Vogt_51

For those who have used any of the products that require no tilling or plowing.....What preparation have you done? It would be awesome if anyone had a field before it was planted to show me what it looks like.

Thanks!

SamPAhunter

No pics but I have done 2 plots of no till. One was Harvest Premium Easy plot. The other was biologic full draw mixed with Green patch. I didnt really follow these steps because back when I did these plots I didnt really know all the steps needed to make a succesful plot but here are some of the basic steps.

[ol][*]Map out the area you are planning on planting.[*]Clear this area of any brush, rocks, limbs, leaves, etc.[*]Take a soil sample from multiple spots of the plot.[*]**OPTIONAL** Spray off weeds and let area sit for acouple weeks.[*]Clear area again till you can see bare dirt.[*]Then apply the suggested amount of fertilizer and lime.[*]Work up the soil with a rake making sure to really mix the fertilizer and lime into the soil.[*]Broad-cast your seed of choice.[*]Rake seed into the soil.[*]Watch grow[*]Harvest deer[/ol]
Good Luck and hope that helps. Im sure you will get a lot of other good tips from others as well!

Andrew14

i dont have any pics either but we just cleared it raked up the soil and threw out the seed raked it alittle more and watched it grow.

Vogt_51

Thanks for the tips guys. Basically, for the most part I believe that is what I have done for preparation. Currently, and it is hard to explain, the ground is MOSTLY cleared. It is definately not completely dirt, but I would say it is like 80 percent clear of growth. It is really hard to describe a percentage of what ground still has growth on it.....it really could be like 90% or some might consider it 50%.

Basically, the area was a corn field 2 years ago.....it was then disked and everything that following spring, but not planted that year. So the ground is realitively flat and has about ZERO brush on it. This year, we were just planning on making a path for the deer to walk through, so about a week ago we just drove up and down on it about half a dozen times with our jeep to flatten it. I went out there a couple days ago weed whacked about 1/3 of it, then raked it and I can see TONS of dirt because of the limited growth.....I will probably get a picture up tomorrow or so to see if you guys would think its OK to plant.....

Thanks!

Vogt_51

Hey guys.....I dont have a picture yet, but for comparison....I would say this picture is similar in the bottom left corner, I would even venture to say that mine is a little more cleared off than that in the bottom left, but it is similar. So, is that good?

psandhu

if you work up the soil too much, you might encounter crusting. that's when the soil gets some rain and hardens to form a crust. the seeds sometimescan't poke through it.

Vogt_51

Alright guys,
Here are the pictured of the area I feel is prepared....besides me probably putting on some 12-12-12. Does it look good enough to plant Secret Spot or No Plow? Thanks!

farm hunter

Yep - you can plant that.

But - the grass roots probably aren't dead - so you'll get some grasses too.

Broadcast it - and drive over and over it. Don't worry about covering it.
good soil/seed contact is all you need for those products.

FH