Newbie - Recommendations!

[Newbie]

Hey all, so I'm about to start ordering seed for this upcoming year. My current plan is as follows for 4acres of no till spray/throw. I'd love to get some feedback to see if I'm missing something or should increase/decrease seed amounts prior to ordering.

Spring Planting:
Chicory - 15lb
Medium Red - 15lb
Ladino - 15lb
Durana - 15lb
Alsike - 10lb
Rye - 8 bushels

Fall:
Overseed brassica mix & terminate Rye

As I've said before, I am aiming for a low-maintenance plot, likely will primarily be a white clover plot in the long run with rye/brassicas mixed in annually. I spend enough time maintaining the property in many aspects and just want a decent draw for deer without spending my entire summer tending the field.

Do the seed quantities seem appropriate? Anything I should add/subtract/modify?

Thanks in advance, I hope you all had a good winter & are ready for the upcoming spring.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Are you planting the rye in the spring? Or just ordering the rye for the fall? I’d just plant clover and chicory after spraying in the spring, but you might want to add some oats as they will take some grazing attention away from your newly sprouting clover and chicory which the deer love. You get the same benefit with the oats as the rye (as in shading the new clover) though oats in my opinion are a little harder to grow than rye. Either way, the only maintenance you should have to do is to mow (though that’s up for debate). My only suggestion would be to add some Mammoth red (in a like amount to the others). That stuff just grows fast and large!

 

[Newbie]

Are you planting the rye in the spring? Or just ordering the rye for the fall? I’d just plant clover and chicory after spraying in the spring, but you might want to add some oats as they will take some grazing attention away from your newly sprouting clover and chicory which the deer love. You get the same benefit with the oats as the rye (as in shading the new clover) though oats in my opinion are a little harder to grow than rye. Either way, the only maintenance you should have to do is to mow (though that’s up for debate). My only suggestion would be to add some Mammoth red (in a like amount to the others). That stuff just grows fast and large!

The intent was just to provide a little cover and relieve the grazing pressure as you stated with the rye. I know it isn't the traditional time to plant rye but I believe it will provide some cover and reduce the grazing pressure, as well as add some biomass and improve soil quality. I may spread some again in the fall. I'm not open to other recommendations, such as oats or otherwise, but I know that rye establishes quickly and grows well on this area and the deer seem to love it so I was just going with what was familiar.

 

[omicron1792]

The intent was just to provide a little cover and relieve the grazing pressure as you stated with the rye. I know it isn't the traditional time to plant rye but I believe it will provide some cover and reduce the grazing pressure, as well as add some biomass and improve soil quality. I may spread some again in the fall. I'm not open to other recommendations, such as oats or otherwise, but I know that rye establishes quickly and grows well on this area and the deer seem to love it so I was just going with what was familiar.

40-50lbs/acre of spring wheat would work well there. Then, in fall, overseed with 100-150lbs/acre of rye.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

I get that wanting to have the biomass and easy germination of rye..please let us know how it works!! (Definitely will do it on new spring-planted clover stands if it works well for you!)

 

[Newbie]

40-50lbs/acre of spring wheat would work well there. Then, in fall, overseed with 100-150lbs/acre of rye.

Thank you so much! I will look into that!

In all of your wisdom, does this seem like an appropriate mixture (and amount) for the proposed idea? 3.5-4acre of spray/throw/mow. As for soil testing and quality and such I should be okay for the proposed species in theory anyway.

 

[PatinPA]

I'm doing similar this year too on one of my plots. I frost seeded clover and chicory. Going to overseed with some leftover rye and oats from the fall when it warms up. Then we'll see what it looks like come August and I'll decide what to do in the fall. I've had a tough time establishing clover.

 

[omicron1792]

Thank you so much! I will look into that!

In all of your wisdom, does this seem like an appropriate mixture (and amount) for the proposed idea? 3.5-4acre of spray/throw/mow. As for soil testing and quality and such I should be okay for the proposed species in theory anyway.

You’ll need to up the rates of clover the first couple of years. 3lbs an acre is just not much when starting a new plot. Especially when doing throw and mow without disturbing soil.

I would plant 5-6lbs/acre of each variety. 20lbs or so of clover/acre. Obviously this goes down in later years.

 

[matinc]

Newbie I would consider some balsana and Alfalfa. I am making the change from rye to tritacle in the fall. I tried durano in michigan with no luck. Not sure where your located.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

40-50lbs/acre of spring wheat would work well there. Then, in fall, overseed with 100-150lbs/acre of rye.

Curious - Do you have to do anything with the spring wheat before overseeding with rye?

 

[omicron1792]

Curious - Do you have to do anything with the spring wheat before overseeding with rye?

