Tilling Standing Rye

[trapperm]

Anyone here ever taken a 3 point rotary tiller to a patch of standing rye?

After last seasons drought I ended up with a lot of rye in food plots and was hoping to utilize the situation to experiment some. A portion of it is going to be seeded into and rolled over in the spirit of no till, some of it is going to get worked like normal and the last part is what I am curious about. I want to take my tiller to standing rye to incorporate it into the soil.

Does rye (fully grown) get balled up on a rear PTO tiller and can I get away without mowing that portion first? I don’t care about the volunteer rye.

Just dreaming- still a lot of snow on the ground here yet.

 

[Bassattackr]

I want to take my tiller to standing rye to incorporate it into the soil.

Yikes, no don't do this.. at least unless its mowed first. Repeated mowings may help keep the growth from getting 4' tall and creating a mess for you later if that is your plan.

Otherwise you'll spend a good portion of your day unwrapping rye from the tiller shaft.

 

[Foggy47]

Yikes, no don't do this.. at least unless its mowed first. Repeated mowings may help keep the growth from getting 4' tall and creating a mess for you later if that is your plan.

Otherwise you'll spend a good portion of your day unwrapping rye from the tiller shaft.

^ Agreed. If you try it ....have a sawzall handy to cut the rye from the tiller. Nasty wrapping. Ask me how I know.

 

[Terrific_tom]

Don't do it. A disc would be better and even then some will wrap around the disc. Cut it 1st is best.

 

[trapperm]

Yikes, no don't do this.. at least unless its mowed first. Repeated mowings may help keep the growth from getting 4' tall and creating a mess for you later if that is your plan.

Otherwise you'll spend a good portion of your day unwrapping rye from the tiller shaft.

Will rye grow again if I just mow it similar to a lawn?

 

[Bassattackr]

It will keep growing trying to put out a seed head. If you repeatedly mow, it will lose steam and fizzle out. It’s an annual, won’t survive after the first year.

 

[jsasker007]

It will keep growing until it goes to seed, then it's cycle is complete.

 

[swat1018]

I made that mistake once. I just wait and crimp it with my loader ahead of my NT drill.