Zone 3 midwinter frost seeding?

[Maddog66]

I know frost seeding is probably over discussed, but I’ve also never had a year like this.

My plots will have no snow by Sunday (46f!!) and I was thinking of hitting it with some clover. The next week has the perfect freeze thaw forecast. But compared to when I normally frost seed this is at least 60 days early and I KNOW winter isn’t even close to over yet. We will still get feet of snow and below zero up here.

Am I just feeding critters by frost seeding now, or am I doing good by getting it on the ground so early?

*It would be a mixture of local feed store clovers spread over existing, but thinning, clover plots, and last years brassicas.

 

[Diesel5610]

If conditions are going to be perfect, the seed will get worked into the soil and be there until it germinates in the spring. A couple extra weeks in the dirt isn’t going to hurt it. Lots of guys put seed on top of the snow fairly early.

 

[Telemark]

Sounds like ideal conditions. I would go for it.

 

[Maddog66]

I agree 100% with 2 or a few weeks. I’ve done that many times. But right now is close to 3 months before any germination weather up here. This is unprecedented in my lifetime.

Last year on this weekend, I shit you not, I rode my sled out to one of my plots and stopped. When I stepped off the running board I was up to my waist in snow. I was barely able to pull myself back onto the seat to get going again.

This year, the only way I’ll be able to get around will be on my tracked sxs or walk, because of mud.

I’ve seen a really wise poster here often advise ‘get it in the ground’ on several similar subjects. I expected that to be the case here too. So I’m doing it and will see how it goes / report back.

Check out the daily hi/lo in z3 for the next few days : 40/23, 42/22, 48/27, 46/29, 43/29, 38/26, 31/24

 

[FarmerDan]

I agree 100% with 2 or a few weeks. I’ve done that many times. But right now is close to 3 months before any germination weather up here. This is unprecedented in my lifetime.

Last year on this weekend, I shit you not, I rode my sled out to one of my plots and stopped. When I stepped off the running board I was up to my waist in snow. I was barely able to pull myself back onto the seat to get going again.

This year, the only way I’ll be able to get around will be on my tracked sxs or walk, because of mud.

I’ve seen a really wise poster here often advise ‘get it in the ground’ on several similar subjects. I expected that to be the case here too. So I’m doing it and will see how it goes / report back.

Check out the daily hi/lo in z3 for the next few days : 40/23, 42/22, 48/27, 46/29, 43/29, 38/26, 31/24

Agree!

 

[Kooch]

How much duff and thatch is too much for frost seeding switchgrass? I'm contemplating a switch screen. The area was mowed twice and sprayed once last fall with a hot dose of glyphosate and crossbow. There's plenty of thatch. Do I need to clean that off before I broadcast switch? I've got Simazine on order for weed control and 10 pounds of RC Tecumseh on the way.

Edit. Add photo

 

[Mortenson]

^^^ That's all I did for my first switch planting some years back. Used Oust also, but it was just dead grass, thick thatch. It worked perfectly. I have 10 lbs of the RC Bigrock to put down now, and have more soil showing only because it's the end of a field that was worked in Nov. I've heard the RC line of seed is larger in seed size than the old varieties, which in theory means they don't frost seed quite as well. But I think you'd still be good to go. Probably get it down sooner than later, giving it more time to work it's way down.

 

[Kooch]

I'll spread it as soon as I get it. Weather looks stable. Thanks for the feedback. I ordered the seed from Albert Lea Seed. I like them a lot. My local area averages ~26 inches of rain a year so the guy at AL Seed recommended this. I was going to plant three rows of spruce. But, I'm 54 years old and don't want to wait until I'm 70 to have a solid screen.

 

[Mortenson]

I'll spread it as soon as I get it. Weather looks stable. Thanks for the feedback. I ordered the seed from Albert Lea Seed. I like them a lot. My local area averages ~26 inches of rain a year so the guy at AL Seed recommended this. I was going to plant three rows of spruce. But, I'm 54 years old and don't want to wait until I'm 70 to have a solid screen.

Yeah I'd go the switch route in that case also. How wide is your spot, about 40'?

 

[Kooch]

20 big paces, so about 60' wide.

 

[Kooch]

Sorry I hijacked your thread Maddog

 

[Maddog66]

No prob at all. I’m interested in trying Switchgrass sometime too!!!

 

[bigboreblr]

Frostseeding clovers into existing clover spots can be difficult to determine success. But, seeding under snow is better than over. The birds disagree though.

I have done the same thing you wanted to do up in the adirondacks. The cabin up there doesn't have an insulated floor, and the club's firewood is cut in september. Luckily have a extra wall heater and someone left a 120k salamander to start up the heating.

Short story long I do it when I can. I have even seeded in the end of november. I seeded plantain into a spot that didn't have it before, it was successfull.

 

[Tree Spud]

I prefer to frost seed when the is snow on the ground if possible. First, you can see your seeding rate which is really important with SG. Second as the snow melts it helps to draw the seed down to the soil.

 

[Kooch]

I think I’ll mix it with some bulking agent. Maybe kitty litter.


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[Telemark]

I think I’ll mix it with some bulking agent. Maybe kitty litter.


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Good choice if you have sandy soil. But use sand if you have clay soil.

 

[bigboreblr]

I go up to camp one or two times a winter some years. Last few years maybe more because of owning snowmobiles.

Think it was febuary 2021. Went up there and frost seeded ontop of the snow. Didn't snow for a week. The colorful coating made nice colored targets for the birds to enjoy. IF snow was coming, I would do it. If snow isn't coming and there's snow cover, then I'd probably wait.

I have mixed small seed with fertilizer and pelletized lime. I think pelletized lime is cheaper in volume than kitty litter. Can't say much about swtichgrass. But, turnips, radish, canola, clovers, and small grains have all done well whe mixed with either. Small fluffy grass like seeds, my only experiences is crabsgrass, dandelion, and plantain. I've done all of those with fertilizer and/or lime mixed in.

My only spreading limitation is I do not put lime or fertilizer in the 12 volt spreader anymore. Just beats up the motor too much. I use a drop spreader for that now.

 

[PoorSand]

I have gotten my best results with a modified frost seedling method. I wait until the snow is gone, but while the nights are still freezing. I broadcast the seed in the morning while the ground is still frozen. Then in the afternoon, I pull a cultipacker over the top to push the seeds into the soil. That seems to knock the seeds that landed on thatch off the thatch and gets at least some of the seeds into the ground and out of sight of the animals.

 

[Diesel5610]

Conditions were perfect this weekend here. I did 2 small 1/2 acre plots to clover this morning. I usually frost seed toward the end of February but the groundhog said spring was coming early this year so I said what the hell.