Establishing new plot in spring

[swampbuck]

I will have to give that a try depending on how this one turns out.

Below is a soil test from a different area i sprayed this fall. It was reed canary dominated low ground next to a pond on the property. Its an area that got pounded early this fall due to heavy acorn drop. It's low ground but the soil test was more promising than the location I planted this spring.

Anyway I was hoping to frost seed the new spot with clover but was curious on thoughts on that. Also considering adding a nurse crop. Just not sure how to think about establishing clover in the spring in that location.

 

[swampbuck]

Forgot to mention the reed canary area i am looking at spring planting I sprayed 2x this fall with gly. First time was in late August and then again in late September. It looked like it knocked everything back well so we'll find out in the spring what creeps back. But need to get something in the ground to crowd out whatever is in the ground. Have had something called arrowvine creep in spots. Its not terribly tough to pull but it cuts everything up that touches it. Not a fan of it

 

[Stubborn1VT]

Spring planted clover needs a nurse crop IMO. It depends on how pure a stand you want and how much work you want to do as well.

I established some clover in an old, overgrown pasture on low, damp ground last year. It's not my land. I don't spray and had no interest in tilling. All I did was spread pelletized lime and red/alsike clover in late spring and mowed the existing grass. In July I spread more lime and more clover seed and mowed again. It isn't a clean plot, but it's much better what was there and it took very little effort.

 

[omicron1792]

I will have to give that a try depending on how this one turns out.

Below is a soil test from a different area i sprayed this fall. It was reed canary dominated low ground next to a pond on the property. Its an area that got pounded early this fall due to heavy acorn drop. It's low ground but the soil test was more promising than the location I planted this spring.

Anyway I was hoping to frost seed the new spot with clover but was curious on thoughts on that. Also considering adding a nurse crop. Just not sure how to think about establishing clover in the spring in that location.

View attachment 85723

You’re right. The rest look pretty good.

Clover likes K so you’ll want to supplement some early.

Spring wheat or rye can work as a spring nurse crop. I would frost seed or heavy at and if winter with clover, then decide if you want to broadcast a grain.

 

[swampbuck]

Good to know. I forget what book I was reading but it was high on birdsfoot trefoil. Anyone have any experience with that on lower ground?

 

[Stubborn1VT]

Good to know. I forget what book I was reading but it was high on birdsfoot trefoil. Anyone have any experience with that on lower ground?

It's in the seed bank at my place. It's tough, doesn't mind damp/wet ground and withstands drought. I have no idea how much deer use it, but it grows well here in zone 4/ now 5.

 

[swampbuck]

I think it'll be worth a try for me this spring. Its opening day of gun season here and I'm looking forward to some offseason work

 

[bigboreblr]

You doing tillage? Potassium is hard to move down into the soil, it goes slowly. Adding potash before discing or rototilling is the fastest way.

Predominate weeds usually say something about your soil. Might be a great SD question for him. pH of 6.9, you may want a bit of sulphur. Some better fertilizer sources have custom blends, or have specific plant blends. My local AG coop has blueberry fertilizer with sulphur in it.

Since you have magnsium rreal high and the organic matter is very high, I would do s subsoil sample. Take a shovel dig down 18 inches, then take a soil sample. Do that in several spots, probably 10 is good. That is what the bulk of your soil is. Sometimes overammending or years or heavy plant residue offsets the overall picture on the first few inches. IDeal subsoil is generally 2 feet. However, trying to get a picture with one shot. Even 12 inches might be good. Likely see a noticeably different picture, but who knows.


General spring advice. PRepare your soil, wait 2 weeks or when there is enough heat and moisture to germinate your summer grass / weed seeds. Then either stir the soil to kill those young plants, or spray dead. Then plant your seed with minimum disturbance needed. More you turn up soil, the more weed seed shows up. Could even wait for top layer of seeds to germinate, then till in or spray, then till if you sprayed.

I highly prefer to consider it early summer planting than spring because of above. Nurse crops help too if you planting will be perennial. 20-30lbs / acre of oats is plenty to distract deer off your more prized young shoots. Oats are the shortest of the grains too, so they won't shade much. Summer seed might turn into fall oats, but oats interkill the easiest of most grains too.

 

[bigboreblr]

There is balances to nutrients in the soil. The big balancer of magnesium is calcium Most of us use lime to increase pH and add calcium. You got 6.9. IF the soil down a bit deeper is lower pH, adding lime is a bad idea. Gypsum is calcium without ushing the pH up. Thinking this is what SD is going to say about your analysis and might be the reed canary clue too.

Correcting High or Low Magnesium & Calcium Content in Soil

Maintaining proper levels of magnesium and calcium in your soil is crucial to plant health. Learn how to correct high magnesium and calcium to balance your soil.

www.keystonebioag.com

Gypsum might make your soil situation better than the sulphur's lowering pH will. Soil need to be a bit acidic to get minerals into the plant.

Soil right next to the roots actually have quite low pH. The roots use this chemical boundary for mineral uptake.

Since one mineral is way off, I would get a soil sample with more minerals. Expecially calcium.

In earleir times of AG, only adding potassium was quite common in dairy farming. They used to broadcast equal parts potash and oat seed in the same spreader bin.

I would get a soil test with boron and manganese as well to see if those are way off.

MAgnesium to pottasium is an important ratio. More than Calcium to magnesium.

Understanding base saturation ratios on your MSU soil test report

The “% of Exchangeable Bases” on your MSU soil test report gives insight into nutrient balances in your soil.

www.canr.msu.edu

Did you apply alot of lime the past few years or months before that soil test? Could be a ton of excess calcium drawing out magnesium from the soil to balance the ratio, with pottasium lagging behind.

Usually fixing your biggest problem makes the smaller issues go away to an extent.

Tons of places you can get a soil test. dairyone is good. penn state university has one geared towards food plotter folks. Dairyone has tons of AG codes you need to shuffle through.