Bad Timing But We Will See

[davidhelmly]

Cindy and I leased a small piece to hunt about this time last year just to have somewhere else to go and help keep the pressure down on our big lease. It has 1 big loading dock / plot and 2 smaller ones from where the pines were thinned a few years back. Last year I only planted the big plot, it had sweetgums growing in it taller than the cab of my tractor so I mowed them and scraped it up a little and threw out a mix of summer seed and had next to zero germination. I had big plans to have all three plots limed, fertilized and broken up better this spring but found out it wouldn’t be for lease again so I pulled out stands off the property and didn’t really think about it. Well about a week ago we found out that we could release it and we did so I headed over Friday and mowed all three plots, this year the big plot was full of dog fennel and sericea so the mowing wasn’t as bad but wow there was a lot of matter on the plot when I finished. I put new teeth on my spring tooth plow and it did ok on most of it but the center was still like concrete and didn’t break it much at all, after fighting with all of the mowed matter and going over it once then I switched to a harrow to try and break up some of the mowed material and then one more pass with the spring tooth. After hours of sweating and lots of words that I was glad the grandkids weren’t there to hear I spread some fertilizer on it. I couldn’t work on it Saturday so I went back yesterday with my seeder and planted it. All total the plot is about 2 acres so i put 600# of trip 13, 100# soybeans, 100# IC peas, 50# WGF sorghum and probably 10# of mixed brassicas left over from last year. I wish I had got it in the ground 2 months ago but we will see what happens and I will plant the other 2 plots in cereal grain, brassica and clover in late Sept / early Oct.
I didn’t think to take any pics before I started but here are a few when I finished, what you see around the edges of the plot are exactly what the plot looked like! We’ve got a 40% chance of rain for the next several days so I’m hoping I at least get a stray shower. ?

 

[Deer Fanatic]

I think if you get a good rain it will be just fine

 

[antharper]

I’ll agree with deer fanatic, we get a couple good rains this week and it’s will be just fine , and the forecast is looking good !

 

[Echo]

Nice work, David! Looking at that side growth definitely shows that you had your work cut out for you but the end result looks great.

Looking forward to future updates on this plot.

 

[shdw633]

Man that ground looks hard even in the pics!! Nice job and good luck with the rain this week!!

 

[davidhelmly]

Man that ground looks hard even in the pics!! Nice job and good luck with the rain this week!!

It was funny yesterday, when I ran the seeder over the center of the plot it sounded like I was pulling it up my concrete driveway!! It’s hard to believe that we had 2” of rain there last Wednesday morning.

 

[WishboneW]

The red dirt on that rear widow probably makes a good sun shade

Was really hot in Meriwether this past weekend

 

[elfiii]

It looks good David. My money is on the sorghum. Hopefully it will produce by late October/early November. You can mow a couple of strips in it and get the seed heads on the ground and watch the action explode.

 

[Jim Boyd]

That looks awesome!!!!

 

[davidhelmly]

The red dirt on that rear widow probably makes a good sun shade

Was really hot in Meriwether this past weekend

It was miserable this past weekend!!
There was so much dust on the back window I would have to open it to look out before I would make a turn on the paved road! And honestly the inside looks just like the outside!

 

[SRShunter]

Hope you are getting some rain and seed it starting to germinate for you. If everything comes up like it should you should have a hot spot for bow season

 

[oops1]

Looks good..that’s how most of our plots do every year. It’s such a pain trying to get all the weeds off of it after bush hogging. Been meaning to try a spring tooth plow but I’ve yet to purchase one. I guess I’ll just keep pushing it to the edges with the loader for now.

 

[tr21]

I know what you mean about those loading docks being like concrete. a few years ago I was helping my buddy from the dnr prep a few plots with a subsoiler on a wma. I had 2 loading docks that that subsoiler wouldn't even go 1\2 in deep in (it would of done more if i'd drug it down the hwy). he ended up having to get the forestry dept to bring in a big dozer with a ripping hook on the back to bust it up, then let it get some rain on it before we could do anything with it. every other spot we did that subsoiler would go 3ft deep after 1 pass

 

[WishboneW]

I believe you timed it right.
Contractor delayed pouring cement for my back porch due to high rain probability

 

[SRShunter]

How did your plot turn out mr. David?

 

[davidhelmly]

How did your plot turn out mr. David?

To be honest I don’t know because I have been spending all my time since then working on LC and haven’t been back to that piece of property yet but I’m not expecting much, I don’t know how accurate they are but my Farmlogs and Rainguage apps show a total rainfall of just over 1/10” since I planted. I don’t have any stands or cameras on that piece yet but I’m planning on pouring out some corn there tomorrow to put cameras on and I will take a look then, if there is any growth at all I will be surprised but I’ll take a pic and post it up. ?

 

[Big7]

Do you have any recent pics?

They are pretty tough, especially in plowed ground. I'd like to see them now to see how they are coming along.

NICE TRACTOR. ?

 

[davidhelmly]

Do you have any recent pics?

They are pretty tough, especially in plowed ground. I'd like to see them now to see how they are coming along.

NICE TRACTOR. ?

No pocs since I planted but plan on getting by there tomorrow and I’ll take a couple.

Thanks, it’s got some age on it and was well used when we got it but it has been great since we got it. ?

 

[Big7]

If is still green enough, try some straight up nitrogen in a small area on the plot.. If it is about right, the food plot can use it.
+ deer hate to taste it.

If it works on the little spot, go ahead and pop the the rest of it.

 

[davidhelmly]

If is still green enough, try some straight up nitrogen in a small area on the plot.. If it is about right, the food plot can use it.
+ deer hate to taste it.

If it works on the little spot, go ahead and pop the the rest of it.

We've had zero rain in 30 days and none really in the forecast so I won't be adding any nitrogen any time soon.