New ideas for fall of 2023

[SD51555]

Anyone have any new ideas they're trying this fall in your plots? Most of my ideas are on the table and have been shared here already.

I have a tiny sorghum trial going in my asparagus bed right now. I'm leaning towards throwing a few pounds of WGF sorghum in when I throw and mow this fall. I don't know if it'll have enough time to completely finish, but I think there may be a chance I get it to the point where the deer will take the heads and probably the plant yet this fall.

I'm hanging up the cereals work I think for good. I had been trying all sorts of different winter and spring forage cereals over the years. I haven't seen the results to make me keep going. I haven't seen anything that can trump rye for speed outta the ground and speed to canopy to prevent unintended plants from showing up in spring and summer. I'm still going to mix in some awnless spring barley with my fall plots. It's pretty quick to head, and if it doesn't, the whole plant is edible anyway.

My end goal is to wrap up the experiments and begin to simplify the plot blends and take out the expensive or hard to source components. No more paying big shipping to get fancy improved forage cereals shipped in.

 

[PatinPA]

I bought some sweet yellow clover to try out this year. But that's about it for me. Going with some PTT and some radish of some sort and probably plant that next weekend depending on rain forecast. I don't have a coop around me. The only seed store sells BOB mixes. So I usually order up Domain Outdoors Chic Magnet. I've liked the results of it in the past. Got two leftover bags of forage oats and I'll probably get a bag or two of rye to put down in September. Cutting in a new trail that I hope buck will use to cruise instead of skirting my property.

 

[Westwind]

I haven't seen anything that can trump rye for speed outta the ground and speed to canopy to prevent unintended plants from showing up in spring and summer.

I need to heed this. I’m in Year One of getting my plots back in shape and I need to fight the urge to mix in other cereal grains, I need to fight the weed fight.

I'm still going to mix in some awnless spring barley with my fall plots.

Can I get the elevator pitch on asb? Haven’t tried that yet. ^^^^^See, I’m easily distracted!

 

[Foggy47]

Yesterday I drilled some View Blocker into my clover plots which are adjacent to my soon to be brassica plots (doing a 50 /50 rotation). Also drilled in some chicory......and I had a few odds and ends of soybeans and peas that were getting old.....so I threw them in the drill....and dont expect much from them. Hopefully the chicory takes hold as I have seen that be a strong attraction after the clover goes dormant in fall.

What I am trying to find out: .....will that Egyptian Wheat and Sorghum Sudan Grass grow in my clover plots?? If so, I could get some vertical cover to make the deer more comfortable in daylight time......and hopefully get bucks to enter the plots in fall when searching out does. Getting vertical fall cover to grow in my clover plots without terminating the clover would be a big win for me.

The drawback to this plan however is that it does not allow me to use my drill to plant the rye and clover for next spring. May be doing more fall broadcasting if this is the case?

 

[SD51555]

Can I get the elevator pitch on asb? Haven’t tried that yet. ^^^^^See, I’m easily distracted!

There are a few differences in awnless spring barley that make it a favorite of mine:

*It's cheap, cheaper than rye in the right places
*It'll outproduce any winter cereal in the fall tonnage wise because it's gonna try to finish where winters will stall around 4-10" and produce more roots
*It's fastest to maturity of all the spring cereals
*Broadcast germinates as well as rye
*It's water thrifty
*Being a forage variety, you'll get wider leaf blades vs a bin run grain
*It's awnless, so if it produces a seed head, the deer will still eat it, and quickly. It leaves a lot of forgiveness if you cannot accurately predict your temperatures out 60 days when deciding when to plant.

Some variety names: Hayes, Haymaker, Haybet, Baronesse, Lavina

I got it to grow a few years back in the spring as I was still tinkering trying to figure out how to grow cereals in established white clover. I got lucky that one year, and never again. I came back a couple weeks after I took this pic, and there were no signs that there was ever barley there. I think the deer uprooted it and ate the whole plant. I've seen them do that on oats in the fall. I've had 24" tall oats and they'd pull up the whole plant and slurp it all down, including the roots and dirt hanging from them.

