(I re-posted in the proper thread. Sorry if you saw this under the "Sub-soiling thread")

I was just looking at some pictures of my plot which started as rock-filled and hard-packed clay back in 2015 and comparing to what is just looked like last weekend. I am thoroughly impressed! I have some "before and after" photos that just blew me away!
2015.jpg

I have some side by side photos of almost the exact same spot in my field. These are NOT "glamour shots" or doctored - it's just what happened. And I had ZERO experience at any of this to start. In this below photo, it actually looks like soil and OM (Organic Matter) on top! In this below pic, note the tree tube in the top right.
Compare.jpg


And here is a good "top shot". Check out the difference! Being in the field, it's hard to see the progress you're making. Take photos!!!
Compare2.jpg
 

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(I re-posted in the proper thread. Sorry if you saw this under the "Sub-soiling thread")

I was just looking at some pictures of my plot which started as rock-filled and hard-packed clay back in 2015 and comparing to what is just looked like last weekend. I am thoroughly impressed! I have some "before and after" photos that just blew me away!
View attachment 23690

I have some side by side photos of almost the exact same spot in my field. These are NOT "glamour shots" or doctored - it's just what happened. And I had ZERO experience at any of this to start. In this below photo, it actually looks like soil and OM (Organic Matter) on top! In this below pic, note the tree tube in the top right.
View attachment 23692


And here is a good "top shot". Check out the difference! Being in the field, it's hard to see the progress you're making. Take photos!!!
View attachment 23693
I saw those. That looks great. I spent about 5-6 hours watching youtube videos from Ray Archuleta and Gabe Brown. Fascinating stuff. Makes me want to do a weekend learning seminar
 
You may want to check out the Green Cover Seed Soil Health guide.....

Also very useful

bill
 
You may want to check out the Green Cover Seed Soil Health guide.....

Also very useful

bill
Most definitely.

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The rye is the only thing green here right now.

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Quite a bit of thatch still on the brassica plots from last fall, the did their job and are mostly bare dirt. Late last week I broascast some red, ladino and crimson clovers along with rye, wheat and oats and ran the cultipacker over them and these will become this falls cereal grain plots.

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It looks like I found a decent sorghum mix that leaves enough thatch to do a throw and mow this year, there hasn't been enough the last couple years so I had to lightly disc it. Sorghum plot is going in the first part of June.

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Cereal rye 5 ft tall here

All clover thriving

Will be brown and down by July............courtesy of texas heat.........

bill
 
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Anyone know what is happening to my WR? The top photo is TNM planted around August 8th. (3 weeks earlier than last year) the second photo is also TNM planted a week later and appears to have no issues. Different seed source but planted and sprayed in similar fashion. I planted earlier than last year because I wanted more growth. I ended up getting way more than I thought. Going forward I will probably go back to Labor Day weekend like I did the first year.

A few notes: the first photo was TNM WR last year, with clover that I let go to seed. Both fields received the same amount of fertilizer . The second field was BW and triticale in the Spring and is a first year TNM field. The second photo was a hay field for years and has nutrient and compaction issues yet still looks better.
WOW..... For those of you who have read any of my post you know I have a buckthorn problem on my place and you equally know how much I care for buckthorn. Well there is possibly another reason I have found to loathe buckthorn. I came acrossed a study that said buckthorn is also a host for a fungus that can affect cereal grains. The study contended it had a greater affect on Oats and Barely but went on to say it also affected Cereal Rye. In my example above I had a mid August planting. The study also mentioned that a mid August planting was much more susceptible than a planting after September 1st. The first year I planted after September 1st and had no issues. Very well may have found what affected my WR last year.
 
Well, I got my seeds in. I didn't end up anything different to supplement like you mentioned Rit.

I really need to get something growing that will last through the winter so that I'm planting into something green in the spring. But I planted what I had in the best way I know:

  1. I worked/raked the thatch that I have been able to grow over the past few years (via harrow rake on the back of my ATV). It was fairly matted so I wanted to move it around a little to expose the soil a little before broadcasting the seed.
  2. The I broadcasted with my hand spreader the barley, oats, tricale and some 10-10-10.
  3. I followed that up by rolling the field with a roller that I just built (see other thread about building a 40" cultipacker here if you're interested).
  4. Lastly, I followed all of that up with a nice rain (prayers answered).

I forgot to soak the plot saver before I left so I didn't put it around half of the field that I had planned. I guess I'll be making that 3 hour trip again next weekend. I'm very curious to see how the things inside the plot saver grow compared to the things outside.

This pic shows the difference between raking and not raking:

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I got up my plotsaver. Need some warmer weather to get those seeds popping. I just did about 1/3 of the field to see how it works.
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The horse oats are the only thing coming in right now. The clover from last year is looking good.

I panted some seeds of other things that I had kicking around (mellons, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and so on). That might be neat to see if that works.

Looking for the weather to warm up and then hopefully my triticale and barley come up.

Re-sprayed plot saver. Deer won't cross it.
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I'm sure it's been asked before on here, but good grief, 62 pages is tough to filter thru.

I wanna put in a fall stand of clover. Do you guys like T&M for clover? I figured as small as the seed is it may do ok. Gonna be a long term stand is the hope.

Or should I till it and get a good bed laid for it? Pretty rocky ground.
 
