No-tilling through grass

spaniel

5 year old buck +
I have an acre I tried to seed into a bedding mix by working it and broadcast seeding/cultipacking last year. It was a complete failure and needs to be redone. I'm going to rent a small no-till drill and do it right.

My question is, this field now has last year's grasses and a few weeds grown up and blown over. Is that going to be too thick and smother the new seeding, requiring me to work it, or do I just spray and plant through it?
 
If you are talking about turf type grass (fescue), I'd spend a year getting rid of it before focusing on other crops. Depending on the type of grass it may take both multiple applications of herbicides as well as a smother crop.
 
I have an acre I tried to seed into a bedding mix by working it and broadcast seeding/cultipacking last year. It was a complete failure and needs to be redone. I'm going to rent a small no-till drill and do it right.

My question is, this field now has last year's grasses and a few weeds grown up and blown over. Is that going to be too thick and smother the new seeding, requiring me to work it, or do I just spray and plant through it?
Not sure what it is your planting? I had some fairly good success when nuking the grasses and drilling seeds into the now dead sod / grasses.....but not all varieties of seed did well. I continue to experiment to find the best technique to do this......but have had better results on new ground.....when first mowing and then killing via spray...then tilling....and then drilling seeds. I have gotten some results via spray and then drill the seeds......but not to the degree I had hoped. The short-cut methods may take another season or two to get a result.
 
I'm planting "Bedding in a Bag" and it stipulates putting down Plateau. I didn't know that when I opened the bag for this particular plot (they put the instructions INSIDE the bag) but I used it on another. Suffice to say I have zero concern about new growth with the Plateau down. Just concerned with the dead growth smothering out the new seed. And this isn't established sod, it was killed/disced last spring so it's just annual types of grasses at relatively low density.
 
It won't smother it. If you kill whats there it will act a mulch. I've planted into 5 foot rye knocked down and things grow up through it. Bedding in a bag is tall and fast growing. It will push right by that dead stuff.
 
It won't smother it. If you kill whats there it will act a mulch. I've planted into 5 foot rye knocked down and things grow up through it. Bedding in a bag is tall and fast growing. It will push right by that dead stuff.

X2 - Thatch/Mulch/Biomass....is your friend. Crimp it....roll it....or mow it...spray it to kill the grasses...and drill right through it.

I don't have a roller/crimper yet....so I rolled this rye with my cultipacker...

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It created a thick layer of thatch to keep my soil covered, act as a weed suppressant...to keep the soil cool and moist...and add nutrients to my soil as it decomposed

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Even the tiny brassicas had no trouble pushing up through the thatch...

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I mowed this tall rye with my brush hog...

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The seed that was scattered when I mowed it germinated but I didn't want another rye crop that thick...

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So I sprayed it and drilled right through the thick sod...

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Viola! A few weeks later I've got a new cover crop coming up...

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Thanks. It's already blown down pretty well so I'll just drill through it.
 
I'd do sometime besides the no-till drill. You need to get that grass inline withe the no-till drill rows. Otherwise, you may clog up the wheels with the the thatch. I'd spray, mow, and cultipack in the direction you'll be traveling with on the drill. Or, cultipack before and after.

Beside the thatch, what are you drilling into? How packed is the soil? How level is the ground? Rockiness? Old roots? Whats the field history?

I've never grown those tall grass seeds, but you might be better mono cropping with one seed. Going through heavy thatch will require some no till drill tweaking. Run a test path, then dig under the thatch and see how it laid into the thatch.

You may want to make this a 2 man operation if possible, someone driving an atv alongside to check if the wheels are not clogged.

Definitely find out what model the drill is and check on here and youtube how to adjust seeding depth and wheel pressure.

Besiudes bedding grasses, you could combine a small grain like rye with something to bind it and keep it tall, like cow peas or vetch. Same goes with buckwheat too.
 
If it isn't any thicker than these cover crops I wouldn't be too concerned about it if you have a decent drill. I've never clogged up my wheels and never needed a 2 man operation. These drills are designed to plant through cover crops and thatch. Yes - it would probably be best if I had a roller/crimper on the front of my tractor but I have still got by without one.

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Oops - missed a spot with the sprayer...

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The heavy crop of rye I did lay down with a cultipacker first but otherwise it has been one pass planting with my drill.

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I know this is an old thread.....but just stumbled onto it again. I have had my best performance with my Tar River Saya Drill when drilling into the standing rye. Though I have done it before and after crimping.....I feel the drill provides better depth control by drilling "green" into a standing crop. Then you can roll the rye at almost any time.

I dont ever plan to use a roller on the front loader of my tractor and try to do the rolling and operate my drill at the same time. First and foremost.....unless you have a very straight ag field.....it's too hard on your loader with the roller wanting to go in straight lines. Even minor turns with a roller / crimper pull on the loader frame and may spring the loader over time (certainly wont do it any good). Second....it's difficult to plan your planting time to correspond with the ideal termination time of your cereal rye. Third......running two implements at the same time requires more focus and concentration and some compromises in one or the other at times. I find it better to use each implement separately.

In my opinion that roller crimper belongs on the three point for small time operators......like most of us.
 
I know this is an old thread.....but just stumbled onto it again. I have had my best performance with my Tar River Saya Drill when drilling into the standing rye. Though I have done it before and after crimping.....I feel the drill provides better depth control by drilling "green" into a standing crop. Then you can roll the rye at almost any time.

I dont ever plan to use a roller on the front loader of my tractor and try to do the rolling and operate my drill at the same time. First and foremost.....unless you have a very straight ag field.....it's too hard on your loader with the roller wanting to go in straight lines. Even minor turns with a roller / crimper pull on the loader frame and may spring the loader over time (certainly wont do it any good). Second....it's difficult to plan your planting time to correspond with the ideal termination time of your cereal rye. Third......running two implements at the same time requires more focus and concentration and some compromises in one or the other at times. I find it better to use each implement separately.

In my opinion that roller crimper belongs on the three point for small time operators......like most of us.

Fourth.......How am i going to hold my beer and drive at the same time?

bill
 
I only use plateau to kill johnson grass because it doesn't hurt anything else so I don't know what you will kill
 
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