reseeding a field without plowing

what kind of turn out do you think i could get if i just disked the you know what out of a field without plowing it untill it was worked up pretty good and then planted a orchard grass/timothy mix with my ol vanbrunt grain drill.
RICK

I've never seen or had much luck doing that. You could end up with a lot of weeds unless you've sprayed. If the field has been sitting idle for a long time to plant a crop of something, then seed it always worked best for me.

I've done exactly that, disced the crap out of a poor field and then fogged the manure to it. Had a great hay crop for a few year after that. I imagine it depends on the specific ground involved, water, fertility, etc. I did not overseed, just let the native grasses come back.

I don't think it works as well as doing a good job plowing it up and putting in the seed you want.

Compaction from all the passes ? I've often wondered what alternatives you have when dealing with pastures and fields that have decent stands of grasses like orchard grass, but do have some weeds, just spray when things emerge, check PH/fertility, address that, or depending on the population of desirable grasses proportionate to weeds, where is the line, determining that you should just start over with tillage, and re planting. I'm aware of the array of implements out there for pasture renovating, always wondered how they perform and what the results are, typically, aside from all the variables.

I have noticed that areas I have cleared, which were fields used for crops way back when, that the weeds remain, after years mowing, especially goldenrod, but places where I have plowed and put in a patch of oats, just once, turned to grass, some weeds but a lot more grass than weeds, even if left uncut, mow it once, and its noticeable especially late summer.

Do it like mother nature does it. A wind strorm comes just before a nice snow. So scatter the seed just before a nice snow in a month that has an R in it.

If you have access to a Sod drill it would be alot better as you can get it in one pass,but if you don't then a heavy disking then drill the seed and then cultipack or roll the ground to press in the seed. Also
timing is very important in planting things like grass seed so you need to find out the optium time to plant in your area

Depends on the soil and what your seeding. I no tilled alfalfa eighteen years back on heavy clay. Ditch work had been done in the spring before I drilled the field and they had hauled tri axle loads of rock to repair washed out banks, The alfalfa was short every where the truck tires went. After several deep plowings I planted alfalfa about six years ago and it did not have the problem. Alfalfa roots have to go deep to get tall alfalfa growth.

Mostly depends on what is in there now that you have to work up, is it a heavy grass crop or corn stalks? things like that will make the difference in how you have to handle it. Main thing is can you actually get a good seed bed without working. Don't know what kind of disk you have as some work as deep as a plow and others would just ride over the previouce crop.

I'll let you know in a couple of years.

This fall, my neighbor plowed a ~7 acre hay field that had not been reworked for about 25 years, properly disced and harrowed it and planted alfalfa, orchard grass and winter wheat.

Next year he plans to do another adjacent ~15 acre parcel the same way except without the plowing.

It will be interesting to see how things turn out.

Dean

I did that for my neighbor last spring, and the grass came up better than we thought it would. My place of the left and the neighbor on the right. The front fields.

Ideally here in NWIA you should kill it with Roundup this spring, fallow it all summer, working it a few times to keep the weeds killed, and seed it next September. Maybe you don't want to wait that long, it's your call. You will have all summer to level the ground up and by september the soil will be a powder fine perfect seed bed. But the rain situation is a gamble. If you get good fall showers you will have the best stand you have ever seen. If you don't get fall showers, like what happened to me in the fall of 2011, the seed will lay there all winter and a half stand will come up in the spring. In the fall you are less likely to get the gully washer rains that can wash mini-trenches in the field and make it rough. I have usually had better luck with fall seeding. Here in NWIA the soil is cold and wet in the spring and the more it's worked the more compaction we have. Where the wheel tracks are there isn't enough loose soil to hold moisture for the seed between rains. In this neck of the woods the seed needs to be layed down fairly early in the spring so the grass can have a head start on the hot dry days of july-august. Just some ramblings off the top of my thick head. Jim

I took 12 acres of corn stubble and put it in pasture. Ran the disc over it 3 times, two different directions. Due to the lay of the land, I went Across the field, then up and down the field, then accross the field. Planted using a Brillion seeder across the field. I put the seed down as prescribed and I have get a nice crop of hay (particularily when we have sufficent rains). This will be the 5th year and I do not have weed problems. I planted a mixture of fescue, red clover and ladino (white) clover.

As long as you can get it smoothed down good enough to stay in the seat to put up the hay you'll be alright. Should get a good stand.

what is that a limestone quarry in the center.
RICK

Just a rock quarry.