The Throw n’ Mow Method

[yoderjac]

Rain at the right time covers a lot of sins. I prefer cultipacking if you have one. It presses buckwheat into the soil for good seed soil contact.

 

[txbowman12]

Rain at the right time covers a lot of sins. I prefer cultipacking if you have one. It presses buckwheat into the soil for good seed soil contact.

Cultipacker is on the list, but in the meantime...I'd rather be lucky than good!

 

[yoderjac]

Cultipacker is on the list, but in the meantime...I'd rather be lucky than good!

Completely agree. It took me a long time to find a used cultipacker at a reasonable price in my area and suddenly I found two of them. I bought them both. It is one of my best bang for the buck tools.

 

[Bassattackr]

I had a nice field of buckwheat last year just broadcasting before a rain. Enough soil exposed it took fairly well.

 

[yoderjac]

I had a nice field of buckwheat last year just broadcasting before a rain. Enough soil exposed it took fairly well.

Yes, a lot depends on your soils. Folks with good soils sometimes have an issue with volunteer buckwheat smothering their fall plant. While I do get a little volunteer buckwheat, it has never become close to a problem. In fact, it is a benefit as the quick growing annual provides a lot of energy when young and my deer eliminate most of it. What deer don't get is killed by the first cold night.

I've tried just broadcasting buckwheat, but with my heavy clay I get poor germination. If I cultipack or run over it with ATV or tractor tires, I get much better rates.

Once again, it just goes to show every place is a little different.

 

[Bassattackr]

Agree Jack. That being said I have clay soil very similar to yours as well..

 

[yoderjac]

Agree Jack. That being said I have clay soil very similar to yours as well..

Maybe there is something else going on with my soils. Don't get me wrong. I can surface broadcast and get germination, so increasing seeding rates can work for me, but given I use the same seeding rate, I get much better germination with cultipacking.

 

[Bassattackr]

Maybe there is something else going on with my soils. Don't get me wrong. I can surface broadcast and get germination, so increasing seeding rates can work for me, but given I use the same seeding rate, I get much better germination with cultipacking.

Agreed, same here.

 

[IkemanTx]

Rain at the right time covers a lot of sins. I prefer cultipacking if you have one. It presses buckwheat into the soil for good seed soil contact.

I am hoping this works in my favor...
Planted on Wednesday and Thursday, and we have gotten an inch and a half over the last 2 days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wisco]

My goal next year is to split the plot into 2 strips with one being a brassica mix and the other being the LC grains mix. I believe I would want the AWP and radish planted earlier though. Here is what I am thinking timing wise and please correct me where I am wrong.

July (around 3rd week)

1. Spread the AWP throughout the whole plot
2. Spread the radish throughout the whole plot
3. Spread the rest of the brassica mix (PTT, rape) in the brassica strip
4. Mow the whole plot
5. Spread lime (I know I will need amendments for PH) in whole plot
6. Spread fertilizer in whole plot
7. Roll the whole plot (not sure what I will have to use as a roller yet)

August (around 3rd week)

1. Spread the WR, oats, and clover into the grain strip
2. Roll the grain strip

I understand that I would want to do the planting with rain in the imminent forecast. Does this approach seem accurate? I know I would want to rotate the 2 strips each year.

Also, I plan to broadcast in some BW next spring, particularly in the brassica section for weed suppression and food for the deer as well as the additional OM I would gain when it is cut the following summer.

Thanks everyone for assisting this newbie.

I apologize as I know this question is asked probably monthly by newbies and I hate to straight up ask (it's like asking for directions...), but quite frankly, I have been through this forum dang near 10 hours this week and still don't feel 100% confident in my understanding of the LC rotation/TnM method.

Finally MojoRisin asked this question back in 2016 which covered my question to a T but then he got ignored lol. I was so filled with joy when I read his crystal clear layout and then was so sad to see it go un-answered (especially because it seems every question BUT that one got answered). Anyway.... I'm bringing it back.

My situation: SE WI with a .75 acre poor-man plot in the woods. Pretty good sunlight, but definitely lots of tree canopy. I prepped the plot last summer with a spray of the weeds, followed by a tight mow, followed by a spot-spray. Then broadcast a "starter soil" mix that was 95% WR, with some radish and other stuff as the remainder. I also broadcast clover, though do not recall which type. It ended up pretty good, not super sexy, but the deer loved it and I got my biggest buck taken from our land while he was munching with a few other bucks. Fastforward to this year, the plot looks AMAZING (to me who knows nothing). As of Memorial day, the WR is around waist high and the clover looks healthy (I'll see if I can figure out how to attach pics...).

Given my situation, would anyone be able to comment on me applying Mojo's quoted plan (i.e. Paul's LC Rotation)?

 

[Wisco]

Here's a picture of the plot from last fall:

 

[Wisco]

Here's a picture from the opposite side of the plot from this Memorial Day:

 

[FarmerDan]

Maybe there is something else going on with my soils. Don't get me wrong. I can surface broadcast and get germination, so increasing seeding rates can work for me, but given I use the same seeding rate, I get much better germination with cultipacking.

I wonder if it the quality of the seed rather than the characteristic of the soil? It would be interesting to compare seed tags and seed sources (where the seed is produced).

 

[yoderjac]

I wonder if it the quality of the seed rather than the characteristic of the soil? It would be interesting to compare seed tags and seed sources (where the seed is produced).

