Plots are going in!

[Powder]

I posted one of these pictures in a different thread but I thought I'd start a new one dedicated to this.

We are having 3 plots cut in today with a forestry cutter to mulch up the debri and stumps left after logging. One plot is about 3/4 of an acre and the other two will be a little under 1.5 acres each. The two larger ones are right on the edge of some logging we did in January.
^This picture shows him finishing up the first large plot. The trees in the background are right along the edge of a creek that runs through the property. The logging here was about 15-20 acres and will all be poplar when it comes back.


^This is a close up of the same plot. I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to, but I'm hoping to drag the field yet this fall to level it a bit.

I have a couple videos of it being done but I can't get them to attach. I'll keep working on it. I think it has to do with the way they were saved. Any help would be appreciated.

I'll keep posting more pics as it happens.

 

[Powder]

So I took a soil sample from all three plots and mailed via USPS to the Biologic lab. The post office has 'misplaced' my package. It has a tracking number but they still can't find. Best they can say is that it's in Memphis. With any luck they will locate and I can get the results. I wanted to have them done before the guy started mulching to make sure they were in the best place but that didn't work out.

 

[Powder]

I shot this buck this fall. He was standing right where the machine is in the picture.

 

[scott44]

Congrats on the buck! Looks like you have your work cut out for you but it will be well worth it in the end. Good looking spot for a plot.

 

[Someday isle]

Beautiful looking area. Nice buck too! Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[yoderjac]

Keep in mind the wood chopped up by the forestry mower will tie up a lot of N for the first couple years. In the long run it will add OM.

Congrats on the buck!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Powder]

One of the larger plots is going to be a bit smaller than planned. There were more rocks in it than we anticipated and it was breaking the teeth on the machine so we had to stop. Hopefully it will be at least 3/4 of an acre. I haven't had time to measure it yet. I'll give it a shot for a year or two and see if we need it any bigger. I can always have him come back a different time to expand it.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Real nice buck, Powder !! Good genetics there it looks like. With the wood and logging debris in the soil, it's a safe bet you'll need a pile of lime. Never too early to start adding lime. It takes a while to work into the soil. The location looks great though. Good luck with the project.

 

[Powder]

It appears the post office has found my soil sample. They tried to deliver it today but the lab is closed. Hopefully it will get there Monday. The results should be done by Wednesday or so.

 

[Powder]

I got a call from the lab yesterday. The post office delivered my package but there was a problem. The package broke open and only one of the three samples made it to the lab. The good news is that if there was only one to make it, I'm glad it was this one.

Here are the results. Not the greatest but at least I know what I'm dealing with. It's very similar to a couple other tests I took in different locations a couple years ago. One thing I thought would have been in the results is amount of nitrogen in the soil. Is it common to exclude this?

 

[yoderjac]

I got a call from the lab yesterday. The post office delivered my package but there was a problem. The package broke open and only one of the three samples made it to the lab. The good news is that if there was only one to make it, I'm glad it was this one.

Here are the results. Not the greatest but at least I know what I'm dealing with. It's very similar to a couple other tests I took in different locations a couple years ago. One thing I thought would have been in the results is amount of nitrogen in the soil. Is it common to exclude this?

Very few labs actually measure N. Most simple soil tests like this make N recommendations simply based on the needs of the crop you plan to plant and nothing else. I completely ignore them. A more comprehensive collection from will ask about previous lime applications, previous crops, and previous yields as well as soil type. These tests apply some N credits for previous legume plantings to the N needs of the crop to arrive at a recommendation.

With smart choices in crop rotations and mixes, for many things we plant for deer, we can often ignore the N recommendation. For example, I plant brassica as part of a cover crop mix broadcast into standing soybeans. I fertilize once a year before planting the bean crop with a light mix of corn. I use MAP to achieve my P requirements and it has a small amount of N in it. The rest of my N comes from the previous years legumes. I often have turnips in the 5 to 10 pound class with no additional N added.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Powder]

Thanks Jack. I'm looking at being able to do something similar. I'm considering peas in the spring and over seeding winter rye when they start to turn yellow (probably late August). I'd let the rye go until mid to late June (of the following year) and then drag down and plant turnips/rape. This plot will be over an acre and my deer numbers aren't real high so I'm hoping to get away with planting peas. If they don't allow them to grow I can always plant something else later in the summer. I'll have a patch of clover too that will be a stand alone in the field.

 

[yoderjac]

Thanks Jack. I'm looking at being able to do something similar. I'm considering peas in the spring and over seeding winter rye when they start to turn yellow (probably late August). I'd let the rye go until mid to late June (of the following year) and then drag down and plant turnips/rape. This plot will be over an acre and my deer numbers aren't real high so I'm hoping to get away with planting peas. If they don't allow them to grow I can always plant something else later in the summer. I'll have a patch of clover too that will be a stand alone in the field.

I'm not sure if I'd mess with most warm season annuals if I lived in your zone. They are pretty hard to grow if you have significant brows pressure because they also have weed competition. Buckwheat is kind of an exception. You can give the peas a shot, but I'd focus on fall planting. Generally, summer is not a big stress period that far north.

The cover crop mix I use is generally Winter Rye, Crimson Clover, and Purple Top Turnips. The crimson clover bounces back in the spring. It may not be adapted for your area. Here it acts as a reseeding annual. There make be some kind of clover that you can incorporate with your fall plant that will grow thorough the following summer and fix N. Medium red is a short lived perennial that may work. Others in you area can give you better specific suggestions to consider.

Best of luck,

Jack

 

[Powder]

Yeah, I'm mostly interested in the peas for the pods and the nitrogen. The rest of the summer isn't such a big deal food wise. My hope is there would be enough pods to last into winter. I also figure if I try it once and they browse it too heavily or the weeds take over, I still have time to plant brassicas in July.