So my plan for using the whole summer to clean my field was shot down by my neighbor. He owns the equipment, so I must comply :)
As of now the field was just disked, and we're planning to spray in a week or two at green up, and then no-till drill into that. Lots of weeks came up in the fall planted rye, but I'm MOST WORRIED about vetch that is coming up. We've had a heck of a time with it. I'm not really worried about it once the grasses get established, but until then I'm worried that it'll be too competitive.
The soil is very sandy, but has 2-4 inches of old pond muck on top of it. It will hold water if it isn't dry for a week at a time, but other than that it's the driest spot I've got. I'm wanting this area to be thick, but not TOO thick. My main goal is to provide some cover in order to make the deer travel in a certain direction, and use my plot during daylight. I'm planning on eventually planting some hazels and DCOs in it. I don't want to encourage bedding, because this is in a very visible place, I'd be toast walking to my stand.
Here are my questions:
1. Do you think that this is adequate prep?
2. Will this be too late to plant? If so, can you plant in the fall?
3. I'm thinking of using a boatload of wildflowers and switch (CIR if I can find it), big blue, indian, and little blue. How does this sound for a dry area?
4. What sources would you all recommend? I'm looking at Prairie Seed Farms' Tall grass diverse mix, but it says its for mesic soils. For half an acre, it's pretty much the best price I've found.
Anything else I'm forgetting?
As of now the field was just disked, and we're planning to spray in a week or two at green up, and then no-till drill into that. Lots of weeks came up in the fall planted rye, but I'm MOST WORRIED about vetch that is coming up. We've had a heck of a time with it. I'm not really worried about it once the grasses get established, but until then I'm worried that it'll be too competitive.
The soil is very sandy, but has 2-4 inches of old pond muck on top of it. It will hold water if it isn't dry for a week at a time, but other than that it's the driest spot I've got. I'm wanting this area to be thick, but not TOO thick. My main goal is to provide some cover in order to make the deer travel in a certain direction, and use my plot during daylight. I'm planning on eventually planting some hazels and DCOs in it. I don't want to encourage bedding, because this is in a very visible place, I'd be toast walking to my stand.
Here are my questions:
1. Do you think that this is adequate prep?
2. Will this be too late to plant? If so, can you plant in the fall?
3. I'm thinking of using a boatload of wildflowers and switch (CIR if I can find it), big blue, indian, and little blue. How does this sound for a dry area?
4. What sources would you all recommend? I'm looking at Prairie Seed Farms' Tall grass diverse mix, but it says its for mesic soils. For half an acre, it's pretty much the best price I've found.
Anything else I'm forgetting?