It will terminate on its on before fall planting. But you could mow it to terminate. Or spray it with cleth. I used it one time when I had a bad fall crop and needed something in the spring. It didn’t do great but it was something.

 

[omicron1792]

Newbie I would consider some balsana and Alfalfa. I am making the change from rye to tritacle in the fall. I tried durano in michigan with no luck. Not sure where your located.

I never had great luck with durana either.

 

[Newbie]

You’ll need to up the rates of clover the first couple of years. 3lbs an acre is just not much when starting a new plot. Especially when doing throw and mow without disturbing soil.

I would plant 5-6lbs/acre of each variety. 20lbs or so of clover/acre. Obviously this goes down in later years.

You're correct, my apologies. These totals were for the main 3 acre parcel, I just decided to add 3/4 - 1 acre on a little patch just across the road from that so I will bump up the # to reflect. I was using approx 5lb/acre as a guide & those totals give me just about 20lb/acre as you recommended.

Thank you!

 

[Newbie]

Maybe I'll axe the durana clover and find a replacement. It is by far the most expensive of the bunch and despite reading lots of good things about it, I've heard a mixed bag of reviews anecdotally.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

It will terminate on its on before fall planting. But you could mow it to terminate. Or spray it with cleth. I used it one time when I had a bad fall crop and needed something in the spring. It didn’t do great but it was something.

Overseed with rye / some clover / some brassicas ..... then mow the wheat??

 

[bigboreblr]

Maybe I'll axe the durana clover and find a replacement. It is by far the most expensive of the bunch and despite reading lots of good things about it, I've heard a mixed bag of reviews anecdotally.

Its good clover. But like anything, you get out what you put in. Don;t prepare the seedbed, it might go too deep. Dont care of weeds it gets choked. Don't have water to establish, it wont establish.

I will still add it to my mixes. The only 2 things I wont are birdsfoot trefoil and dutch white clover. Deer dont eat trefoil, and utch white takes over. If you want to monocrop clover, I'd use the dutch white. Call it a little better ladino. same goes with whitetail intitute. The wow in whitetail is berseem or balsana clover. Thats the big intitial growth, but whitetail is an improved ladino. I haven't bought their seed in a few years. But, like what you have I mix in 3 or 4 clovers all the time. always a ladino and a medium red. You go towards 80lbs of wheat or oats, go about 12lbs clovers. You go around 50lbs of oats or wheat, get that clover 15-20lbs. Yuo get a good bit of brassicas going while you plant clover n ceral grains, I go down 10lb or so.

I try to stay mixed and growing at all times. I used to plant cereal grains, brassicas, and clovers year one, then year 2 and 3 lean on heavy clovers. Then clean up the weed mess and redo for another 3 year cycle.

Perennial clovers go slow and take time, that a very common novice complaint.

At home I make a good spot every year. At camp one spot gets done well, and the others get a basic throw n mow of rye and some clovers every mid august.

Dont food plot as far as you can go into the treeline. Leave them edges brushy, they're more comfortable coming in a bit earlier at the end of the day.

 

[Newbie]

Well, it is about to be a busy spring here in PA. Got my orders in for the year.

Food plot is getting the following:
Forb feast Chicory – 20lb
Medium Red – 15lb
Jumbo II Ladino – 20lb
Balsana – 10 lb
Alsike – 10lb
Persist Red Clover– 15lb
8 bushels of rye
**Overseed with brassicas in Sept.

In addition, I have 100 12-18in (2-1) Norway Spruce coming from Coldstream Nursery, and an additional 25 2-3ft Norway Spruce from a local tree farm.

8 Crab apples (30-06 and Droptine) from Whitetail Crabs

20 chestnut trees I picked up last fall that are in pots in my garage.

I really should look into getting a 3pt post hole digger or it is gonna be a busy springtime with a shovel.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

If I can ask - where did you buy the 2 to 3 ft. Norway spruce, and what did they charge you? We have occasional needs for bigger Norway spruce, but I have no local source.

 

[Newbie]

If I can ask - where did you buy the 2 to 3 ft. Norway spruce, and what did they charge you? We have occasional needs for bigger Norway spruce, but I have no local source.

My neighbor runs a Christmas tree farm as well as a landscaping/reclamation business for the gas industry (replanting old drill sites/pipeline management, etc). They have a stand of young Norway spruce in one of their growing fields that they're going to dig up and burlap for me. I asked how much I owe them and he just laughed. They're a great neighbor and often refuse accepting anything so I might be on the hook for about free.50.

You can PM me your location if you want and see how close you are. They might be interested in selling some more, I could check with them.