Small Town Habitat Project.....

[buckvelvet]

Well things have been quiet behind my house of late, the orchard project was a major fail! The native vegetation was so aggressive no amount of spraying I could do would combat it. I gave up (luckily) only planted cheap seedlings so no grafted trees wasted. :)

I started a new project for an orchard to satisfy my apple craze. :)

http://habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/1st-rd-done-of-grafting-complete.2930/

That is located on a different property however and this thread is directly related to the land I grew up on so we'll keep the 2 separate.

Last fall I hand chopped the 'Eagle' plot and reseeded it, it looked great last fall but the fern encroached this year after been going for 2 years, I resprayed this past weekend and will be replanting it soon.

If you remember this is was really lush clover just last year. This native seed bed is really rich as I cannot seem to fight everything off. I'm not looking for a magazine cover, however to see more of what I planted than weeds would be par. So far i'm under par and we aren't playing golf. LOL!

The chicory is there....

As are the clovers...

Some blooming weeds, i'm sure some are actually good and some aren't. As I said this is a pretty hard battle for 1 guy with basically no equipment.

I swear we have large White Oaks on the property but the new growth are more like bushes because, they must make some tasty greens. :)

The Trophy Rock is highly preferred also, great spot for setting up camera shop.

Until I knock down some trees I'm afraid I won't be able to do much with the 2track plot as the sun light just doesn't reach enough to make it worth the effort. Lots of native browse around to compete with.

 

[SD51555]

I'm hearing about more guys dealing with them this year. We had a crap kill on our ferns this year too. Next year I'm mixing some 2-4d in with the gly to make sure we get a good burn. Maybe even a Cleth/2-4d mix to break the gly cycle a bit. Not sure if you can mix those two, but i'll research it.

 

[buckvelvet]

I think if you guys get more lime on and around those ferny areas that'll help keeping them in check. They like a lower ph. Raise it up a notch.

I've limed it heavy every year for such a small spot.

 

[buckvelvet]

Ferns don't respond to 2-4d any better than gly. They are neither broadleaf or grass. As NHM stated, they prefer low ph soil. Get the ph up and they'll be gone.

BV, your blooms (in order) 1. chicory (I think), 2. don't know-leaves look like chickweed but blossom wrong color, 3. russian thistle, 4. fleabane daisy

I will have to kill the russian because this is America!

 

[wiscwhip]

Ferns also like the moistest soils in the area and being on that downslope may help them get that added moisture. Being on that slope will also "help" your lime leach faster than in other areas.

 

[buckvelvet]

Ferns also like the moistest soils in the area and being on that downslope may help them get that added moisture. Being on that slope will also "help" your lime leach faster than in other areas.

Boy you guys are negative. :)

I'll make it as purdy as I can.

 

[wiscwhip]

Sorry bv, not trying to be that at all, just trying to point out reasons for the ferns to be where they are so you can come up with options to combat them. Would you be open to planting some shrubs on that downslope instead of trying to plot that small section? I could see a mess of staghorn sumac( I hate the stuff in the winter, but all other times of the year it is an ok native to have on one's place) filling in that area very nicely.

 

[buckvelvet]

Sorry bv, not trying to be that at all, just trying to point out reasons for the ferns to be where they are so you can come up with options to combat them. Would you be open to planting some shrubs on that downslope instead of trying to plot that small section? I could see a mess of staghorn sumac( I hate the stuff in the winter, but all other times of the year it is an ok native to have on one's place) filling in that area very nicely.

Lol, I was being sarcastic. I like bushes, I have lots of them on the propety from my previous postings. I have a bunch of hazelnuts planted just up the hill from the Eagle and AM Plum within the eagles surrounding areas. I'll have to check on those soon as I replanted some Beaked Hazels this spring.

 

[buckvelvet]

Lol, I was being sarcastic. I like bushes, I have lots of them on the propety from my previous postings. I have a bunch of hazelnuts planted just up the hill from the Eagle and AM Plum within the eagles surrounding areas. I'll have to check on those soon as I replanted some Beaked Hazels this spring.

I'm trying to wait for it to cool down to check the hazelnuts, mostly because its really tall grass/ferns right there and I can't see the 6 foot mammoth blue racer until i'm within chase down range.

 

[buckvelvet]

I'd be tempted to grow native forbs/grasses/shrubs/briars on that plot instead of plotting it. If I was going to plot it...I'd be going balls to the wall on lime and building OM via crop rotation and zero tillage.

I havent done any tilleage since the initial startup in 2013. I've added 120 lbs of lime each year on this small little plot section that is again only maybe 1/32 acre.

 

[buckvelvet]

Yeah soil tests were done in 2013 when I originally installed the plots.

 

[SD51555]

We're moving our pumpkin patch into a new area in between some tree tubes. I may try to get our dolomite lime down this fall yet for next year.

 

[buckvelvet]

What do you guys think if I mowed down the eagle plot with a weed whacker real tight, raked off the mess, heavy seeded it and let it stand? Last fall I over seeded then mowed, it didn't seem to go as well when I did that, perhaps because I hand thrashed everything to 'mow' it? Thoughts....

 

[wiscwhip]

If you seed it heavily with rye and a good quality medium red clover, that plot could almost be left to it's own for 2 to 3 years or more. Some of the better red clovers will hang around for 3 -5 years(or indefinitely if the seedbank gets full of it), and the rye will reseed itself and grow from year to year with minimal help as well. Maintenance(mowing or spraying) only if you notice nasties(some weeds aren't bad and make excellent deer food in their own right) encroaching or it gets really thin(reseed). This is similar to what dipper does on some of his area and exactly what we were moving to on our place before the old man sold it.

 

[buckvelvet]

Oh i'm deff gonna seed LC mix for sand land with RYE/OATS/MED RED/ALSIKE prob is do I mow it tight or what....do I rake it.......up in air but will happen soon, lacking clear direction....

 

[wiscwhip]

We have walked the plots broadcasting into the current standing "crop(be it weeds or actual prior plantings)" and then mowed over the top and left the remaining for a top mulch to hold moisture and keep the soil cool. It may be to your advantage to mow it twice from different directions to really chop up the existing vegetation. This may help the new seed to get knocked down to the soil for better contact as well.

 

[buckvelvet]

We'll give it heck here soon!

 

[buckvelvet]

Well went out to get some firewood (more poplar) and I checked the hazelnuts.

3 Beaked (planted May '15)

AM Hazelnut....May '14

A little friend...

Deer Bed in the ferns....