I get mine from the local Southern States Coop. I don't think it is seed related. The seed provided to the coop changes from time to time, but I always get significantly better buckwheat germination when I cultipack. Of course there are always lots of variables like moisture, soil temp,...., but I've planted buckwheat in different ways over quite a few years and I've never had an issue with a volunteer crop even when I cultipack. Maybe my great turkey population just eats a high percentage of the volunteer seed.

 

[SwampCat]

Tnm still a crapshoot for me. About a 50% success rate. Good soil, poor soil, good thatch, poor thatch - just a guess. Just spread some browntop millet seed on some pretty much bare ground and germinating great. That doesnt mean plot will be great, but a good start. Spread some more millet and some ebony peas on some bottom land. It has had two inches of rain already and supposed to get five more inches in the next few days. Afraid that seed will rot in the ground. Always a question what tnm is going to do for me. My wet ground seeding setup.

 

[PatinPA]

Rye is maturing. I plan to let the seed drop for volunteer rye in the fall. Question is when to mow it? Any reason to mow it early or just wait until fall foot plot goes in? I'm a little worried about it getting weedy as it dies off but I can always spray weeds too.

 

[SD51555]

You don't want to mow it until that seed is viable. You'll know it's viable when it shells easily from the stalk. Grab a head and rub it in your hands. If the seeds don't release easily, it's ain't ready.

 

[Freeburn]

I apologize as I know this question is asked probably monthly by newbies and I hate to straight up ask (it's like asking for directions...), but quite frankly, I have been through this forum dang near 10 hours this week and still don't feel 100% confident in my understanding of the LC rotation/TnM method.

Finally MojoRisin asked this question back in 2016 which covered my question to a T but then he got ignored lol. I was so filled with joy when I read his crystal clear layout and then was so sad to see it go un-answered (especially because it seems every question BUT that one got answered). Anyway.... I'm bringing it back.

My situation: SE WI with a .75 acre poor-man plot in the woods. Pretty good sunlight, but definitely lots of tree canopy. I prepped the plot last summer with a spray of the weeds, followed by a tight mow, followed by a spot-spray. Then broadcast a "starter soil" mix that was 95% WR, with some radish and other stuff as the remainder. I also broadcast clover, though do not recall which type. It ended up pretty good, not super sexy, but the deer loved it and I got my biggest buck taken from our land while he was munching with a few other bucks. Fastforward to this year, the plot looks AMAZING (to me who knows nothing). As of Memorial day, the WR is around waist high and the clover looks healthy (I'll see if I can figure out how to attach pics...).

Given my situation, would anyone be able to comment on me applying Mojo's quoted plan (i.e. Paul's LC Rotation)?

Plot looks good, Wisco. I can't completely answer your question, but I can share my experience. You obviously won't be able to feed deer with a plot that size, but you can definitely shoot one.

You have some decent biomass there with the maturing rye, but you can always use more. My plots are quite dry, so for me, the more thatch the better. If you are going to have some good moisture in the forecast, throw something into the rye that will grow quickly - buckwheat, oats, whatever works. Let that produce more biomass up until you plan to plant your fall food.

You won't be able to plant the LC Mix as he describes, but you can create an LC Smorgasbord.

You can spray or not. I've had better luck spraying first a few days prior. Throw your brassica seed and some clover. Mow and/or Roll, then walk away. For me this is in early July. At the end of summer, once the brassicas and clover are growing, top-seed the whole plot with cereal grains (oats & rye) and some more clover. You can also put down some fertilizer for the brassicas at the same time. For me this is the end of August or September long weekend. If you have clover that will overwinter where you are, make sure to include it. Remember, the grains and clover you add now will make up your biomass for next year - just like your plot right now. One thing I have learned is to NEVER skimp on the rye. Use more than you think you need, then add more.

I'm in Ontario, Canada, about an hour north of the NY border, so adjust your planting times to your location.

Good luck!

 

[Bowman]

Here's a picture from the opposite side of the plot from this Memorial Day:
View attachment 35094

When did you seed in the fall and what was your seeding rate for rye?

 

[Bowman]

Plot looks good, Wisco. I can't completely answer your question, but I can share my experience. You obviously won't be able to feed deer with a plot that size, but you can definitely shoot one.

You have some decent biomass there with the maturing rye, but you can always use more. My plots are quite dry, so for me, the more thatch the better. If you are going to have some good moisture in the forecast, throw something into the rye that will grow quickly - buckwheat, oats, whatever works. Let that produce more biomass up until you plan to plant your fall food.

You won't be able to plant the LC Mix as he describes, but you can create an LC Smorgasbord.

You can spray or not. I've had better luck spraying first a few days prior. Throw your brassica seed and some clover. Mow and/or Roll, then walk away. For me this is in early July. At the end of summer, once the brassicas and clover are growing, top-seed the whole plot with cereal grains (oats & rye) and some more clover. You can also put down some fertilizer for the brassicas at the same time. For me this is the end of August or September long weekend. If you have clover that will overwinter where you are, make sure to include it. Remember, the grains and clover you add now will make up your biomass for next year - just like your plot right now. One thing I have learned is to NEVER skimp on the rye. Use more than you think you need, then add more.

I'm in Ontario, Canada, about an hour north of the NY border, so adjust your planting times to your location.

Good luck!

Same question as to Wisco, what are you seeding rates for all forages, particularly for the rye.