Gerry from IA asks,
Bill great seeing you back online and posting about deer hunting. I have a new farm that I got permission to hunt. Currently it has 100 acres of beans and 30 acres of grass. The land owner has given me permission to plant some food plots in the grass as he doesn't have contracts on it. This farm will be used during youth, early muzzy and late muzzy. Mostly for my kids. The farm sets up great to ambush them getting to the beans. I figure the beans will be great for the early season until they are harvested. So far I have killed off two separate 2 acre chunks of grass for food plots. I don't have serious equipment. Do you think I can plant brassicas right over the dead grass or do I need to find a way to clear or mow it?
Bill responds,
Topic: No-Till Brassicas:
You can spread brassica seeds into dead or dying grass because the small seed naturally works through the ground clutter to reach the ground. However, if the ground clutter is so thick that the seeds won’t filter through with a good rain, you will need to mechanically disturb the grass either using some type of drawn harrow or by burning off the dead grass before broadcasting the seeds.
Gerry,
Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it. Yes, I do think you can plant the brassicas right into the grass.
Ideally, a good rain will come to drive the seeds to the ground or you could drag something behind your four wheeler to batter the grass down and hopefully work the seeds to the ground.
If they get hung up on the grass above the ground, obviously, they won’t germinate. So getting them down to the dirt is important. Another option, if you dare is to burn off the dead grass and then plant the brassicas into the ashes.
But, I would only burn it off if the ground clutter is too dense for the seeds to get through to the dirt. Good luck. (8/3/22)
