Late food plot prep

[mzldr4life]

Thought the farm I have permission to hunt was getting sold this summer. Sale ended up falling through so now we are scrambling to put in a few food plots (turnips/radishes, etc.) There is plenty of row crow on the farm, corn and beans. We will leave some beans standing for food. My question is, there are several food plots we have done in the past that are just overgrown with weeds. What do you think the best plan of action is to get these into shape and planted with brassicas here in the next 10 days? Mow, spray, plant? I could do all of those over a weekend or few days in a row. Some of the weeds are pushing 8-10' tall. Wasn't sure if I should try and burn after mowing?

 

[Daver]

With that ^^ description...I am going to say that you will want to burn, or drag off, the chaff. Some thatch is OK for brassicas, but too much though is a formula for uneven germination IMO. Brassicas need/want kind of bare soil in my experience.

 

[mzldr4life]

With that ^^ description...I am going to say that you will want to burn, or drag off, the chaff. Some thatch is OK for brassicas, but too much though is a formula for uneven germination IMO. Brassicas need/want kind of bare soil in my experience.

Thanks, and maybe I'm off base with the brassicas idea. Maybe there is something else we should consider given the circumstances?

 

[Brett Morris]

I'm in a different camp. I would spray, seed, & fertilize it today if possible. Ideally cultipack but at least drag something through to get the seed/fertilizer down to the ground. After a few days I'd roll back through and mow on the backside.

 

[Daver]

I'm in a different camp. I would spray, seed, & fertilize it today if possible. Ideally cultipack but at least drag something through to get the seed/fertilizer down to the ground. After a few days I'd roll back through and mow on the backside.

Just to be clear...I have had good success many times with brassicas and some thatch, but with weeds at 8' to 10' tall he is going to have A LOT of thatch. IMO, too much for the circumstances.

 

[Brett Morris]

Daver - totally agree, a weedy plot can mean a lot of different things. In my mind I was thinking knee high. If it's 7' high horse weeds that's a major issue.

If it's weeds/grass that will break down easily I'd mow it at several different heights and leave all the thatch in-place. If there's good seed to soil contact they'll find their way up. If it's neck high weeds then I'd abandon my strategy quickly lol

 

[2-bucks]

I'm in a similar situation on a plot that has been too wet. This weekend I'm going to mow 3-4' weeds, no till in a mix of rye, radish and peas, then spray. Hopefully all in one day. Oh, and finally, cross my fingers and say three Hail Mary's.

 

[Bucksnbears]

What chemical you gonna use on those big weeds?


Guessing it may get to late for brassicas by the time you get that mess killed/ fertilized/ prepped.

May wanna consider oats/ rye/ wheat?

 

[Daver]

Another thought...one time, when I had "BIG" weeds and grass that I first mowed, then sprayed and had a really thick mat of dead vegetation I then scraped A LOT of it off the plot with 3 point device that is actually a dethatcher. Actually, I didn't even scrape all of it off of the field due to time, etc, because I remember having big clumps in the field where I lifted the attachment and "unloaded" the thatch buildup. But...I did then have a whole lot of bare soil for my seed and ended up with good germination.