The Throw n’ Mow Method
- Thread starter Crimson n' Camo
- Start date
Thatch was mature fescue that was laid over. We ran a drag to stir it up before seeding (rye, wheat, crimson, Durana, PTT, and radish mix). We then mowed to chop up any windrows. Got 1/4" the day after (9/17) and has been dry since.
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Well I finally made it back down to the cabin for youth season this weekend and got a chance to see how things have progressed since the last update. Things are mostly going well, but Mother Nature really needs to give me a hand. It's been quite dry down that way since I seeded stuff on Labor Day weekend. The first plot below is doing pretty well and I think will make a nice plot once it gets some moisture. The WR and clover have sprouted and I think will fill in nicely! This plot was lightly disced, broadcast, cultipacked, clover broadcast, recultipacked 3 weeks ago.
The "Hunt Plot" has not done much at all... It gets the most sun and is therefore a bit drier, so I think that's part of it. This one had WR broadcast into TALL mostly broadleaf weeds that were then cultipacked and sprayed. Here's my son at the edge of the plot. He's right at 5' in boots to give everyone some perspective of how tall the vegetation was prior.
As you can see, not much growing here yet...
Some of the seed is still laying there ready to go. I think with some moisture this one might still make something. They are calling for up to an inch total of rain over the next 6 days, so I took a chance and spread another 15# WR and 20# of forage oats as I them just laying around. And I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Lots going on underneath the tall weeds!!! What I wouldn't give to have a mower at my disposal...
My second Throw-Roll-Spray plot is doing a bit better! Prior it look the same to me as the "failure", but I took a chance and spread some clover on it with the WR. It was then packed and sprayed.
The last throw, roll, and spray plot was seeded with buckwheat back on Memorial Day, so I am getting a flush of young BW seedlings. There is some WR underneath all of it that I think will take off with some moisture and after a first frost.
All in all I'm somewhat pleased with the results on all but the one plot and that's the one that we hunt over!! I think with some moisture they will take off. This winter I plan on pulling some soil samples and getting better and properly amending the soil. I did learn this year that both buckwheat and WR are pretty easy to grow. Due to the distance of the place from home and limits on my time, I can see me making those a big, big part of my future plans.
The "Hunt Plot" has not done much at all... It gets the most sun and is therefore a bit drier, so I think that's part of it. This one had WR broadcast into TALL mostly broadleaf weeds that were then cultipacked and sprayed. Here's my son at the edge of the plot. He's right at 5' in boots to give everyone some perspective of how tall the vegetation was prior.
As you can see, not much growing here yet...
Some of the seed is still laying there ready to go. I think with some moisture this one might still make something. They are calling for up to an inch total of rain over the next 6 days, so I took a chance and spread another 15# WR and 20# of forage oats as I them just laying around. And I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Lots going on underneath the tall weeds!!! What I wouldn't give to have a mower at my disposal...
My second Throw-Roll-Spray plot is doing a bit better! Prior it look the same to me as the "failure", but I took a chance and spread some clover on it with the WR. It was then packed and sprayed.
The last throw, roll, and spray plot was seeded with buckwheat back on Memorial Day, so I am getting a flush of young BW seedlings. There is some WR underneath all of it that I think will take off with some moisture and after a first frost.
All in all I'm somewhat pleased with the results on all but the one plot and that's the one that we hunt over!! I think with some moisture they will take off. This winter I plan on pulling some soil samples and getting better and properly amending the soil. I did learn this year that both buckwheat and WR are pretty easy to grow. Due to the distance of the place from home and limits on my time, I can see me making those a big, big part of my future plans.
Below is a post I made about my attempt at throw, spray, and roll of some brassica's. Here's a pic of the plot taken on Monday. For whatever reason it was a complete failure.
In a couple of spots I had a few brassica's sprout, but not very many and not very big IMO for a month of growth and the plot had darn good moisture in that time.
So, in an effort to salvage the effort, I lightly disked the plot, broadcast 70# of rye, 2.5# DER, 25# forage oats, 6# of clover mixes, and about 2# of a mix I had left over. I cultipacked after spreading the grains and again after the spreading the clover.
I worked on 3 other, smaller plots this weekend as well. One I had planted buckwheat in and on that one I spread WR and packed it. The other two had been tilled and soybeans broadcast on them. I didn't make it down to spray this spring/summer so they were chock full of weeds. Mostly golden rod, poke salat, ragweed, wild carrot and ironweed that were well over 5' tall in most places. Interestingly enough there was little to no grass in those plots, but was a decent amount of clover underneath. I was able to spread the winter rye as I dozed my way through the weeds with the UTV hauling the spreader. Suprisingly, upon checking the ground a good amount of seed was hitting the dirt. On one plot I made a round with the handheld spreader around the outside with the rye then cultipacked that path. I would then make another pass alongside the standing weeds with the spreader and spreading seed into the standing stuff, then another pass with the 'packer. I then went over all 3 plots with the sprayer and hit it with a dose of glyphosate. I'm hoping that WR is as durable and easy to grow as I have read. The thatch isn't all that thick and I think those big broad leaves on those will break down pretty quickly. So, for now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed to see if I can get anything to happen...
