye needs to vernalize in order to produce seed, spring rye does not.

 

[Tree Spud]

:(

Winter rye needs to vernalize in order to produce seed, spring rye does not.

Still confused ...

 

[wiscwhip]

:(

Still confused ...

Sorry, :oops: winter rye plants need to go through a cold dormancy stage(overwinter) in order to produce seeds the following summer after it is planted. Spring rye is more like an annual, it will produce seed the same summer as the spring it was planted and doesn't need to go into cold dormancy to produce seed.

 

[Tree Spud]

Wisc ... neophyte here ... I am trying to understand what to ask for at the feed Mill. I know of Winter Rye & Rye Grass.

Is winter rye and spring the same seed?

 

[Tree Spud]

You'd ask for spring rye. Chances of finding spring rye locally would be pretty low I'd guess. Spring wheat and triticale would be easier finds I think

Stu ... Thanks. My local feed mill is used to me having strange questions ...

 

[non-pro-archer]

Well you have me convinced dipper, I'll be starting a "dipper style" rotation this year

 

[wiscwhip]

Wisc ... neophyte here ... I am trying to understand what to ask for at the feed Mill. I know of Winter Rye & Rye Grass.

Is winter rye and spring the same seed?

You'd ask for spring rye. Chances of finding spring rye locally would be pretty low I'd guess. Spring wheat and triticale would be easier finds I think

Tree, when do you plan on planting the rye and what are you using it for? Part of the LC mix? Stu, I'm curious why you would have suggested he ask for spring rye? If he wants to plant yet this year I would think winter rye would be more appropriate? I would understand the spring rye recommendation if he were wanting to plant in April or May, but unless one wanted it to die off with the frost, I think winter rye would be what he is looking for. Or did I miss something?

 

[wiscwhip]

Ah, gotcha! Agreed, spring rye seed is hard to source and spendy when you do. For a spring cereal planting, I would recommend a leafy oat or wheat variety, mainly for extra forage and thicker canopy. But given one has an LC mix type of planting, it would already have rye growing in it in the spring, so I wouldn't even bother myself. I would recommend then, that from now on Tree Spud ask for winter cereal rye at his local mill and never look back, forget he ever heard of spring rye and especially ryegrass! LOL Accept to say "No thank you, those are not the rye I'm looking for.;)