My best plots…..

[Rit]

I have photos. Not sure I want to post them though.

 

[Rit]

 

[Rit]

 

[Rit]

I thought the soil looked pretty good. I have not turned this dirt in 6 years. It helps that we have had 6” of rain since August 19th. I do think I have a bit of surface compaction in the newly forming root zone. You can feel the clay in the damp soil and when I plant trees in the spring it’s a train wreck.

I also think I have a residue management problem. Something isn’t right though I have a lot of bug pressure and I have read or saw on a video several times that insect cannot attack healthy plants. That’s not the case with my plants they get hit pretty hard.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I thought the soil looked pretty good. I have not turned this dirt in 6 years. It helps that we have had 6” of rain since August 19th. I do think I have a bit of surface compaction in the newly forming root zone. You can feel the clay in the damp soil and when I plant trees in the spring it’s a train wreck.

I also think I have a residue management problem. Something isn’t right though I have a lot of bug pressure and I have read or saw on a video several times that insect cannot attack healthy plants. That’s not the case with my plants they get hit pretty hard.

So are you mostly frustrated with your summer plots and not this years fall plots?

Soil looks good to my uneducated eye. The recent moisture should have you sitting pretty good on fall plots?

 

[omicron1792]

Rit, I think you’re just messing with us now! I would hold the course.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I’m more confused now than I was at Day one of this post.


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[SD51555]

Your soil structure looks great. I wonder if you're getting inhibition from the johnson grass residue?

 

[Rit]

Rit, I think you’re just messing with us now! I would hold the course.

Sorry gents my account was locked out for some reason I had to change emails addresses..

I wish I was messing with everyone and had great fall plots but the truth is I don’t. Now you see why I am so frustrated.

 

[Rit]

So are you mostly frustrated with your summer plots and not this years fall plots?

Soil looks good to my uneducated eye. The recent moisture should have you sitting pretty good on fall plots?

That’s a good summary. My summer plots have been mostly terrible and in turn my fall plots have been mostly underwhelming.

 

[Rit]

I’m more confused now than I was at Day one of this post.


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I couldn’t agree anymore. I am confused at what is happening and why things aren’t working better.

 

[Rit]

Your soil structure looks great. I wonder if you're getting inhibition from the johnson grass residue?

I was ready to rototill up my field until I dug a few holes. I do get standing water in spots if we get enough rain. The Johnson grass issue is new this year. I also think the residue management is a problem. I only have a rotary cutter and no way to manage everything I cut down.

I’m not sure if it’s my rotary cutter or all rotary cutters but the thick residue it windrows all to one side is an issue to drill into and for more obvious reasons inhibits seed growth. If I choose to spray it doesn’t allow me to kill anything underneath. I need to take a different approach. This fall everything was 4-6’ tall so I figured I needed to mow before I sprayed.

 

[SD51555]

I was ready to rototill up my field until I dug a few holes. I do get standing water in spots if we get enough rain. The Johnson grass issue is new this year. I also think the residue management is a problem. I only have a rotary cutter and no way to manage everything I cut down.

I’m not sure if it’s my rotary cutter or all rotary cutters but the thick residue it windrows all to one side is an issue to drill into and for more obvious reasons inhibits seed growth. If I choose to spray it doesn’t allow me to kill anything underneath. I need to take a different approach. This fall everything was 4-6’ tall so I figured I needed to mow before I sprayed.

Maybe try a different mower (like a flail, sickle, or disc mower) that can get down to an inch or two to get a handle on that grass and keep it short (like mow once a week) from spring greenup all the way to fall planting to keep that residue from building up and to starve those perennial roots. Then try getting a kill and flip it into a wet clay friendly blend like rye, white clover, flax, and chicory. I may even throw in some japanese millet if it's still wet when you plant.

That's gonna be a lot of mowing, but absent a better suggestion, that's what I'd try.

 

[omicron1792]

Also have you tried mowing a second pass perpendicular to the first to mulch up thatch more and remove windrows?

 

[Tree Spud]

I couldn’t agree anymore. I am confused at what is happening and why things aren’t working better.

Have you had soil tests done recently? I just did one on mine and found that many of my fields were low on phosphorous which is important for nutrient & water intake.

 

[Rit]

Also have you tried mowing a second pass perpendicular to the first to mulch up thatch more and remove windrows?

I have in the past but didn’t as much as I should have this time.

 

[Rit]

Have you had soil tests done recently? I just did one on mine and found that many of my fields were low on phosphorous which is important for nutrient & water intake.

Not for some years and I really need to do another. I should have started there before I go crying on a forum.

 

[Rit]

Maybe try a different mower (like a flail, sickle, or disc mower) that can get down to an inch or two to get a handle on that grass and keep it short (like mow once a week) from spring greenup all the way to fall planting to keep that residue from building up and to starve those perennial roots. Then try getting a kill and flip it into a wet clay friendly blend like rye, white clover, flax, and chicory. I may even throw in some japanese millet if it's still wet when you plant.

That's gonna be a lot of mowing, but absent a better suggestion, that's what I'd try.

I’d love to buy another mower but the mortgage end is well within sight on this farm and I have a huge desire to buy another piece of ground.

I have half of all plots to plant yet. It’s getting a little late but in typical fashion we get a huge flush of rain then it will zoom back to 90 and dry for two weeks. My clay with turn to concrete and the plot won’t do well.

I am going to make sure I chop up all the residue with what I have. I am at the point where I’ll spread it by hand if I have to. I have a lot of WR on hand and it will be planted next time there is rain in the forecast.

 

[MN Slick]

You will get zero argument from me and possibly none at all from anyone else. All of my TNM plots would lag behind for a bit but the end result was usually a pretty good plot. Not always though. When I used a tiller I more times than not if I had acceptable levels of rain I had a really good plot that was a huge draw. I am just not getting the desired results using a drill which is perplexing to me. I seem to have more weeds than I did when I was disturbing the soil.

My experience with my drill is very similar, also in clay soils. Weeds a plenty, marginal germination, scrubby looking plots, etc. However, they are still drawing deer well. I sold one farm and bought another last fall that was in pasture. It was too late to plot last fall and it was suggested I plant Enlist beans this spring so I could spray gly and 2-4d multiple times to kill the pasture grass and weeds that come up. I'm very pleased. I'm going to broadcast rye when the beans start to yellow and hope it takes. Next year I'll start in with a diverse warm season mix followed by a fall mix hoping the weeds and grass don't come on.

I battle weeds/grass on my other farm as well so it will be going into Enlist beans for a year to hopefully clear the deck. My long term results are still pending but I'm hopfull the good stuff will come on strong following Enlist beans.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

My 6' wood maxx flail mower was about the same price as a 6' land pride rotary cutter. Might be hard to find a used one (or maybe even new one) and do some wheelin n dealin in time for fall plantings but I would think a guy could do it without a big $ hit.