The Throw n’ Mow Method

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catscratch,

You remeber what the sunflower seed brand was? Those made some nice smaller seed heads. The "neighbors" want sunflowers this year. And I got some ground leveling to do in a spot or two from old rotten stumps making holes.

My throw n mow might be due for tillage. I finished the drainage trench section in my backyard. I moved the soil around, some of it went into stump holes in the food plot I filled up. The stump holes look twice as good. Got about 4-5 inches since labor day weekend. Sprayed dead, then broadcast seed and mowed 3 times 2 days later.

 

[Catscratch]

catscratch,

What variety of sunflower did you plant. I like that the seedheads are monster sized, like ones grown commercially.

.

 

[Foggy47]

^ Interesting. I've seen so many folks plant things like bird seed mixes and such with good results. Due to the high price of seed corn.....and my "I dont care about a corn ear" attitude......I am considering planting a little whole corn from a feed bag (along with my milo mix) next summer. $12 / Bu. ......and I just want some corn stalks mixed into my Milo for a bit taller cover.

Maybe about 10# / acre. If 50% of the corn will germinate and grow to about 1/2 normal size.....that may be perfect.

 

[Catscratch]

^ Interesting. I've seen so many folks plant things like bird seed mixes and such with good results. Due to the high price of seed corn.....and my "I dont care about a corn ear" attitude......I am considering planting a little whole corn from a feed bag (along with my milo mix) next summer. $12 / Bu. ......and I just want some corn stalks mixed into my Milo for a bit taller cover.

Maybe about 10# / acre. If 50% of the corn will germinate and grow to about 1/2 normal size.....that may be perfect.

I will say if you are the least bit worried about invasives that certified seed is a wise investment.

 

[omicron1792]

I will say if you are the least bit worried about invasives that certified seed is a wise investment.

I planted some bird feed two years ago. Was Milo, millet, sunflower. Had about as pretty of a crop as I have ever had.

Great job on your tnm. Looks like what the textbook would say on how to do it.

 

[Catscratch]

Thanks omicrom. I'd like to say I've worked hard at it, but the truth is the quite opposite. I've hardly worked at it, which is kind of the point; to lessen inputs and efforts and let nature do what it does.

 

[omicron1792]

Thanks omicrom. I'd like to say I've worked hard at it, but the truth is the quite opposite. I've hardly worked at it, which is kind of the point; to lessen inputs and efforts and let nature do what it does.

Amen

On the weeds, I’ve gotten that I don’t care about summer weeds much. They will repair the soil and I have plenty of good stuff growing too.

Here in south I don’t think I have ever seen a weed in my winter crops. First frost kills all the summer stuff, and the winter stuff I planted comes in thick.

 

[TreeDaddy]

This^^^^^^^

I don't spray summer weeds anymore prior to drilling fall plots

I plant early -mid October and all summer weeds are at the end of their life cycle anyway

I would be interested to hear any success stories about spring ,summer plots in the south

my experience has not been good

bill

 

[omicron1792]

This^^^^^^^

I don't spray summer weeds anymore prior to drilling fall plots

I plant early -mid October and all summer weeds are at the end of their life cycle anyway

I would be interested to hear any success stories about spring ,summer plots in the south

my experience has not been good

bill

Check out my thread in aeschynomene and Alyce clover. Exceeded all my expectations.

I won’t spray this year will just crimp rye, plant above two and add sorghum, sunflowers, and teosinte. My goal is to get all reseeding and so a light disc in May Into rye and clover are done and get all of summer stuff to come back some with some weeds. Might repeat cycle with imox or thunder every few years to really get a good reseeding year. It will be all I plant from now on in summer.

Gonna experiment with one of the plots i had this mix in this past year, about 2 acres. One side I will do absolutely nothing. Other I will do light discing. See what happens. Others I will do what I said in first paragraph, maybe with some imi herbicide in the plots that need most help. The herbicide only lasts a few months, and lets plants get thick. Then if some weeds come in late summer who cares.

