Just wondering if any of you have broadcast seeds directly on top of bare ground with any success, and let the rain do its job. I know they air seed them on corn fields in our area. I had a bean plot that got mowed by the deer early and didn’t want to till it up since there is still beans growing.
Just wondering if any of you have broadcast seeds directly on top of bare ground with any success, and let the rain do its job. I know they air seed them on corn fields in our area. I had a bean plot that got mowed by the deer early and didn’t want to till it up since there is still beans growing.
Well this is interesting, our beans are mowed down also. I did disc one plot and hand spread and dragged it Monday. Today the plot is sprouting and looked good. I replanted with a mixture of radish, turnip, and kale.
We also just took off 30 acres of CRP. I have about enough seed to do 1 acre, would the seed grow if I hand tossed it out? Thanks.
Not sure where Crawford County is but IMO you are running out of time for a decent brassica plot. I try to get mine in by July 1st northern MN. At this point in the season I would go with oats. Do it right before a rain and you should be good. I would use Buck Forage oats because they are made to grow late into the season. Mine were still green in December the last time I planted them.
DT
Or maybe even Rye. Just make sure its not rye grass. lol. My buddy did that once.
DT
I’ve planted in sept and they do just fine southwest corner of WI. A lot of the aerial seeding they do in late oct. We are getting a good amount of rain right now so I got my fingers crossed.
Hope it turns out. You must have that good soil like in SE MN. Lucky you. I wouldn’t have any issues with broadcasting. That’s all I usually do. If anything pack it down some with wheeler tires.
DT
Absolutely you can do that. A lot of guys overseed their beans with brassica(radish turnip, rape, kale), although I will point out that radish seed is a lot larger than turnip or rape seed, but I still think it should work fine.
I have done it into rye plots then roll and spray them, but I understand you don’t want to damage the beans you have left. My only suggestion is maybe go with a mix rather than just radish. The smaller seeds will get going quicker.
I’m curious as to what kind of root maturity you would get by seeding radish (or any brassicas) so late in the growing season?
Even in far SW Wisconsin, I can’t see there being enough heat units after August 1 to bring radish even to 50% maturity before the first frost kills them. Or is maturity not the point? Are you planting for soil breakup / anti-compaction perhaps?
I planted my brassicas June 21st this year. Granted, I’m farther north, but currently I’d say I’m 50% mature and likely will get to near full maturity just in time for the average first frost date in my area.
Not saying they wouldn’t grow, just wondering what the maturity is in your area or if there’s some other reason for planting?
Seeding directly into standing crops will work, but seed loss from predation or from lack of germination will occur.
Grouse
Well I still have enough left over seed to do an acre plot. Radish, turnip and kale mixture. How do seed companies or these companies that sell food plot seed keep it good for the following year?
Could I vacuum seal it and keep it in my dark closet? How about vacuum sealed and in the chest freezer? Seed is expensive and don’t want it wasted. Thanks.
If you can vacuum seal it that is perfect. Keep it in a cool dry place out of the sun that doesn’t have large temp fluctuation and it will last a long time. I have stored bags of corn in my crawl space for 5-7 years and it was good. The germination test I did on it came back about 90% still after 7 years.
I put mine in the deep freeze.. works great on everything from sweet corn to turnips.
I typically plant 1st week of August. I have good results. To early and sometimes it gets hammered off. Location Northern Wis
How do seed companies or these companies that sell food plot seed keep it good for the following year?
Could I vacuum seal it and keep it in my dark closet? How about vacuum sealed and in the chest freezer? Seed is expensive and don’t want it wasted. Thanks.
We’re required to do a germination test for any seed that’s held in stock for more than 365 days.
Guys tend to worry a lot about seed “going bad”, but the truth is that if you keep it in a dry place without extremes in temperature, we see almost no perceptible germination loss after a year. Germination tests tend to come back after 1 year with the same germ percentage as the original test. At most I see a 1-2% reduction which to the food plotter is meaningless.
If the seed is in a plastic bag, remove as much air as possible. Then keep it in a dry place that sees as little temp fluctuation during the course of the day as possible. A basement (assuming it’s relatively dry) is ideal, or a dark closet inside the house.
BTW, good job at NOT giving in to the urge to “just use it up” and throw out the extra seed. Over-seeding is a huge issue with food plotters, they think that if some is good, more is better. NO!
Here’s a blog entry to show the bad things that happen when you put down too much seed.
Grouse
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