This is a thread for past performance on tips, techniques and ideas to rescue/recover a plot that gets hit by a drought as the season nears and it's crunch time. It appears that for the second season in a row - Sep in TOO is in a hard drought.
I'll start as I'm kinda new to the plotting stuff: I have to plan ahead for my trips to the farm and can't make "planting dates" specific to rain events. Below is a summery of Sep and Oct and planting dates in the dang drought.
The current forecast in Sep '21 is just as bad... no rain thru the 10 day forecast....
Looking for your thoughts on how/what you've done and the results as the hunting season nears - none of us want to take dirt into the fall hunt.
Last year, 2020, at the beginning of the drought I planted as shown on 10 Sep, 200# of rye on bare dirt and 100# rye over seeded into the legume plots.
dead plot - burnt off right before 200#/acre or Rye and a couple days after the last rain in Sep 10 ish Sep 2020.
The same bare dirt plot after zero rain for 21 days...
Due to the low germination caused by the lack of moisture I added another 200#/acre of rye 10 ish Oct and this is after a rain to two between 12 Oct and 22 Oct when this pic was taken
cooler WX and a couple rains had the plot filled in for peak rut - 9 Nov.
and in Jan '21 after snow and more rain. The deer had it eaten to chin high by then
For 2021 I have tried to get in front of this issue with an Aug planting of Oats and winter peas - which worked in 3 of 5 plots I tried it in but I didn't get a good catch on 2 plots.
I have zero experience with brassica and how they tolerate drought - mine are 6# tillage radish and 3# brassica / acre as we enter the second drought in a row....
I'll start as I'm kinda new to the plotting stuff: I have to plan ahead for my trips to the farm and can't make "planting dates" specific to rain events. Below is a summery of Sep and Oct and planting dates in the dang drought.
Sep and Oct 2020 Red crosshatch are planting dates from 2020
The current forecast in Sep '21 is just as bad... no rain thru the 10 day forecast....
Sep 2021 Red crosshatch is planting date
Looking for your thoughts on how/what you've done and the results as the hunting season nears - none of us want to take dirt into the fall hunt.
Last year, 2020, at the beginning of the drought I planted as shown on 10 Sep, 200# of rye on bare dirt and 100# rye over seeded into the legume plots.
dead plot - burnt off right before 200#/acre or Rye and a couple days after the last rain in Sep 10 ish Sep 2020.
The same bare dirt plot after zero rain for 21 days...
Due to the low germination caused by the lack of moisture I added another 200#/acre of rye 10 ish Oct and this is after a rain to two between 12 Oct and 22 Oct when this pic was taken
cooler WX and a couple rains had the plot filled in for peak rut - 9 Nov.
and in Jan '21 after snow and more rain. The deer had it eaten to chin high by then
For 2021 I have tried to get in front of this issue with an Aug planting of Oats and winter peas - which worked in 3 of 5 plots I tried it in but I didn't get a good catch on 2 plots.
I have zero experience with brassica and how they tolerate drought - mine are 6# tillage radish and 3# brassica / acre as we enter the second drought in a row....