Strip Plotting with Mow/Spray/Seed method

[phil@thesidehill]

This weekend i mowed my medium red clover, crimson clover and rye strips in preparation for spraying them in about a week. I gave myself a little extra time in case i need to spray again. I'm planning on seeding PTT/DER/GHFR sometime between July 10th and 15th.

I was amazed at the amount of biomass in these strips...hoping it translates to a good amount of OM. Soil test this spring shows that I will only need to add a slight bit of N to the planting if at all. I'm still on the fence at whether or not i will add any N.

Close up of the residue in the rye/clover strips after mowing




here is a panaoramic of the plot. you can see the waterhole i put in last year and the tee post/branch camera mount towards the right of center. the unmowed strips are currently crimson clover and oats. they will get planted to an LC style cereal grain/legume mix around the first week of September. The greener areas in the mowed strips toward the front of the view were in crimson and oats as well. last year the whole area in front of the view was an expansion area and it was planted entirely in the brassica mix, this spring i seeded it to crimson and oats. I will now be including that area in the strips.


and a non-pano shot for a little better detail of the above pic.

 

[scott44]

The last couple years since I went to planting Paul's, Lickcreek, rotation I haven't needed to add hardly any N. I planted the brassica mix mid July and watched it, the first year I top dressed some urea in some spots that weren't looking to good and they came back ok. Play it by ear and add it if needed. Good looking plot, lots of OM there.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

The last couple years since I went to planting Paul's, Lickcreek, rotation I haven't needed to add hardly any N. I planted the brassica mix mid July and watched it, the first year I top dressed some urea in some spots that weren't looking to good and they came back ok. Play it by ear and add it if needed. Good looking plot, lots of OM there.

I fertilized the whole plot with some trip 15 last spring when i planted it to crimson clover in late April. But i didnt add any other fert for either the brassica planting in July or the cereal/legume mix in early september. the brassicas started to look a little pale by the end of august....i think they could have benefited from a little shot of N. I'm going to keep and eye on things and will top dress some N if it looks like i will need it.

 

[SD51555]

On our brassica blend this year we're planning for about 80lb rate of N. We've got a low CEC value at 8, so instead of putting all 80 on at once, we're going to do half at planting, and half about 4-5 weeks later. Hopefully that will enable us to catch and use it all.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

On our brassica blend this year we're planning for about 80lb rate of N. We've got a low CEC value at 8, so instead of putting all 80 on at once, we're going to do half at planting, and half about 4-5 weeks later. Hopefully that will enable us to catch and use it all.

The soil test called for 75lbs/acre of N for the brassica planting....but that doesnt account for the clover that has been growing in those strips since last spring. i have a CEC of 14.5 in those strips. the CEC values for the entire plot (cereal/legume mix strips and last years expansion area) ranged from 12.8 to 14.5. I tested each strip planting category individually.....ie 2015 brassica strips, 2015 cereal/legume strips, and last year's expansion area. The expansion area will be incorporated into the strip plantings this year so some of it will be in brassicas and some of it will be in the cereal/legume mix.

 

[SD51555]

Yeah, you could be in really good shape if you're planting into a legume/cereal mix. Some clovers can fix well over 75lbs. You'll get some back from the oats too, just not sure how much and when. I don't think the tie up is as bad in oats as it can be in rye stubble.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

Yeah, you could be in really good shape if you're planting into a legume/cereal mix. Some clovers can fix well over 75lbs. You'll get some back from the oats too, just not sure how much and when. I don't think the tie up is as bad in oats as it can be in rye stubble.

i planted straight crimson in the spring of 2014, i let it go until late august 2014, mowed, sprayed and planted rye, oats, medium red clover, and crimson clover. this spring the rye and crimson clover really took off, not sure how the crimson didnt winter kill...enough snow cover i suppose. I mowed the rye about a month ago, and in doing so i knocked the crimson back pretty good too. the crimson had already flowered and looked like it was setting seed at that time. Then the medium red clover seemed to take off after being released of the rye and taller crimson.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Are those cages at the far end ?? What's in them - if they ARE cages ?? I can't remember if you posted about fruit trees in those plots before. Memory as short as other things ..........

 

[phil@thesidehill]

Are those cages at the far end ?? What's in them - if they ARE cages ?? I can't remember if you posted about fruit trees in those plots before. Memory as short as other things ..........

there is an exclusion cage to the left of the crimson and oats strip in the center of the pic....just for monitoring plot usage. and there is a T-post with a piece of split wood zip tied to it on the right side of the center oats and crimson strip....that is for hanging a trail cam to cover the scrape that pops up under the AO shrub to the left of the mowed strip.

Fruit trees are on the agenda....have spot picked out for them....just not sure its where i really want them or not yet. if it is THE spot i will have some work to do prepping the site as it was a former plot that i have let go fallow because it was just too much work to plot "by hand".

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I thought you might have a tree of some sort in the cage. Usage cage - good idea.