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As you can see we have a ground blind that over looks the "failed" plot. Saturday was the start of the youth firearms hunt in Indiana. My oldest (9yo) had a football game at 10am and the youngest (6yo) at 1pm. After a quick run home for showers and to pack we made the 3hrs to the cabin. We got there just in time to setup the ground blind and see what happens in the last 1.5hrs before dark. The boys were excited and a bit fidgety, but then again they should be! About 30mins before dark, a lone doe crept out of the lane (crushed tall weeds) between the two plots and started feeding on the tall weeds at the far end of the plot. My oldest got on the gun while my youngest got it focused in his binos. She finally turned and BANG!, the little 357 Mag rifle dropped her in her tracks! So, for the second year in a row, we've played football in the morning and shot a doe in the afternoon of youth season! I hope this streak continues!!
A "Successful Failure"...
A "Successful Failure"...
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bueller
Moderator
Priceless! Congrats to everyone.As you can see we have a ground blind that over looks the "failed" plot. Saturday was the start of the youth firearms hunt in Indiana. My oldest (9yo) had a football game at 10am and the youngest (6yo) at 1pm. After a quick run home for showers and to pack we made the 3hrs to the cabin. We got there just in time to setup the ground blind and see what happens in the last 1.5hrs before dark. The boys were excited and a bit fidgety, but then again they should be! About 30mins before dark, a lone doe crept out of the lane (crushed tall weeds) between the two plots and started feeding on the tall weeds at the far end of the plot. My oldest got on the gun while my youngest got it focused in his binos. She finally turned and BANG!, the little 357 Mag rifle dropped her in her tracks! So, for the second year in a row, we've played football in the morning and shot a doe in the afternoon of youth season! I hope this streak continues!!
A "Successful Failure"...
gunther89
5 year old buck +
I finally brought my camera with to take some pictures of a mow and throw plot we did. This plot is roughly an acre and used to be pasture ground for 50+ years. Mowed it in early July and came back and dragged and broadcasted in end of July. Sprayed the field a day after we planted. I'd say roughly 80% or so of the field is growing good which in my book is a success. There are a few areas where the leaves are yellowish and that's from standing water in the plot. It's been a crazy year for rain. The radishes already have a little browse starting on them and some turnips are already the size of baseballs. Should work out great for next year when we plant soybeans in this plot.
DEC
A good 3 year old buck
I have to share my first Throw and Mow attempt. I have to admit that I was a doubter before I did this, but now after seeing the results I am SOLD on this method.
I posted about a month ago about a spring plot that went terribly wrong. So I decided to salvage it. The plot was 5 foot tall weeds and is about 2/3 of an acre. I ordered two 4.5# bags of Grains and Greens from Grandpa Ray's. While I waited for them to arrive, I mowed the plot of weeds as high as I could with my 4' wide bush hog. I then sprayed it with Gly and let it set 3 or 4 days. I broadcast my seed on top of the thatch and then set my bush hog as low as possible. I mowed the plot in two directions, taking the stubble down to about 2" tall. This allowed the seed to fall through to the dirt and the thatch to evenly distribute over the top. I have to admit that I was betting that I had thrown about $50 in seed, Gly, and fuel down the drain. The rain came the next day thankfully and three days later I was shocked to find sprouts all over the place. I let it grow for a couple weeks and then a few days ago I put down 20# of 46-0-0 just ahead of more rain. So 2 1/2 weeks after planting I am beyond pleased with the results. It is all coming up very well and starting to fill out. I have a few thin spots that I hope will fill in, but overall this plot has totally surprised me and I am more than happy with the results.
This is a 3 phase photo below. Top is a photo on about the 1st of September. The middle photo is just after seeding and short mowing, showing a thick but evenly distributed thatch. The final photo is yesterday, 2 1/2 weeks after seeding.
I posted about a month ago about a spring plot that went terribly wrong. So I decided to salvage it. The plot was 5 foot tall weeds and is about 2/3 of an acre. I ordered two 4.5# bags of Grains and Greens from Grandpa Ray's. While I waited for them to arrive, I mowed the plot of weeds as high as I could with my 4' wide bush hog. I then sprayed it with Gly and let it set 3 or 4 days. I broadcast my seed on top of the thatch and then set my bush hog as low as possible. I mowed the plot in two directions, taking the stubble down to about 2" tall. This allowed the seed to fall through to the dirt and the thatch to evenly distribute over the top. I have to admit that I was betting that I had thrown about $50 in seed, Gly, and fuel down the drain. The rain came the next day thankfully and three days later I was shocked to find sprouts all over the place. I let it grow for a couple weeks and then a few days ago I put down 20# of 46-0-0 just ahead of more rain. So 2 1/2 weeks after planting I am beyond pleased with the results. It is all coming up very well and starting to fill out. I have a few thin spots that I hope will fill in, but overall this plot has totally surprised me and I am more than happy with the results.
