New plot summer planting (prior to fall planting)

[Wind Gypsy]

I intend to create plots out of what has been hay ground for decades but has not been cut for at least a couple years.

I'm hoping to do a prescribed burn on the majority of it as soon as possible (guessing late April or May) and follow up with gly on new growth. I want to get something planted just to compete with weeds prior to my fall plots going in. I was thinking buckwheat, oats, and a legume. The catch is I could see this planting happening in late May into June and I plan to do a Lick Creek'ish rotation for fall which means brassicas in mid july and grains probably in early August. That doesn't leave much time for the summer planting to get established.

Now to my questions -
1. Does it make sense to plant something even if it's getting terminated 45-60 days later? I thought it might be beneficial to outcompete weeds and add food/biomass to these new fields.
2. Does my plan of oats/buckwheat make sense and would adding a legume for that short period even help with nitrogen fixing? What legume would make sense?

The below thread has some pictures of what some of this ground looks like for reference. I've learned a lot since last August when that was posted!

Newby Central MN Hayfield to food plots

Hi folks, new member here and am about to close on 40 acres in kanabec county MN. There is a lot of good cover but about 8 acres of the land is historically hay field. The previous owner stopped haying it 3 or 4 years ago and has been letting most of it just do it's thing. A couple acres he has...

habitat-talk.com

 

[homerj1]

Kanabec county was hit hard with drought last summer and is on the border of drought this winter. Burn restrictions went into place the end of March last year for Kanabec and other MN counties. If you're gonna burn, better hope for an early snow melt and get 'er done quick.

| U.S. Drought Monitor

droughtmonitor.unl.edu

| U.S. Drought Monitor

droughtmonitor.unl.edu

 

[chucker66]

Can you mow these areas? If so why not mow them in May, terminate them with Gly as they start to come back in June and then do a TnM of the Lick Creek mix. Why spent time and money planting something that your are just going to terminate if there is already something growing there (even if it is not what your want)? Burning is going to remove some of the thatch which might be ok (and its fun haha) but if you mow you will also provide that cover for your seeds to germinate. I have a lot of things on my list this year and can't really afford to waste time planting something I will just end up terminating anyway and in the summer months the deer have plenty of food in the Upper Midwest. Just my 2 cents. Good Luck.

Chuck

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Can you mow these areas? If so why not mow them in May, terminate them with Gly as they start to come back in June and then do a TnM of the Lick Creek mix. Why spent time and money planting something that your are just going to terminate if there is already something growing there (even if it is not what your want)? Burning is going to remove some of the thatch which might be ok (and its fun haha) but if you mow you will also provide that cover for your seeds to germinate. I have a lot of things on my list this year and can't really afford to waste time planting something I will just end up terminating anyway and in the summer months the deer have plenty of food in the Upper Midwest. Just my 2 cents. Good Luck.

Chuck

That is a possibility too. I have just read that planting into dead sod is not ideal. Some of the areas are thick reed canary grass and the assumption was I'll get a better kill by burning and spraying fresh growth. Figured the first planting might be mediocre on the first go into the new field but this method might increase chance of success this fall.

Not the best pic but this is the area in question.

 

[Diesel5610]

Buckwheat is a short crop and you will want to terminate it before it goes to seed anyway. It grows about anywhere and is a great cover crop to start converting ground to a productive plot. I would go straight buckwheat.

 

[Skeeter]

This entire plot was seeded in early June in a blend that grew into the stuff on the far right and left of the picture. In mid to late July I seeded the middle portion in a fall mix and sprayed and cultipacked, leaving the June planted stuff growing where I wanted screening. Over in Todd county so I would imagine similar climate. Works great when I get enough moisture. Drier ground was a complete failure last summer.

 

[bigboreblr]

Looks like you got some decent growth there. Did you get a soil test done? You may want to disc in some lime to get things leveled up anyways.

IF you're burning to beat the burn ban that might be in your area, a spring plot of oats and clover would not be a bad idea.

That field is huge.... Atleast for me. I'd plant some concealment, like milo. MAybe even choose to make a strip fallow.

A friend took my advice and it worked out. He took a big field and cut in quatrers. He put a hunt shack in the middle. The strip you walk to the shack is doubled up and has a path me keeps mowed in it.

 

[Barndog56]

Buckwheat is a great idea. Crimson clover would be a good fit for your legume. It's pretty quick to fix nitrogen, which your brassicas will love.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Looks like you got some decent growth there. Did you get a soil test done? You may want to disc in some lime to get things leveled up anyways.

IF you're burning to beat the burn ban that might be in your area, a spring plot of oats and clover would not be a bad idea.

That field is huge.... Atleast for me. I'd plant some concealment, like milo. MAybe even choose to make a strip fallow.

A friend took my advice and it worked out. He took a big field and cut in quatrers. He put a hunt shack in the middle. The strip you walk to the shack is doubled up and has a path me keeps mowed in it.

I've only done a quick DIY rapid soil test kid deal last year, i'm sending in samples this spring.

The field is 8 acres, wont be a solid food plot chunk by any means. Maybe 3 acres will be food plot. Close to an acre of hybrid sorghum screening, and an acre will be fallow with conifers and dogwoods added. The entire perimeter is getting spruce and hybrid willow screen planted this year too.

I've got much of the final idea figured out, just trying to figure out how to get there.

 

[Nightvision]

I've only done a quick DIY rapid soil test kid deal last year, i'm sending in samples this spring.

The field is 8 acres, wont be a solid food plot chunk by any means. Maybe 3 acres will be food plot. Close to an acre of hybrid sorghum screening, and an acre will be fallow with conifers and dogwoods added. The entire perimeter is getting spruce and hybrid willow screen planted this year too.

I've got much of the final idea figured out, just trying to figure out how to get there.

