Cleaning a plot for planting.....

[rbtjr]

We had similar problems with two 1/3 acre food plots on our land. We ended up getting good results by mowing the fields, spraying, mowing again (the second mowing helps spread out the piled-up dead vegetation somewhat), then disking twice (the second time perpendicular to the first) with the 6' X 20 disk set as aggressively as we can set it. We started this process early, more than two months before we wanted to plant, so there was some time for some of the vegetation to degrade at least some. There were some spots in which the dead vegetation was piled up so much that the disk didn't penetrate it. We just worked those spots over several times with the disk coming from different angles and in some spots using the FEL bucket to break up the vegetation piles some. This year we will have a similar problem in one of the plots. The landscape rake is a good idea. Ours was loaned out last year when we were doing this. I might try our pine-needle rake. But of all of this, disking the trouble spots multiple times eventually worked okay.

 

[Boeing]

Thanks Guys, I've hesitated to use my single blade plow cause it pulls up hundreds of rocks that I didn't know existed. I bought the plow to put a ditch in the upper sides of my drive, preventing rain from creating gullys. That helped alot, almost stopping my road erosion problem.
The larger field is on a 15 degree slope but I disk and mow perpendicular to the slope and don't seem to have any erosion problems there. The two little plots are flat.
So....MOW, spray, MOW, plow, disk.....plant?
I have a roll of chainlink fencing that I had thought of using as a "drag" after planting.....Good idea? (clover, turnips, brassica; tiny seeds)

 

[3gunr]

I have had the same issues in the past, you have to mow the grass and weeds down as low as possible. Wait a week or so then spray with glyphosate.If you can wait a month, The vegetation in the ground will be much easier to disk. MOisture will definatly help,You should also put your lime and fertilizer down and disk them in .