My throw n mow did OK. Actually, better than expected. It was hot and dry this fall. It did not do as well as conventionally tilled and planted ground - but took less time and effort. It did not provide nearly as much food per acre as conventionally tilled ground - but was a good step to take a fallow field back to a cultivated plot. This coming year, It will be much easier to conventionally till due to much less vegetation to deal with. Depending upon how well the clover does this summer, I may do nothing but mow and then plant wheat into it this fall.
The Throw n’ Mow Method
- Thread starter Crimson n' Camo
- Start date
Tap
5 year old buck +
Maybe forget about a spring/summer planting.
You could spend the summer keeping it mowed repeatedly and dealing with weeds without worrying about herbicide selection. By fall the plot should be in great shape for doing a Lickcreek mix.
I'm not sure you'll get much out of a summer plot. I think I'd wait until later summer to plant. Spend the earlier summer getting the trash chopped up and decomposing. and kill weeds.
scott44
5 year old buck +
Bowman, It didn't turn out what I thought it would but then again maybe it did. The sunn hemp didn't show much after it got up 6-8" but I think it got hammered by the deer, I didn't put up a exclusion cage so this is just a guess. I bought another 10# of sunn hemp to try again this spring/summer and I will be putting up an exclusion cage.
I planted oats with it and that's all that is showing in this pic from mid July, on the left of the alfalfa.
yoteantidote
Yearling... With promise
Thanks for the advice everyone. I didn't take any of it
I rolled it, seeded clover heavy and rolled again. Nothing lost if it's a bust the seed was old but stored well in airtight buckets.
View attachment 17075View attachment 17076
I’m not understanding what you did. You just rolled and seeded and rolled again?
With no weed control preformed won’t the clover seed be a total bust?
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Bowman
5 year old buck +
From what I have found out, heat is important, maybe more so than even for buckwheat. Needs 65 degree soil temperature. I am north of you and had a cool summer. I had nights in the 40's. Good luck and keep me posted. i planted some with buckwheat and sorghum last year. The sorghum did the best. Your alfalfa looks better than mine too.Bowman, It didn't turn out what I thought it would but then again maybe it did. The sunn hemp didn't show much after it got up 6-8" but I think it got hammered by the deer, I didn't put up a exclusion cage so this is just a guess. I bought another 10# of sunn hemp to try again this spring/summer and I will be putting up an exclusion cage.
I planted oats with it and that's all that is showing in this pic from mid July, on the left of the alfalfa.
Last edited:
Bill
Administrator
There is a very good chance that it will be a bust. But there is a lot of bare ground showing. With the exception of not having the corn sprayed last summer this field has been worked for the last 40 years. Most of the weeds in there are foxtail and Cuckabur that won't sprout before clover. Living 18 hours from where I play I do things when I can, not always when best. If the clover germinates I'll hit it with cleth and 2,4-DB in late April or May. Then follow up with later mowing and even more spraying.
If it fails I'm only out 2 hours and some old seed so at the very least I got a lot of the trash on the ground where it can start to rot faster.
yoteantidote
Yearling... With promise
Got it!
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Rit
5 year old buck +
For a first year Throw and mow chemical free I was rather pleased with the results. After 5 years of discing and planting I had the best food plot to date on marginal soil with this method.
I have a good throw of clover that germinated in the WR that should be a decent food source this spring. What do the majority of you do with your TNM plots in the spring? I was thinking of just hitting it with a little fertilizer and letting it go all natural until repeating the process in late August. Thoughts?
I am reclaiming a 9 acre hayfield. 7 acres went into CIR switchgrass and 2 acres will be conventionally planted this spring and converted to TNM in the fall.
I have a good throw of clover that germinated in the WR that should be a decent food source this spring. What do the majority of you do with your TNM plots in the spring? I was thinking of just hitting it with a little fertilizer and letting it go all natural until repeating the process in late August. Thoughts?
I am reclaiming a 9 acre hayfield. 7 acres went into CIR switchgrass and 2 acres will be conventionally planted this spring and converted to TNM in the fall.
Bowman
5 year old buck +
I do not know your location. I planted some Arvika peas into mine, can be planted early. Followed with mowing to cut the rye. The peas and clover with fix nitrogen. Depending on how thick the growth is, I would broadcast buckwheat at 65 degree soil temperature. Mowing again depending on rye and buckwheat growth. In the fall, I would broadcast a brassica mix with some radish to use the nitrogen and overseed later with rye again. What clovers do you have? Depending on what your plan is, you look to have good clover growth. It looks to me that overseeding clovers with the rye would establish well. The rye will do well on any weeds. I am with you on going chemical free.
This is my set up and some pics over the last couple years.
First time I did a side by side comparison with tilled.
Last years brassicas planted into rolled rye.
Do you broadcast seed and then Do you spray it all and then mow it or mow it all down then spray it after...?
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scott44
5 year old buck +
With the quad set up (throw and roll) I broadcast the seed into the rye and spray while I'm rolling it down, it might take a couple passes with the cultipacker but I only spray on the first one. When I've done the throw a mow I'll spray wait a couple days until I've seen I have a good kill then broadcast into it and then mow. Both ways seem to work good for me.
when you broadcast seed then mow, that doesn’t scatter the seed or shoot it out all over the place ? I figured it might mess up the way it was broadcasted, I was wondering if that would be the case ever? If so, would your seed be growing uneven with bare spots... just curious if this has ever happened - thanks !
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S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
scott44
5 year old buck +
I've never noticed that the mowing really did anything to the seed, I suppose it could if you mowed it really close to the ground. I use a brush hog and mow at 6-8".
Broadcast red clover, chicory, and oats over an acre today. Forecast calls for an inch of rain Friday, followed by a foot of snow Saturday and Sunday. Another week of thawing and freezing after that. If that doesn't get the seeds into the soil I don't know what will.
John-W-WI
Administrator
Fortunately you have rain in the forecast.... Further north it's nothing but snow.
Oh well, spring in Wisconsin. Expect the unexpected.
Youth turkey is this weekend, might need snow shoes!
-John