This is a 3 phase photo below. Top is a photo on about the 1st of September. The middle photo is just after seeding and short mowing, showing a thick but evenly distributed thatch. The final photo is yesterday, 2 1/2 weeks after seeding.
blumsden
A good 3 year old buck
Honker, you may need some nitrogen on your plots, i see a lot of yellowing, unless you've been getting a lot of rain. One thing i've noticed. I've been using a sprinkler on a couple small plots and you have to run a sprinkler for several hours to get the dirt below the thatch good and wet. Even if the thatch looks really wet, if you'll pull back the thatch and look at the dirt it will be drier. I think this keeps the seed from sprouting prematurely during a drought, after getting a little bit of rain. I had a disked place during dove season with wheat on it and it sprouted and we haven't had a drop of rain in several weeks. I bet it doesn;t make it.
They have had about 7.5" of rain since they were planted on August 1st and most of my plots are pretty low. We will probably get a frost this week so the oats will be toast. Luckily they put on grain heads. I've noticed some areas are dominated by brassicas and others grains and others peas. I don't think it was due to poor seed mixing but rather different soil conditions.
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scott44
5 year old buck +
I've never really did much fall planting one because I'm hunting and don't want to disturb things, but I've noticed some of the trees are sold out in the spring become available in the fall again so I grabbed some, we'll see.
Alan Kowal
Buck Fawn
As I posted previously I have watched the many success's with this method and finally decided to give it a try on my own. In the Fall of 2015 I planted Rye and Oats the traditional, back breaking, time consuming way that the industry told me I needed to do. Plow, disc, smooth, cultipack etc etc etc...Much time (approx 4 weekends) money and a sore butt.
I had a good stand of the Rye in Oats in the fall of 2015 and this spring I simply let it go to seed. On 9/17/2016 this is was I had to work with. First I broadcast about 250 lbs of 16-19-19 per acre, then broadcast a combination of Rye, Oats, Clover, Austrian Winter Peas and then a cut.....no pack ...just cut ! This was 1 weekend of work and only a half day on day 2.
We were VERY dry which is why I delayed planting till 9/17. We got some rain that week and occasional sprinkles after that. I was worried about my success. My soil is clay, and so between the soil type and the thatch I had great moisture retention even though we are technically in a drought.
However as far as I am concerned for me, some form of Throw - N - Mow is the only way to go !!!!!!!
I will have a list of tillage equipment up for sale in the spring !!!!
After Fertilizing, seeding and cutting
Food Plot Machine
One month later==== the best food plot I ever created in about 10 years=======
I think every seed I planted and every seed that came from the crop I cut, germinated and grew like wildfire.....
While it doesn't look as clean and neat as other plots I have created, no weeds no trash sticking up etc.....if you look at the pics it is an absolute incredible food plot.
So thanks to all on this forum especially to the guys that started this way of thinking awhile back, you obviously know more the the doctor "experts" and boy am I glad I listened !
I had a good stand of the Rye in Oats in the fall of 2015 and this spring I simply let it go to seed. On 9/17/2016 this is was I had to work with. First I broadcast about 250 lbs of 16-19-19 per acre, then broadcast a combination of Rye, Oats, Clover, Austrian Winter Peas and then a cut.....no pack ...just cut ! This was 1 weekend of work and only a half day on day 2.
We were VERY dry which is why I delayed planting till 9/17. We got some rain that week and occasional sprinkles after that. I was worried about my success. My soil is clay, and so between the soil type and the thatch I had great moisture retention even though we are technically in a drought.
However as far as I am concerned for me, some form of Throw - N - Mow is the only way to go !!!!!!!
I will have a list of tillage equipment up for sale in the spring !!!!
After Fertilizing, seeding and cutting
Food Plot Machine
One month later==== the best food plot I ever created in about 10 years=======
I think every seed I planted and every seed that came from the crop I cut, germinated and grew like wildfire.....
While it doesn't look as clean and neat as other plots I have created, no weeds no trash sticking up etc.....if you look at the pics it is an absolute incredible food plot.
So thanks to all on this forum especially to the guys that started this way of thinking awhile back, you obviously know more the the doctor "experts" and boy am I glad I listened !
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
^^^ Been doing plots this way for a lot of yrs. Easiest, cheapest, and most productive way for me to make a plot. It takes some thinking and planning, but it's well worth it. I would love to have a tractor (I love to work dirt) but can't justify the cost and maintenance for the the hobby part of our land when this works so well for me.
Cool to see everyones success... and failures.
Cool to see everyones success... and failures.
rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Read about basically the same principle about a dozen yrs ago on a Michigan forum where the objective wasn't necessarily soil health but being able to plot on a hillside without erosion from tillage. Thought I'd mention as another good reason to try this method.
