"Spraying Off" for new plots

That sounds like a plan.

What you should grow and where you should grow it has A LOT of variables to it as far as what, why and how the plot is used and what you want to accomplish with it. If you stick with fall plantings that also will do well come spring, you'll stay ahead of the weeds in most cases. A lot of weed control can be done by proper crop rotation without spraying too. Planting winter rye for example had allelopathic (natural herbicide) properties that will deter weeds. There are other plants like this and John O' would be a good resource to find out more. Depending on your soil, you may want to start out with the soil builder mix in the spring as it chokes out weeds and adds organic matter, mow it mid to late summer and then plant your fall selections. Fall Draw and Grains and Greens are something that would work well at having nice plots for the season that are not full of weeds.

Not all weeds are bad and are a big part of a deer's diet so you may want to so a little identification of them this spring if they still come up. What you don't want are weeds with no value or invasive or grasses.

The soil tests showed "decent dirt" as far as I can tell. The educational thing was the difference in all the tests (I did 6 total, in different parts of the property). It is amazing the difference just a few hundred yards make -- I got results with *completely* different levels of everything in every case. Pretty interesting stuff!

Pretty sure that someone will have advice on spraying. Plenty do it. On the plus side, if you have that much growth, your soil must be pretty good. Good luck.

I've mowed it numerous times in the few years I've owned the property and I do move vertically, it's just too steep to mow side to side (though I'm sure an experienced guy would laugh at that!!). It seems like the weeds and other plant life growing there just instantly overwhelm anything else I plant -- that's why I'm looking for the "nuke and start over" method...

My $.02. If you decide to work those fields, I would mow first. This would probably make discing easier and incorporate organic matter. That should reduce further growth of weeds for the year. I would disc up and down instead of across. This is not the recommendation for working a slope, but no one wants a rollover. Safety first.

Someone else will have advice. If you decide to work those fields, you may consider a late summer or early fall planting of cereal grains, rye or wheat, with clovers to prevent erosion. The cereals will provide ground cover this year and be a nurse crop for the clovers. The grains and clovers will provide spring green up next year.

To be continued.

Thanks!

I have had the soil tested (that's the first thing I did this year!) but these fields are *so* overgrown it's crazy. I did disc the heck out of part of one last year and planted some clover.. Unfortunately the weeds and nonsense just pushed whatever little bit of clover right out, and it was a jungle again by mid-summer. Whatever is in there has a SUPER strong hold!

These two fields I'm speaking of are hills too, with a relatively steep grade so that makes working them with a plow or disc fairly dangerous (especially for someone fairly inexperienced like myself).

Greetings to the forum. I will give my opinion after I give a little of my history.

I had hired a gentleman to work my area. He established some fields and did a very nice job establishing a trail in part of my back 40.

My plantings lately were hit by severe summer droughts.

Previously, I had success growing buckwheat and forage sorghums for building up the soil.

I have one area, largely sand, that only grew blueberries, sweet fern and something that looked like brillo pads. Very low PH.

I will stress the necessity of getting the soil tested. I waited too long for this.

I have now applied recommended lime and fertilizer.

Back to the beginning, I did spray with Roundup.

I planted rape and soybeans in one of my fields, very rocky, still removing rocks. That field got browsed hard early.

Later that field was overgrown with mullein and 6 ft. thistles. My guy disced again.

Had reasonable success with an oat and turnip planting.

I did a lousy job of covering the seed. I ended up going over the field dragging a 4 ft. piece of diamond plate with 4 inch bolts in the edge to "smooth" the dirt.

Don't laugh, but I even mowed a couple of fields with a lawn mower.

Finally figured out that I needed some equipment, have to thank my wife for that.

My first efforts on field prep on my now established fields was with a landscape rake.

I have now acquired last year a disc.

Now to your question, I will not be using Roundup and will go mechanical, multiple discing.

Last year, I planted PowerPlant in two fields. Never again. Followed planting instructions, terrible germination. Literally only a couple sunn hemp and mostly some "new" lime green colored grass that overran the field.

Late in the year, September, I disced the fields and planted rye and wheat. They are greening up nicely now.

So now, having a disc and a cultipacker, I will disc, allow new germination, disc again, plant GrandPa Ray's seed and let that outgrow the weeds.

My opinion and my plan, I will be following.