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Durana in middle Ga sand

C

CarolinaDawg

A good 3 year old buck
I’m looking for feedback from food plotters in the south with sandy soil. Durana was developed in Ga to have a variety that would grow in the far south in soils that are well drained. I know this, but I’m still nervous about attempting to establish a Durana plot in a converted ag field that has been heavily tiller forever but left fallow for the last three. My farm is in middle Ga with 100% sandy loam and I’m a spray, throw, and roll planter. My country extension agent isn’t aware of anyone planting Durana in my neck of the woods. I would love to hear from anyone who’s established (or attempted to) Durana in similar conditions. Thanks!
 
CarolinaDawg said:
I’m looking for feedback from food plotters in the south with sandy soil. Durana was developed in Ga to have a variety that would grow in the far south in soils that are well drained. I know this, but I’m still nervous about attempting to establish a Durana plot in a converted ag field that has been heavily tiller forever but left fallow for the last three. My farm is in middle Ga with 100% sandy loam and I’m a spray, throw, and roll planter. My country extension agent isn’t aware of anyone planting Durana in my neck of the woods. I would love to hear from anyone who’s established (or attempted to) Durana in similar conditions. Thanks!
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where in middle ga? I’m in perry. If it’s deep sand, forget it. Does it hold any moisture at all
 
CarolinaDawg said:
I’m looking for feedback from food plotters in the south with sandy soil. Durana was developed in Ga to have a variety that would grow in the far south in soils that are well drained. I know this, but I’m still nervous about attempting to establish a Durana plot in a converted ag field that has been heavily tiller forever but left fallow for the last three. My farm is in middle Ga with 100% sandy loam and I’m a spray, throw, and roll planter. My country extension agent isn’t aware of anyone planting Durana in my neck of the woods. I would love to hear from anyone who’s established (or attempted to) Durana in similar conditions. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I'm in MS with sandy soil. PH at the time of planting Durana was 5.0. I planted Durana and WW together and it has done better than I imagined it would. I will say this, don't get discouraged with the year 1 growth. It will make a huge leap in year 2! It does go dormant from around July to September around here due to how hot it gets.
 
Nightvision said:
where in middle ga? I’m in perry. If it’s deep sand, forget it. Does it hold any moisture at all
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I’m in Burke County. It’s sandy loam, not pure sand. It will “some” moisture.
 
BrushyPines said:
I'm in MS with sandy soil. PH at the time of planting Durana was 5.0. I planted Durana and WW together and it has done better than I imagined it would. I will say this, don't get discouraged with the year 1 growth. It will make a huge leap in year 2! It does go dormant from around July to September around here due to how hot it gets.
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Thanks for the reply. The ph is 6.3 to 7 in all my plots, so I’m good there. I’ll be planting with a cereal grain nurse crop. With the slow growth in year 1, did you overseed with anything in the spring and/or fall to keep the weeds down that first year? I assume you had good luck with rain that first year to get it established in sand
 
My business partner sold his farm last year in Burke county. He planted durana and did fine
 
CarolinaDawg said:
Thanks for the reply. The ph is 6.3 to 7 in all my plots, so I’m good there. I’ll be planting with a cereal grain nurse crop. With the slow growth in year 1, did you overseed with anything in the spring and/or fall to keep the weeds down that first year? I assume you had good luck with rain that first year to get it established in sand
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I did not overseed with anything in the spring. I do throw out WW every fall. During the spring and summer, I just mow it when it needs it and when a rain is in the forecast. The plot does have weeds in it, but some are beneficial to the herd like poke salad and rag weed. Any weed I see they are not browsing, like dog fennel, I will spot spray it with gly.
 
SwampCat said:
My business partner sold his farm last year in Burke county. He planted durana and did fine
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Thanks for the reply. Not the purpose of the thread, but I’m blown away by the amount of land being sold here. Feels like every field that is boarded by a paved road has been broken up into 5-20 homesites. The whole county is becoming a subdivision. Back to the Durana discussion….
 
Op,
This fall it will be slow to start but mine has always taken off in late February to early March of the next year. That’s about the time I terminate my grains and add a little fertilizer to the Durana.

It will go dormant in the heat of summer if you’re not getting good rain. It may be so bad you’ll swear it died. Will not be much of anything there but as soon as the fall rains come it will bounce back.

I don’t think it’s as preferred as the ladino clovers but what it lacks in attraction it more than makes up for in toughness. Without a doubt, it is the toughest perennial white clover out there. If it doesn’t make it in your sandy soil, no perennial clover will.
 
Nightvision said:
Op,
This fall it will be slow to start but mine has always taken off in late February to early March of the next year. That’s about the time I terminate my grains and add a little fertilizer to the Durana.

It will go dormant in the heat of summer if you’re not getting good rain. It may be so bad you’ll swear it died. Will not be much of anything there but as soon as the fall rains come it will bounce back.

I don’t think it’s as preferred as the ladino clovers but what it lacks in attraction it more than makes up for in toughness. Without a doubt, it is the toughest perennial white clover out there. If it doesn’t make it in your sandy soil, no perennial clover will.
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How sandy is your soil in Perry?
 
CarolinaDawg said:
I’m looking for feedback from food plotters in the south with sandy soil. Durana was developed in Ga to have a variety that would grow in the far south in soils that are well drained. I know this, but I’m still nervous about attempting to establish a Durana plot in a converted ag field that has been heavily tiller forever but left fallow for the last three. My farm is in middle Ga with 100% sandy loam and I’m a spray, throw, and roll planter. My country extension agent isn’t aware of anyone planting Durana in my neck of the woods. I would love to hear from anyone who’s established (or attempted to) Durana in similar conditions. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I can't speak to your sandy soil condition but I can give you some durana tips. T&M is the way to go with sandy soil and heavy clay that have low OM as tillage burns OM faster. First, I'd suggest getting weeds under control. Planting a smother crop in the spring can help with this and it T&Ms well. Also, get your pH right with surface broadcasting lime. Durana is slow to establish. I would spray the buckwheat if it has weeds in it. You want to start with a field that is clean as possible. Use WR as a nurse crop. I like to shoot for 100 lbs/ac of WR and 10 lbs/ac of durana for T&M.

Now here is the key. Because Durana is slow to establish, but persistent (and drought resistant) once established, you will want to mow that first spring. Each time the WR gets much over a foot, mow it back to 6". This will release the Durana gradually as it establishes and the winter rye will take up resources from weeds in the spring from summer weeds but then die naturally in the summer leaving the durana.

Again, I don't have sandy soil, but sand or clay, these techniques will help.

Thanks,

Jack
 
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