I agree with everything Yoder is talking about. When I first bought this 25 acres, I found two open areas that were logging decks in the far past. There was nothing growing in either of them except a couple briar bushes. Even sweetgun wouldn't grow in these areas. A local fella told me that that area hadn't seen a logger in over 60 years. I took the first one, about 1/8 acre and spent a full day with nothing more than a single subsoiler. I ran over and over the area in every direction until I could go as deep as it would reach. My one neighbor had about a hundred old round bales sitting in his back pasture. They were old and useless to him. I asked about them and he told me to take whatever I needed. I have no idea how many trips I made with my tractor and a 14 foot trailer. I think I got about 25 males total. These I spread over the entire plot. I let it set for about 3 or 4 months so the rains would settle it down a little bit. I broadcast WR over it and then set my bushhog about 6 inches high and went over the whole thing to settle the seeds through the thatch. Next spring it looked unreal. It didn't last long though. even the rye couldn't find enough nutrients. I contacted a dairy farmer and bought two big loads of manure and spread it. Within days the rye was booming again. Timely rain helped. Over the next three years I would mow and seed with nothing but rye, red clover and buckwheat. I have never put a disc or a plow of any kind on it. It hs good OM down about 3 inches solid after 20 years and I can grow anything with just throw and mow. I do spray it every couple years to clean up briars and sweetgum that love it now. Low cost and never have run a soil sample on it. If the crop looks good, don't mess with it.
