Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
Then you should've started 3 years ago.
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Field prep?
- Thread starter Derek Reese 29
- Start date
Then you should've started 3 years ago.
Derek Reese 29
5 year old buck +
Would’ve loved to but just got the property...
chucker66
5 year old buck +
I am in a similar situation to you but about 2 years ahead. I burned the RCG 2 years ago (Enjoyed every minute of it) then I sprayed 3 or 4 times over the summer and fall. The next spring I did the same thing but then Planted Rye, clover and radishes (TnM) in it in July and the deer used it quite a bit last fall. Now I should have Rye and Clover coming up but I also know I will still have some residual RCG coming and will probably spot spray as I find it. I will also keep mowing it to keep it from seeding. It's a battle but having a spring fire is nice. Also they sell lighters at the store, you don't need the fancy stuff that the DNR uses. Do like ST said above. Also make sure you have a back pack sprayer full of water and a large lawn rake to control the fire. Another way to go about it is to burn on different days with different winds. This way you can back burn and then run your fire when the wind is right to where you have already burned. I wish more people burned their ditches and such in the spring and I think we would have less ticks, but that just a theory.
Derek Reese 29
5 year old buck +
im wondering if this would work?
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i think i might just try to rake or somehow get the dead thatch into a big pile and burn that? then hit it a few times with gly to make sure as much of it as possible is gone...
thanks for the response!
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
I hardly ever get ticks on me anymore after we started doing annual burns.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
That is a disease we all suffer from. I would not frost seed and expect good results. Frost seeding clover can be great for filling in bare spots in a clover field, but it is not an ideal way to establish a perennial clover field. As hard as it is to restrain your impatience, I would. I would first focus on dealing with the existing grass. We do frequent controlled burns in our clear-cuts and pines and they can be scary. Burning fields is not. Disc a good fire break around the field. Wait for good conditions with the right wind and humidity. Use a backing fire. Have a couple buddies with rakes for safety and you will be fine. If you have tall plants like warm season grasses (you don't from the pics) flames can get quite high. If you are not comfortable with that, mow first. Fire can be a great tool, but like most tools if you don't do your homework and learn how to use it properly, it can do some damate.
Whether you use fire, gly, or some combination, I would first deal with the grass issue. I would plant a summer smother crop as well like buckwheat or sunn hemp (or a combination). I've used them to help when I had a problematic weed. In your case with a grass being the issue, I probably would use buckwheat as the N from the sunn hemp would stimulate the grass. Then in the fall you will have still another opportunity to spray any remaining grass before T&M clover with a WR nurse crop. I find this the best way to establish clover. The following spring, mow the WR back to 6"-8" each time it gets tall enough to shade out the clover.
Keep in mind that while it may be another year or so before you get your perennial clover field but each step along the way provides good deer food.
If you are talking about an annual clover small grain rotation, the clover will be the smother crop as annual clover is much faster to germinate, but, like sunn hemp, it will fix N which grass loves. You might still want to spend the spring killing the grass and use buckwheat that first summer. It germinates best in warm soil and is a short duration crop. Because it breaks down so quickly releasing nutrients when mowed, it is ideal to T&M into.
Thanks,
Jack
FarmerDan
5 year old buck +
I keep watching this thread with great fascination. I try to look away - but I can't! 
The thought of turning a field so supportive of reed canary grass into one growing lush clover , well - I can't find a connection.
You can work your butt into a small mound of muscle, empty your wallet on transformational products and practices and what you're left with is a semi-wetland with low productivity where reed canary grass will thrive.
The thought of turning a field so supportive of reed canary grass into one growing lush clover , well - I can't find a connection.
You can work your butt into a small mound of muscle, empty your wallet on transformational products and practices and what you're left with is a semi-wetland with low productivity where reed canary grass will thrive.
RCG is pretty difficult to get rid of. Loads of rhizomes as well as millions of seeds. A late summer spraying of gly is generally the most effective. Follow up the next year with a couple more gly applications for the inevitable re-sprouting from seeds/rhizomes. Then pray for success
chucker66
5 year old buck +
The problem with RCG is it lays down with 1 or 2 snowflakes. It's great cover in the summer and early fall. I still have a bunch around but transforming the one area I did has been a pretty good success so far. It is close to a pond and does get wet in the springtime. I will keep some around though becasue I love burning it in the spring
Derek Reese 29
5 year old buck +
any ideas how to at least pile up the dead stuff? I was thinking cut it with a brush hog then hare it and let it get caught up in the teeth then pile that and burn it? fire company near me isnt real keen on burning fields, especially close to houses...The problem with RCG is it lays down with 1 or 2 snowflakes. It's great cover in the summer and early fall. I still have a bunch around but transforming the one area I did has been a pretty good success so far. It is close to a pond and does get wet in the springtime. I will keep some around though becasue I love burning it in the spring
If you burn your field, light the fire from the downwind side so the fire creeps into the wind. Burn on a day when there is light wind. I like to burn in the morning when there is some dew on the field I'm burning, so the fire burns slower. I also spray the perimeter of the field with water from my sprayer to help prevent the fire from moving out of the burn area. Try to have a helper or two with rakes and maybe a few 5 gallon buckets filled with water. Since the plot is close to your house, you may want to run a hose to the plot and keep the water running while you're burning.
