Farmer's input

[budepps3760]

Last year I had my property clear cut of timber and area where trucks were staged was hard as concrete. I plowed the area, disced it and planted winter rye for the upcoming winter. Unfortunately in Alabama we were in extreme drought and so the area did not receive enough water to germinate before the cold weather set in.

Now that we are in the 70's the area is becoming green. I am faced with decisions for upcoming months. First, do I need to plow and seed for spring. Come May and June it will be driving and so I know I will have to plant a different foliage. I do not know the pH of the area. If I need to add lime do I broadcast it and then disc, seed and then fertilizer? Can i lime and fertilizer at same time then disc then seed? What is proper process for spring seeding?

 

[jeff9366]

Every crop has an optimum soil pH. So, first decide what crop or crops you will grow.

Then have your soil tested, notifying the testing agency of the crop or crops you will grow.

The soil test result will include recommended soil amendments for the crops you specify, which may or may not need lime.

You can add lime and fertilizer at the same time. However, if your soil pH is not in the range optimum for the crop, N-P-K nutrient intake will be inefficient.

Lime takes months to alter the soil pH at root level.

A light discing, with the gang ankles adjusted fairly flat, should be sufficient for Spring seeding. If soil test recommends lime, spreading the lime before discing is good.

 

[gghb]

! would let whats there grow clipping as need to stop weeds from seeding. than plow and disc in fall , seed with a cover crop of your choice, lime at that time. fresh logged land takes a while to become productive as crop. land pasture it at first.

 

[budepps3760]

Main reason for planting something is to prevent erosion. The area staged was power line easement. During winter time wanted to give the deer something to come in and feed on. All I plan on doing in this area year round is provide something for the animals to forage on.

x

 

[Deerherd]

I would plant clover. You could easily get by with dragging, broadcasting seed and cultipacking. Clover is a good "green manure" that adds nitrogen to your soil every time you cut it. Also deer love it.

In real steep areas you could add in some annual and perennial grasses. Search erosion control grasses for a mix that would be good for your region.

 

[sixdogs]

! would let whats there grow clipping as need to stop weeds from seeding. than plow and disc in fall , seed with a cover crop of your choice, lime at that time. fresh logged land takes a while to become productive as crop. land pasture it at first.

This is a good idea. If you have access to a "ripper", even a single shank, you could rip down about 12 inches every couple months and that would control erosion and let water into the ground. Keep weeds down over the summer.

Come late summer in September or so, put on a "balanced" fertilizer (equal amounts of N-P-K, like 19-19-19) disc the area to smooth and broadcast seed. A seeder is better as is a soil test but for a small area not so important. If you had evergreens you could use some lime. Pelleted is easier to apply but you could live without lime for now. Fertilizer helps the seed get a start

I suspect part of your poor seeding came more from hard ground, which gives poor soil-to-seed contact rather than lack of water. You need water, yes, but I have planted on properly prepped ground and got good results even thought not much rain for a month or more.

As a final thought, I have often planted oats to hold a slope while waiting for fall seeding. Quick to germinate, easy to spread and cheap in price. Grows faster than a weed.

 

[kebo]

First off, that hard packed "staging" area is what loggers call the "loading dock". This where the grapple skidders drag the logs to so they be loaded by a grapple loader onto the logging trucks. If the majority of the wood being loaded was pine, then there is a lot of pine bark residue left over, which will most likely leave the soil with a higher acidic Ph. So, yeah, you need to get the soil Ph checked and then go from there. Good luck!