Establishing fall cover crop, when uit's dry as a fart

Dave from MN · Sep 17, 2009

Ok, hasnt rained in 3-4 weeks, no rain in the next 10 day forecast. I have 22 acre light soil feild that I had been working on to get leveled( one pass disc and then started feild cultivator and a sharp angle) To dry and dusty and hard to get bothering it so I am gonna wait till spring. Need to get the cover crop down, Planning on Rye so I can till it in as green manure in the spring. Was just gonna broadcast it and let moisture and soil contact work with out having to run over it with a drag. With no rain in the forecast I am worried that the seed will just sit there and be eaten by birds. Do you think a few morning dew's will be enough to get it sprouted? Any optional advice? Boy that feild was a mess. Worse than driving across the grain of chiseled plowed ground when it is froze. Amazing how some one can mess up a feild plowing 1 time. If weather was warmer and wetter I'd be trying a cover cocktasil, but just rye this fall.

IaGary · Sep 17, 2009

Yup it got dry here as well.

We had 7" of rain three weeks ago today. Nothing since.

I had reworked a piece of the lawn after that 7" dryout and the new grass did not come very well.

It had been raining about every 4 days or less all summer, as soon as I plant something that needs a little rain it quits.

Is There any moisture left in the soil?

If your gonna put the seed out there go over it lightly with the field cultivator (2" deep) after spreading the seed if there is any moisture at all. You would be surprised at how much moisture comes up to the surface at nite to start the seed.

Gary

RayP(MI) · Sep 17, 2009

I'd try to cover the seed somehow. Light disking? Borrow a grain drill? Don't think you'll have much success in those conditions unless you can get it IN the soil.

Nancy Howell · Sep 17, 2009

I used to sow rye in the pasture as winter forage for my horses. I would use a harrow to just break the surface, broadcast the seed, then drag just once with the harrow. Worked just fine.

I"ve also broadcast it without any ground prep and that works, too, but not as well.

I always waited until mid or late Sept. otherwise the starlings would feast on it when they migrated through.

I quit doing it when the cost of the seed got to be more than what I would save in hay.

Dave from MN · Sep 17, 2009

There is some moisture about 5-6" down, The biggest reason I stopped feildcultivating it was weed trash plugging up the cultivator, dryness was an issue as I stated, but when having to stop and "unplud" the digger, it just wasnt effiecent of doing a good job. I really didnt want to disk it again. I guess I may have to wait until there will be some serious dew in the forecast or rain, I guess I could try running a drag over it but I worry I will have the same issues as with the digger. Gonna be a good feild, just have some work ahead of me. Starting to think I should have just sprayed the feild to kill the weeds and left the tillage until we had some decent moisture in the forecast. Hindsite!

Anonymous-0 · Sep 17, 2009

unfortunaly the older I get the wetter my fladulance seems

Coloken · Sep 17, 2009

Can't help you. Just to say that that was/is all ways the problem here in wheat country. The answer is why we went to no plow, stubble mulch farming. And to use furrow drills, 12 to 14 inch spacing, that go down deeper to plant the seed.

Bkpigs · Sep 17, 2009

Have you thought about using a roller? It would push the seed down, wouldn't lose moisture, and it would just roll over the trash.

ChrisinMO · Sep 17, 2009

I've broadcast annual ryegrass in southern MO and the only areas where it came up in a timely fashion were where I drove over it, where it landed in other tire tracks or where I stepped on it. It just sat there for weeks. Then we had two light rains and poof, here is comes. Rolling the field after broadcasting might help some. I can't say about birds eating winter rye. I would guess that they might get a fair amount of it. I would not rely on dew to wet it.

Incidentally, what part of MN are you in and when does it start getting cold? We used to live outside Two Harbors on Lake Superior.

Christopher

cj in wisconsin · Sep 17, 2009

I put down rye and do a fast drag job, the stuff takes so little moisture to take off it always takes well here and I am not far from you, and am in very gravelly and sandy soil. The deer also love it this time of year. Disc it in in the spring.

kyplowboy · Sep 17, 2009

Can yall grow turnips up there? It was real dry here a few years ago too. Tobacco ground was so hard I had to chisel plow it before disking. I sowed some of it in turnips and turnip greens after disking and did not work them in. They came up with just dew after a week or so. Wheat came up after a rain 3 weeks later. Greens will keep the ground covered all winter and still be there in the spring. Turnips will die out in the winter but they eat better (IMO) and cows love'm.

Dave

Establishing fall cover crop, when uit's dry as a fart

Dave from MN

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IaGary

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RayP(MI)

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Nancy Howell

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Dave from MN

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Anonymous-0

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Coloken

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Bkpigs

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ChrisinMO

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cj in wisconsin

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kyplowboy

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