I'm sure it's been asked before on here, but good grief, 62 pages is tough to filter thru.

I wanna put in a fall stand of clover. Do you guys like T&M for clover? I figured as small as the seed is it may do ok. Gonna be a long term stand is the hope.

Or should I till it and get a good bed laid for it? Pretty rocky ground.

tnM is perfect for clovers, wheat, rye, turnips.


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I did my first TNM clover/chicory plot last fall. I usually do my first mowing around the first of June so time will tell. It's looking pretty weedy but sometimes a good mowing is all it takes to release the clover.
 
I'm sure it's been asked before on here, but good grief, 62 pages is tough to filter thru.

I wanna put in a fall stand of clover. Do you guys like T&M for clover? I figured as small as the seed is it may do ok. Gonna be a long term stand is the hope.

Or should I till it and get a good bed laid for it? Pretty rocky ground.
I'm sure it's been asked before on here, but good grief, 62 pages is tough to filter thru.

I wanna put in a fall stand of clover. Do you guys like T&M for clover? I figured as small as the seed is it may do ok. Gonna be a long term stand is the hope.

Or should I till it and get a good bed laid for it? Pretty rocky ground.
5C428046-1910-4E1D-AA6D-85A6AE6EDA91.jpeg5E473A2D-C3FA-4A22-9215-3A3C4AC6BD85.jpeg

TNM clover works fantastic in the fall. You can use WR as a nurse crop and it will help with Spring weeds. You can clip it just above the clover in the Spring a few times before it terminates and the WR will continue to grow. I have some of my best clover stands using TNM.
 
TNM gives me more time to trout fish. My #1 passion.
 
I've spent the last two years waiting until my red clover and alfalfa produces seed before I mow it. It now looks like it has thickened up enough that I will only need to broadcast rye again this fall.
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This is year two on the new property for me Of using these methods. I combined that with frost seeding. In less then ideal conditions I have a decent stand of clover going. Took soil PH from low 5’s to nearly mid 6 in one season with nurse crops and surface broadcasting amendments. This is a clover/chicory mix frost seeded into existing thatch this March. I will overseed again with winter rye and brassica in Mid August. Next year will be better yet. I have a few trees to remove again in winter to help some shady spots. This is a 1 acre plot trail between ridge and swamp bedding. Pictures Taken a little over a week ago. Grasses have been sprayed and are dying as of yesterday. 63427680-325F-4902-A51C-C3BE5C6DEE2C.jpeg30DDBF4D-A3BC-4B79-B55F-875AA90FEEA3.jpegC34280A5-0026-4B7E-83AB-A18161345F07.jpegC7CD603F-3BD6-4DF8-A789-836C2DA40EAF.jpeg
 
Well, I got my seeds in. I didn't end up anything different to supplement like you mentioned Rit.

I really need to get something growing that will last through the winter so that I'm planting into something green in the spring. But I planted what I had in the best way I know:

  1. I worked/raked the thatch that I have been able to grow over the past few years (via harrow rake on the back of my ATV). It was fairly matted so I wanted to move it around a little to expose the soil a little before broadcasting the seed.
  2. The I broadcasted with my hand spreader the barley, oats, tricale and some 10-10-10.
  3. I followed that up by rolling the field with a roller that I just built (see other thread about building a 40" cultipacker here if you're interested).
  4. Lastly, I followed all of that up with a nice rain (prayers answered).

I forgot to soak the plot saver before I left so I didn't put it around half of the field that I had planned. I guess I'll be making that 3 hour trip again next weekend. I'm very curious to see how the things inside the plot saver grow compared to the things outside.

This pic shows the difference between raking and not raking:

View attachment 23578
4b3c4d6b647535b9d5d4bdf09b73064b.jpg
ba04b288a720a3388a7a935f56d3b6dc.jpg
I got up my plotsaver. Need some warmer weather to get those seeds popping. I just did about 1/3 of the field to see how it works.
31edce19ef3849f6ae85f70979b794b4.jpg


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The horse oats are the only thing coming in right now. The clover from last year is looking good.

I panted some seeds of other things that I had kicking around (mellons, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and so on). That might be neat to see if that works.

Looking for the weather to warm up and then hopefully my triticale and barley come up.

Re-sprayed plot saver. Deer won't cross it.
162e50e1078c8df9e248dc0046ef59c6.jpg
689dfc430fa5b4c70859dc0cdd0bafeb.jpg
470bb233bda2fa4381f865d69875367f.jpg


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Even the bears stay out of the fencing.

Field is coming in well, over-seeded with barley and triticale today with some 12-0-12.

Everything is coming along nicely. I even took the tubes of the rest of my chestnut trees.
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I did a large seed TNM last night. My mix was 50# non gmo soybean milo mix, 25# leftover RR beans, 12# sunflowers, 25# field peas, and maybe 1/2# of leftover Kale from last year. I also stuck a packet of pumpkin seeds in the ground after I was done. This was broadcast into standing cereal, mowed, then packed in with the tractor tires. The soil is quite damp and I had a good amount of thatch so fingers crossed. I am going to do the same mix in another plot using tillage that was last years brassica plot. Amazing how well the weed suppression was from the cereal. I could hardly find a "weed" in the entire plot. Which leads me to a question on the cereal that I will post in a new thread.
 
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