 

[Westwind]

There are a few differences in awnless spring barley that make it a favorite of mine:

*It's cheap, cheaper than rye in the right places
*It'll outproduce any winter cereal in the fall tonnage wise because it's gonna try to finish where winters will stall around 4-10" and produce more roots
*It's fastest to maturity of all the spring cereals
*Broadcast germinates as well as rye
*It's water thrifty
*Being a forage variety, you'll get wider leaf blades vs a bin run grain
*It's awnless, so if it produces a seed head, the deer will still eat it, and quickly. It leaves a lot of forgiveness if you cannot accurately predict your temperatures out 60 days when deciding when to plant.

Some variety names: Hayes, Haymaker, Haybet, Baronesse, Lavina

I got it to grow a few years back in the spring as I was still tinkering trying to figure out how to grow cereals in established white clover. I got lucky that one year, and never again. I came back a couple weeks after I took this pic, and there were no signs that there was ever barley there. I think the deer uprooted it and ate the whole plant. I've seen them do that on oats in the fall. I've had 24" tall oats and they'd pull up the whole plant and slurp it all down, including the roots and dirt hanging from them.

View attachment 54043

Thats awesome info. How much are you mixing in your rye?

And thank you for the response!

 

[SD51555]

Thats awesome info. How much are you mixing in your rye?

And thank you for the response!

The rate per acre will be around 4 bushels rye, 2 bushels barley.


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[Mortenson]

I haven't broadened my horizons at all. My plan is simple and effective. Spray in July. Wait for a good rain chance. Bag spread a few lbs of turnip and radish seed (trending toward more turnip and less radish). See if enough of them sprout. If not enough, spread a few more in early Aug. In Sept bag spread ~ 100 lbs of cereal rye with maybe a little clover. Plenty of does and bucks will be seen over these plots. Shed hunting will be good. Spring turkeys will show up. Mow down the rye early next summer and repeat the process. Works well here.

 

[356]

This is the first year I will be trying a soy/milo blend. Spray, drill and pray for rain.

 

[SwampCat]

I did that years ago. Settled on wheat and durana clover for almost year round food source. Rye would be fine with me, except it gets too tall early in spring and gobblers wont use my food plots

 

[Westwind]

The rate per acre will be around 4 bushels rye, 2 bushels barley.


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Thanks!

 

[Westwind]

I did something impulsive. Was looking at the Green Cover site and for some reason decided I wanted to try the Warm Season Soil Builder.

I have a small field that was in cereal and I had some buckwheat seed that I put down this spring that was several years old. Well… that buckwheat germinated pretty decent and it saved me. I got rain after planting, but then the drought hit and nothing took off except the buckwheat. It is flowering now so I tilled it under and put down the Warm Season Soil Builder today after a morning rain and more rain forecast.

I hate being impulsive and not having a plan but I’m having a ton of fun planting with my Woods seeder. When the mystery wears off that Ill probably do conventional plantings.

 

[bigboreblr]

Will be spraying basagran to combat mace sedge in the snowmobile trail and plots.

Getting the weder out monday or tuesday for the cultipacker seeder sprayer combo. Passing on putting discs on it, but will weld up minitarue x shape 3.5ft wide disc set and putting plywood walls and 12v spreader ontop of it. Stir up the soil and put wheat or oats. Cultipacker should cover rye pretty well.

Sticking wit the rye and clove rotation many like here. Putting turnips every other year in plots. Likely focus hunting the turnip area more that year.

 

[omicron1792]

I did that years ago. Settled on wheat and durana clover for almost year round food source. Rye would be fine with me, except it gets too tall early in spring and gobblers wont use my food plots

Same here. I keep a couple of traditional clover plots for the turkey. They seem to hang out there.