Not saying they are all crap but every “quick” soil/ph test I’ve ever used wasn’t worth my money or my time.

If someone KNOWS of a good one, I’m all ears. I even tried the water soluble one from Lowes. All of mine just get sent to the county extension agent now.

 

[yoderjac]

I intend to create plots out of what has been hay ground for decades but has not been cut for at least a couple years.

I'm hoping to do a prescribed burn on the majority of it as soon as possible (guessing late April or May) and follow up with gly on new growth. I want to get something planted just to compete with weeds prior to my fall plots going in. I was thinking buckwheat, oats, and a legume. The catch is I could see this planting happening in late May into June and I plan to do a Lick Creek'ish rotation for fall which means brassicas in mid july and grains probably in early August. That doesn't leave much time for the summer planting to get established.

Now to my questions -
1. Does it make sense to plant something even if it's getting terminated 45-60 days later? I thought it might be beneficial to outcompete weeds and add food/biomass to these new fields.
2. Does my plan of oats/buckwheat make sense and would adding a legume for that short period even help with nitrogen fixing? What legume would make sense?

The below thread has some pictures of what some of this ground looks like for reference. I've learned a lot since last August when that was posted!

Newby Central MN Hayfield to food plots

Hi folks, new member here and am about to close on 40 acres in kanabec county MN. There is a lot of good cover but about 8 acres of the land is historically hay field. The previous owner stopped haying it 3 or 4 years ago and has been letting most of it just do it's thing. A couple acres he has...

habitat-talk.com

Buckwheat is a 60 to 90 day crop that is a good soil builder. You won't get as much N fixing in a short period, but Sunn Hemp can fix a lot of N. Buckwheat and Sunn Hemp have become my go to mix to cover the summer stress period here.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Not saying they are all crap but every “quick” soil/ph test I’ve ever used wasn’t worth my money or my time.

If someone KNOWS of a good one, I’m all ears. I even tried the water soluble one from Lowes. All of mine just get sent to the county extension agent now.

Yeah I don’t intend to use em again but I was planting less than a week after closing on purchase last year so just did what I could. Didn’t end up really making decisions with the results.

 

[bigboreblr]

I've only done a quick DIY rapid soil test kid deal last year, i'm sending in samples this spring.

The field is 8 acres, wont be a solid food plot chunk by any means. Maybe 3 acres will be food plot. Close to an acre of hybrid sorghum screening, and an acre will be fallow with conifers and dogwoods added. The entire perimeter is getting spruce and hybrid willow screen planted this year too.

I've got much of the final idea figured out, just trying to figure out how to get there.

Dont cheap out on the tree care. I keep cardboard and cut them into 2ft squares with a slit to the middle for young trees. Use what you can for mulch. Even more important if you cant get there often enough to water during a dry spell. My young bareroots, old apple trees, and perimeter red cedars have really done well with dry spell watering, cutting out the vines, and fertilizing. My 4 year old blue spruces are up to my neck high. same with a few 4 year old bareroot red cedars. Gave up on white cedars. Everything hiding in the bushes wants to nibble it to a nub...... I had a deer knock down the fence cage to eat them one winter. Rabbits find any little nook, or just the baby ones fit through.....

 

[GMan5465]

I purchased some cover crop blends from Albert Lea seed this year. They seem similar to mixes I’ve seen from green cover. I could pick them up but shipping within MN wasn’t too bad. I bought the summer max. Just another option.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I purchased some cover crop blends from Albert Lea seed this year. They seem similar to mixes I’ve seen from green cover. I could pick them up but shipping within MN wasn’t too bad. I bought the summer max. Just another option.

Checked em out, they do look pretty good. Thanks for sharing.

 

[SD51555]

Checked em out, they do look pretty good. Thanks for sharing.

How are you going to get this going after the burn? What tools are you using?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

How are you going to get this going after the burn? What tools are you using?

Good question.. Hoping to finalize a NT drill purchase within the next week but not sure I'll have it in time for spring/summer planting.

If I don't have or rent a drill in time I'd probably broadcast with a bag seeder and I'll have disc, tine drag, and culti packer to use as appropriate.

 

[SD51555]

Good question.. Hoping to finalize a NT drill purchase within the next week but not sure I'll have it in time for spring/summer planting.

If I don't have or rent a drill in time I'd probably broadcast with a bag seeder and I'll have disc, tine drag, and culti packer to use as appropriate.

I might burn that this spring and then let it regen naturally for the summer and save your gly application for when you're ready to put your fall plot in. You're probably going to have a heck of a battle on your hands opening up that seed bank in the spring/early summer with both a burn and gly application. I can't help ya on the canary grass. Only way I've found to best it is to make a pond where it is and pile the sod up next to it.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I might burn that this spring and then let it regen naturally for the summer and save your gly application for when you're ready to put your fall plot in. You're probably going to have a heck of a battle on your hands opening up that seed bank in the spring/early summer with both a burn and gly application. I can't help ya on the canary grass. Only way I've found to best it is to make a pond where it is and pile the sod up next to it.

Appreciate the input. I'm curious why it would be better to let it regen and spray at July/August planting than try to give it some competition in the summer and spray again when planting fall plots? Just less ground disturbance in spring/early summer? Or is it just a matter of not wasting time/$ on something that would struggle to compete?

 

[SD51555]

Appreciate the input. I'm curious why it would be better to let it regen and spray at July/August planting than try to give it some competition in the summer and spray again when planting fall plots? Just less ground disturbance in spring/early summer? Or is it just a matter of not wasting time/$ on something that would struggle to compete?

What's growing out there now is a free cover crop. Kill once, plant once. Let the spring cool season and summer warm season pass by, and just knock it open once after all that is over. A year of thick rye is gonna go a long ways to preventing gly resistant weeds from popping up.