Semisane

I have three small plots on my hunting lease that I planted for years with the traditional bush hogging & discing method. Last year, after our club tractor died, I was determined to go "tractor free" and try managing the plots with the no-till approach using only my ATV.

That first year was more successful than I expected, and sure was a lot less of a hassle than dealing with the club tractor. But growing conditions that year were perfect. I had serious concerns this year because of the dry weather and late planting. As with year one, I documented the process in pictures.







After throwing the seed, the plot was cut with my home made plot cutter, seen here - http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/wild...ot-cutter.html









Here's the thread where I reported my first year results. http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/wild...30-2016-a.html

Rob in VT

Looks like it came up good. Is it a custom mix or did you buy a prepackaged no till?

Semisane

No prepackaged stuff for me Rob. I plant three small plots and use bulk feed store seed. On this plot, I used 1/3 of a 50 lb. bag of wheat, 1/2 of a 50 lb. bag of oats, 1/3 of a 30 lb. bag of sunflower, and bought the chicory and clover by the pound. The remainder of those 50 lb. bags was used on other plots.

Rob in VT

I'm surprised the sunflowers come up if not planted in soil. Not because of germination but because birds and squirrels eating the seed.

Semisane

The sunflowers came up well Rob. They made it to about four inches tall before the deer decided to have them for desert.

TN Lone Wolf

Semisane,

Like you, I plant food plots on our farm. I've got three plots - one 1 acre, one 1.5 acres, and one 4.5 acres - which until last year had been planted in ladino clover for years. Now, they're to the point that they need replanting. Unfortunately, to get into those plots, I have to go across these creek crossings that in recent years have washed out to the point that it is nearly impossible to safely get a disk past them without getting stuck or tearing something up. I can get a sprayer back there, but not a disk. Because of this, I've been considering no-till.

However, I tried no-tilling a brassica plot at one point, but it didn't grow well. Could you please give me some advice? For instance, once you've broadcast your seed into the thatch, how low do you mow it? Do you always cultipack the field afterward? What types of seeds work best with this method?

BRUSE

That came up good I'll check into that for the small area I got here

Semisane

With two years of playing with no-till on very small plots, I don't feel very qualified to be giving advice Lone Wolf. I've got two big positive factors going for me - pretty good sandy loam soil and a long growing season. All three of my plots were well established and planted by discing or tilling prior to 2015.

This past year I went a different way on each of my little plots.

- On the plot shown in this thread I broadcast the seed and fertilizer then mowed with the cutter set at about four inches.

- On another plot I broadcast the seed and fertilizer into about 18" tall dead vegetation (sprayed with GLY) but did not mow. I rolled the vegetation down with my home made roller/crimper.

- On the third plot, after broadcasting seed and fertilizer I mowed the vegetation then ran over everything with the roller/crimper.

All three were planted on the same day and all were in drought condition at the time of planting - very very dry. Once we started getting rain it seemed that the one that was both mowed and rolled germinated fastest. But after about three weeks the growth on all three was about the same. So at this point I really can't say one method was better than the other. I'm hoping to repeat the same process next Fall in soil that is not bone dry. I suspect rolling the seed into moist soil, even without mowing, will work quite well.

I used the same seed mix (wheat/oats/ladino clover/chicory/sunflower) on all three plots in approximately the same proportions.

I can't make any recommendations as to seed, other than my mix has worked very well for me in both the first and second year of no till. I planted iron-clay peas and turnips on one of the plots a few years ago using traditional discing methods. When the peas reached about 12" of growth the deer wiped them out in a one-week period. They never touched the turnips which ended up rotting in the ground.

kellyguinn

Looks like it came up pretty well.


Any recommendations on a plot in the woods that doesn't get too much light. I will be clearing a few but the owner won't let me clear enough for a traditional plot.

Semisane

I would give it a heavy dose of wheat plus a mix of several white clovers, and hope for the best.