 

[omicron1792]

This^^^^^^^

I don't spray summer weeds anymore prior to drilling fall plots

I plant early -mid October and all summer weeds are at the end of their life cycle anyway

I would be interested to hear any success stories about spring ,summer plots in the south

my experience has not been good

bill

I used to mow the summer stuff to terminate, but now I just drill right into it standing most of the time. I only mow to make some lanes through plot or if summer stuff is just so so so thick. Zero herbicides for fall planting.

 

[Ikeman]

Well… in the 7 weeks since planting, the farm only got 0.13” of rain (5 days after planting) after not having a drop of rain since probably early June.

That changed in the last 72 hours. We have gotten about 5.5” in the last few days, and most of it (4+”) in the last 24 hours. There’s not much germinated in the way of cereal grains, but the density on the clovers and brassicas recently germinated looks like it will make a somewhat decent stand. Who knows what it will look like in a month.. I might have to plant a nurse crop in the spring before summer plots.

As you can see below… not much green.

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[Catscratch]

Proof that cereal grains will in fact grow in the bed of the truck!
And just in case you didn't notice... this is ICE covering everything.

 

[Catscratch]

I've got some germination going on from my lane seedings last week. We've had below freezing temps the last 2 nights. I'm worried that they'll keel over but oh well.

Now here is something you guys might find interesting. The lanes were mowed 6 weeks before I spread seed. I didn't go over it with anything; no packer, no mower, no wheels (I walked with a hand spreader)... but yet the seed obviously found its way to the soil. It's my belief that seed has been shaped through eons of adaptations to filter through thatch on its own. It was doing it that way long before we decided to find a better way than nature. I'm convinced that mowing after "throwing" isn't necessary or even much of an advantage at all.

 

[Catscratch]

Just pulled a wheat plant that germinated on top of the thatch. Simply amazing the network those roots produce!

 

[Turkey Creek]

Just pulled a wheat plant that germinated on top of the thatch. Simply amazing the network those roots produce!
View attachment 59073

I am curious to see what mine looks like. Probably havent had enough warmth since the rain a few days ago to get much to pop. Hoping to get some habitat chores done at the end of week.

 

[Catscratch]

I am curious to see what mine looks like. Probably havent had enough warmth since the rain a few days ago to get much to pop. Hoping to get some habitat chores done at the end of week.

I was surprised to have this much growth . Highs of 40, lows below freezing. I wasn't counting on much.

 

[Mountain Man]

Forgive me if this has already been covered, but has anyone compared the use of a rotary mower and a flail mower? Supposedly the flail mower will leave behind smaller bits that mulch better and is less prone to creating windrows?

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You are correct however don't use a flail mower when everything is soaking wet or it will leave clumps of cut vegetation thrown out the back of the mowwer.

 

[Mountain Man]

I don’t recall this in the 4 or 5 times I have read this thread but is anyone using a flail mower in this application?

They are much better for chopping everything up and distributing it evenly just don't use it when the vegetation is soaking wet or it will throw clumps out the back of the mower.

 

[Foggy47]

I've got some germination going on from my lane seedings last week. We've had below freezing temps the last 2 nights. I'm worried that they'll keel over but oh well.

Now here is something you guys might find interesting. The lanes were mowed 6 weeks before I spread seed. I didn't go over it with anything; no packer, no mower, no wheels (I walked with a hand spreader)... but yet the seed obviously found its way to the soil. It's my belief that seed has been shaped through eons of adaptations to filter through thatch on its own. It was doing it that way long before we decided to find a better way than nature. I'm convinced that mowing after "throwing" isn't necessary or even much of an advantage at all.
View attachment 59012View attachment 59013View attachment 59014View attachment 59016View attachment 59015

Great Pics (and supporting evidence on your claims Cat). It would be interesting to see some side by side comparisons on these two practices. In my sand.....good seed to soil contact seems essential. Especially if a dry week or two follow germination.

 

[omicron1792]

Most here are big fans of flail mower. I think you can use it in place of roller crimper. Maybe a little less weed suppression since it would decompose faster.

For fall throw and mow it’s probably the best tool you could have