Two acre goldenrod field

[granitepants]

I have a two acre field of goldenrod and I'm curious if I should do anything to maintain this to keep it coming back year after year. I bought it from the adjoining farmer a few years ago for late season food plots--that was my original intention. He was using it in his corn/bean rotation. The first year of ownership, I just did not have time to work on it and the field shot up with 6-7' foxtail. The next year, same thing, ran out of time, but instead of foxtail, goldenrod came on with a passion. Now, late summers see the field with 6-7' goldenrod and it is just alive with pollinators and tweety birds. Can't bring myself to work it up in anyway for my originally planned deer plots. Question is, should I mow last years stalks to maintain the healthy growth? Knock it down with a crimper or some such? Kind of get the feeling that nature will take care of itself but I don't want to lose this.

 

[Native Hunter]

Eventually succession will come into play and the next plant/s in line will start to replace the goldenrod. That’s when you will have to start doing something to stall the succession.

You are already seeing succession - the annual foxtail has been replaced by the perennial goldenrod. When you start to lose the goldenrod, you might consider light disking to start from scratch again. There are other methods you might use such as spot spraying, etc, but light disking every few years might be the easiest for you. Good luck.

 

[Mortenson]

We have a few patches in bare spots of our hardwood plantation that have been goldenrod as many years back as I can remember. I'm not sure of the dynamic going on why it doesn't change. Nice habitat, but as far as the deer are concerned they bed in it in the summer and just pass thru it come fall. That would also partially be because the corn is off by then. I've kept it around for the diversity.

 

[SwampCat]

As Native said above, plant succession, while slow, will eventually win out. I have a twenty acre field that was solid goldenrod ten years ago. Now, about ten acres of it is transitioning to ash, boxelder, and persimmon while the rest is still mostly in goldenrod.

 

[Mike]

When I bought my home in 2008 the back couple acres in my back yard were a grass field that was probably mowed a few times every summer. I have let it go back to nature since and it quickly became dominated by goldenrod. Small thorny trees and dogwood began to appear a few years later. It has been amazing to see how nature has taken back this land. I would imagine if you want to keep your field in goldenrod that you would need to brush hog it once a year.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

If corn/bean rotation brought you the goldenrod, I'd go back to that type of rotation for a couple years if your goldenrod field starts to change into something less desirable. Goldenrod can hold its own for a while, so it will be interesting to hear how long it lasts for you. Perhaps when it starts to decline you could turn half into corn/beans for a couple years and then let it return to goldenrod as you then work on the other half.

 

[The Fishman]

Try mowing it in late fall if you want to maintain the goldenrod. I have found that it is best to mow before it goes to seed or mow right after a rain. Goldenrod seed plays heck with your radiator and you will have to stop every 10 minutes to clean it.

 

[KY wild]

Try mowing it in late fall if you want to maintain the goldenrod. I have found that it is best to mow before it goes to seed or mow right after a rain. Goldenrod seed plays heck with your radiator and you will have to stop every 10 minutes to clean it.

I agree bush hogging in late fall makes golden rod thicker and thicker, this behavior tends to eliminate other species. I don't mean to be negative but if you have plenty of Golden rod then probably many of your bush hogging fall neighbors also have golden rod. So maybe a little more biodiversity of plants would be helpful to more species.

 

[bigboreblr]

In the spring of 2021 I planted oats turnips and clover in a goldenrod patch at camp. Each summer the goldenrod comes back. I knock it down throw rye n clover in it. Fall of 2025 I did finally spray it with gly and basagran. Probably throw off the balance. Starting to get sedge in the more brighter areas.

I do that in zone 3/4 mid August. Not sure if goldenrod is perennial, or comes back from seed. Just knocking it down after seeds produce is not a problem. Mowing or knocking it down is fine. I have had a good natural balance of what nature does and what I do in the fall. Thinking it might be shifted a lot from the spraying. See what the clock rolls out in a few months.