preping a hay field for replanting

Keith Molden · Jul 26, 2018

I mentioned a few days ago about the dogbane in a hay field that I have. I'm thinking about spraying with 2 4 D and then plowing this fall and replanting either this fall or in the spring. Which do you guys prefer to do and should I burn it down or not. I'll probably re seed with orchard grass and lespedeza as both grow good in this area' I limed it pretty heavy last year but I'll get a soil analysis for the fertilizer. If I plant this fall should I plant wheat with it and if I wait till spring should I plant oats with it or not? Or should I just spray the heck out of it with 2 4 D and disc it and re sow the orchard grass and lespedeza, there is a good stand of red clover but I figure I'll loose a lot of it with the spraying. I'm in S.E. Ohio. Keith

Philip d · Jul 26, 2018

We live quite a piece a ways from you (eastern Canada) so we have to deal with ground freezing winter. Not sure what your winter climate is like? Because of our winters ,if you can't get it reseeded to grasses by late August at the latest in our climate you'd be better off waiting till spring as it likeky wouldn't get rooted well enough to survive the winter. In which case I probably wouldn't use a cover crop but if you did use a lighte rate on the cereal ie. 70 pounds oats an acre. If you wait till spring you certainly could go with a cereal crop and underseed with grasses. Keep in mind if you go too heavy with wheat or oats it might smother the grasses especially if it gets flattened before harvest. You also could make silage out of oats or barley at the dough stage of grain maturing if you wanted. Using a herbicide like roundup or possibly 2 4D in the fall then plow and seed in the spring would clean up most of the weeds. If you do plant a cereal crop the grain spray will keep it clean so it'll do well the following year.

Part Time Pete · Jul 27, 2018

When I was a kid, the guy I worked for would burn it and moldboard plow it in the fall. Then work it up and plant in the spring. He used to plant oats with it as a nurse crop
Pete

Leroy · Jul 27, 2018

S E Ohio is not that much different than N W Ohio and Here in N W Ohio I have had as low as -20 and normal is frozen ground in winter with lots of snow. I think he is about 150 mile from me in a straight line.

preping a hay field for replanting

Keith Molden

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Philip d

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Part Time Pete

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Leroy

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