Transform Buckwheat plot?

Bowsnbucks

5 year old buck +
Need some guidance from the experienced. I have a 1 acre buckwheat plot in flower/turning seed that I want to seed to brassica mix for fall/winter food source. Would it be best to broadcast brassica seed into standing buckwheat - THEN mow or roll? Or mow, disc then broadcast seed? I've read on here that it's best to broadcast before a rain, but the other process I'm not sure of. Any help much appreciated.
 
Unless your buckwheat is really thick I'd broadcast seed and fertilizer and then roll. However if the buckwheat is really thick it may be hard for the brassicas to break through.
 
Unless your buckwheat is really thick I'd broadcast seed and fertilizer and then roll. However if the buckwheat is really thick it may be hard for the brassicas to break through.
Therein lies the caveat. Which way is better when you have extremely thick vegetation growing in an area you wish to seed this way. Is it better to broadcast first and then roll/mow and run the risk of the new seedlings running out of energy before they can push through the thatch layer, thus causing them to die? Or the alternative of rolling/mowing the vegetation first and broadcasting onto the thick thatch layer and having some of the new seedlings germinate without being in contact with the soil, thus not allowing the new roots to reach the dirt before they dry out and die? Either situation is cause to warrant upping the seeding rate to overcome the germination issues. We had our best success with the broadcast first then roll/mow method, as I would rather take my chances knowing the majority of the seed was at least touching the ground and not hung up in the thatch layer somewhere. We never had anything come in extremely thick on our sandy plots accept rye. In the years we broadcast into thick, standing rye, we mowed it. Our thought process was that even though the thatch would be heavy, the loose, chopped up strands laying on top would be easier to push through than a thick mat of stems that were pressed down onto themselves and into the soil by the packer wheels. If you have a normal BW patch I would say broadcast and roll, if it seems like an excessively thick stand of BW, broadcast and then mow it. I don't see a compelling reason for you to do any type of tillage on that plot, your BW kept the weeds back, don't "stir the pot" and potentially bring new weed seeds up into the germination zone.
 
Buckwheat breaks down pretty quick. If time allows I think mowing the plot and then letting it decompose for 2 weeks before before planting and rolling is a viable option. Could even spray and plant at that time if weeds or grass is showing.
 
The soil is clay-ish, and has been plowed, disced and planted before this year - if that tells you any more about it. I can see the soil easily when I stand in the BW, but it's not thin or sparse. It's starting to turn yellow as it turns to seed. Full sun location, gently sloping southern exposure. Are you thinking mowing would chop up the BW more than rolling? Hasten decay?
 
As bueller said, BW residue breaks down quickly compared to other crop residues. I think you would be fine mowing or rolling from what you describe. If your soil is clay-like, has it formed a crust that will limit the seedling root radicle from penetrating the soil surface? If so, I would use the cultipacker for sure as opposed to mowing. At least then you will be pushing some seed into the crust and hopefully the weight of the packer and shape of the wheels would help break it up a bit. Or if you just like tractor time, you could broadcast, mow, and then roll I suppose.
 
Thanks for the info, guys. Gonna try the broadcast, mow & hit it with the culti-packer method. It seems like the mowing will chop up the BW & hasten the decay process and culti-packing will press the seed into the soil some. Time will tell.
 
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