TN Lone Wolf

Back in May, I attempted to plant a spring food plot. Since I broke our disk last fall while trying to get it across a narrow, rocky creek bottom, I wanted to try Semisane's no-till method. However, it didn't quite work out primarily because of improper herbicide use and not increasing my seeding rate.

With this in mind, last weekend my dad and I sprayed our two food plots - both about 1 acre in size - with a mixture of glyphosate and crossbow herbicides to ensure the weeds and grasses don't come back. I sent my Phantom to check on them Wednesday afternoon:






With everything quickly dying, I went by the local farmer's cooperative to buy some lime, fertilizer, and seed.



I had originally planned on a mix of winter wheat, forage oats, and crimson clover, but they didn't have any oats. So, I bought 300 pounds of winter wheat and 50 pounds of crimson clover to spread across the two plots. I realize that's a very heavy seeding rate for both plants, but the amount of thatch covering the ground is going to impede the sprouting of a lot of the seed.

Saturday morning dawned warm and sunny, so we set about planting the plots, starting with the west plot.





While my dad broadcast the wheat with the tractor, I broadcast about 25 pounds of the crimson clover on foot using a bag spreader. After that, we spread the fertilizer and lime. While on our way to sow the east plot, dark clouds rolled in and it began to rain quite heavily. We made sure the remaining bags of seed were either in my truck or inside a covered container, then went inside to wait out the storm.



About an hour and a half later, we finally got to the east plot and tended to it.



With everything seeded, we hooked up to a mower to cut the standing dead grass in both fields. After that, we hooked up to our cultipacker and rolled it over the west plot. Due to the poor state of the crossing leading into the east plot (the same one where I broke the disk last fall), we both decided to not cultipack the east plot. With more heavy rain in the forecast, we figured it would do a decent job of compacting the thatch and driving the seed into the soil on its own.





With another thunderstorm coming, I set up my trail cameras and took the final pictures of the plots. Just as I was taking the picture of the east plot, the bottom fell out and it began pouring down raindrops the size of gravel rocks. It rained on and off throughout the evening, and it has continued to rain through the morning at varying intensities. You couldn't ask for more ideal conditions.

The only thing I forgot to do yesterday was set up some exclusion cages, but I can go out and do that today if it stops raining, or sometime this week if it doesn't.

Now, it's just a waiting game to see if our hard work (not to mention the money I spent) will bear fruit.

Semisane

My bet is you will be astounded by the results, especially with that heavy of a seed rate followed by good rain.

I'm photo documenting my third year of no till on my three small plots with pictures every month from March 2017 and planned through March 2018. You will see the results here next March (A Year In The Life Of A No-Till Plot ).

This was my seed rate this year, which is about double what I've used the first two years. Those years were perfectly satisfactory but I decided to increased it just for insurance because our deer population is on the upswing. Note that on my North Plot I'm experimenting with wheat on one half of the plot and oats on the other half. Everything else was across the entire plot. I'll be putting exclusion cages on each half. I was lucky on the cost of the fertilizer by catching Walmart selling it off at a greatly reduced end of summer clearance price.

TN Lone Wolf

The rain finally let up, so I went out to set up some exclusion cages. I have some wire screen that I once made to protect some saplings from wildlife, so I dug them out of the attic and staked them into the ground.





While looking around, I noticed some wheat seeds sitting on top of the thatch. What amazed me was that every single one I saw was already sprouting. You could clearly see the little root breaking out of the seed coat on every one of them.:





I'm kind of worried about how well the eastern plot is going to do. There were a lot more seeds sitting on top of the dead grass. It wouldn't be too much of an issue, except that the layer of thatch in that plot is quite thick. Those roots are going to have to grow quite a ways before they start digging into the soil. That said, while turning over some of the thatch, I found plenty of wheat seeds located underneath.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Oldtimr

If the seeds were sprouting, the roots will take hold. Don't forget to post some pics after the field takes hold.

TN Lone Wolf

I definitely will.

mrbb

sounds like everything should work ok for you, but my only worry would be if you did a soil test or not, as if you don't have correct PH, alot of $$ and work can be down the drain on you, as things need correct PH to grow?

YTCLT

PH is key. Acidic soil block plants ability to take up fertilizer/nutrients. I’ve measured my lime applications in tons/acre and it took a couple of years to correct soil that hadn’t seem lime in forever (before I bought the place). A soil test is a good idea and I got mine done for free through an agricultural cooperative extension - in Va it was Virginia tech. They told me exactly what I needed to add for the crops I am growing...no guessing! Worth doing I think.

TN Lone Wolf

I had a soil test done a few years ago and limed/fertilized accordingly, so the soil should still be in pretty decent shape. True, I didn't it this time, but to me there's not much point in doing all that until I get the no-till planting technique perfected. In any case, I've had some good success in the past even with no lime/fertilizer applied prior to planting.

mrbb

soil can loose a LOT of PH in 1 yr never mind many years?
a soil test cost 10 bucks?
lime takes time to adjust and lime Only works when particle's of lime make contact with particles of soil?
just dumping lime on TOP of the soil takes even longer for it to leach its way into the soil
NOT doing a soil test is one of the most common mistakes in doing food plots and also the biggest waste of money to NOT do
as all that time work, and money spent on seed and fert and GUESSING lime, can all go to waste with a poor or NO take on the plantings

second mistake is NOT taking a soil test correctly, or from enough area's on the fields to be planted!

as for NOT wishing to do a soil test till you have things perfected
?? that is , sorry backwards thinking, as a soil test again costs so little

HOW are you going to judge things when the TAKE of your planted seeds will vary based on the condition of the soil when you seed it?
I mean, if you get a poor take., are you going to blame your planting technique
, when it could just be poor soil , missing things to make things grow you planted

HOW will you know

planting things ain't really rocket science when your planting for wildlife
soil needs to be at "X" PH, each seed has a requirement of what it takes to strive and do well!
all this can be told by a soil test and telling the testing folks what seed your trying to grow
and they will tell you exactly what to add to your soil
THEN pray for rain and sun LOL


many folks can just turn ground over and throw seeds and GET some take and be happy

but if your spending the time and money, why not do the best you can and get the best result you can
10 bucks a soil test its just silly to skip it!

here you can get it for $7.50

https://www.plantbiologic.com/t-soil.aspx

TN Lone Wolf

Please reread the last sentence in that quote.