"Plowing" with a Disk Harrow

[DrRod]

\"Plowing\" with a Disk Harrow

Greetings,

Once I get my fields mowed, I want to sow a game-friendly cover crop like clover. My field doesn't have dense turf on it -- just lots of weeds, but sparse enough to see dirt in most places. Can I expect a disk harrow to cut through it enough to sow seeds?

Thanks,

Rod

 

[have_blue]

Re: \"Plowing\" with a Disk Harrow

Yes, for sure.

Most folks don't prepare a fine seed bed for game plots. What I mostly see is very shallow preparation. Set your disk harrow shallow, and run over it in a fairly high gear. Depending on the soil, once or twice is enough. Sew your seeds then run a drag over it.

If you want to kill the weeds first, all bets are off! You'll have to wait for optimal soil conditions and go deep, or run over the weeds repeatedly if the soil is always hard.

 

[taxidermist1]

Re: \"Plowing\" with a Disk Harrow

I do alot of food plotting and if you just mow disk and plant your plot will be full of weeds in a matter of weeks. I would mow it wait 2 weeks spray with round up to kill the weeds wait till they brown up a little then disk several times to prepair the seed bed then wait 2 weeks again spray any new weeds wait 10 days disk then if you are only planting clover roll soil first sow the seed then roll again. BELIVE me this is a very common mistake in food plotting is to just disk and plant. Soon the weeds will come. You can read more on food plotting at qdma.com or at michigan-sportsman.com or pm me and I will give you some more pointers.

Rob

 

[Slamfire]

Re: \"Plowing\" with a Disk Harrow

Just runnin' the disc over the sprouting weeds a couple of times might cost less' roundup, and allows you to plant anything deer might like. Beans for instance. Like you said thought you have to do it a couple times to get them weeds under some sembelence of control.

 

[GAFarmer2]

Re: \"Plowing\" with a Disk Harrow

I agree with Slamfire, but make sure to wait long enough for the weeds to come up just a little bit before harrowing it again. For me, if I wait it seems to do a better job. The only issue is that no matter what you do at some point you will end up with weeds in the plot. But I guarantee you, wildlife won't mind. Finally, the first time you harrow it I would say set the front of your disk very agressive so that it really tears up the weeds. You can level the disk back out after that.

 

[Chuck_Lind]

Re: \"Plowing\" with a Disk Harrow

I've planted a few deer plots on my farm and found that planting oats over the initial seedbed works well. First, oats comes up very quick and crowds-out the weeds...at least for the most part.

After the oats comes to head and nearly ready to combine, just run a sickle bar mower, rotary cutter or a haybine (I use a haybine), lift the cutter bar high enough to clip the heads off the oats so the oats won't reseed itself.

Make sure you fertilize and lime before you plant...makes a big difference.

 

[DrRod]

Re: \"Plowing\" with a Disk Harrow

Did you just sow the oats and disk them in?

And if you just mow them will they grow back the next year?