following year sorghum - how to handle

N

NorthPotter

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Last year I had my first successful sorghum plot. This upcoming July, I am rotating in my brassicas/cereal grain mix into this old sorghum plot. Until July, I want to plant a spring mix of oats and crimson or red clover.

It seems there are a lot of folks who plant sorghum for pheasants and I thought you may be able to guide me.

The year after your sorghum plot, when you plant your spring mix for rotational plots, do you:
a)brushhog the sorghum, disc, plant new seeds b) plant new then brushhog the sorghum so the cut stalk thatch lays on top of the new seed c) disc lightly, plant new seed then brushhog stalk to create thatch on top d) something else? Stalks are 2-3' tall.

I guess this would be similar to how you would handle a last years corn crop that would be going into a spring grain/clover mix. thanks for any input.
 
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NorthPotter said:
Last year I had my first successful sorghum plot. This upcoming July, I am rotating in my brassicas/cereal grain mix into this old sorghum plot. Until July, I want to plant a spring mix of oats and crimson or red clover.

It seems there are a lot of folks who plant sorghum for pheasants and I thought you may be able to guide me.

The year after your sorghum plot, when you plant your spring mix for rotational plots, do you:
a)brushhog the sorghum, disc, plant new seeds b) plant new then brushhog the sorghum so the cut stalk thatch lays on top of the new seed c) disc lightly, plant new seed then brushhog stalk to create thatch on top d) something else? Stalks are 2-3' tall.

I guess this would be similar to how you would handle a last years corn crop that would be going into a spring grain/clover mix. thanks for any input.
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Not much help, but I just turn cows in.
 
I'll never forget the first year I planted milo. I have no idea what to do with the litter. We disked, we bush hogged we did everything.

The one thing we learned was you needed to bush hog it as early as possible to let nature do some work for you and break it down (1 month at least and 2 is even better).

We have been using a flail chopper which works really well to create a mulch but this year I am going with a 15' bush hog and then just no till into that.
 
I like to brush hog and then disk on the same day. I then let it sit for a while before working the soil one last time to plant.
 
UGUIDE said:
I'll never forget the first year I planted milo. I have no idea what to do with the litter. We disked, we bush hogged we did everything.

The one thing we learned was you needed to bush hog it as early as possible to let nature do some work for you and break it down (1 month at least and 2 is even better).

We have been using a flail chopper which works really well to create a mulch but this year I am going with a 15' bush hog and then just no till into that.
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Thank you very much. Great boots on the ground info.

I had suspected I needed to cut it early but this confirms that thought. With the warm spell I was able to get it down. I don't replant (with short term clover/oat mix) until May so I have almost 60 days for it to break down.
 
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1GB said:
I like to brush hog and then disk on the same day. I then let it sit for a while before working the soil one last time to plant.
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Thank you very much.

We had a very warm spell so I brush hogged it one day. I wish I had a drill but I do not so the following day I rototilled it.

The old stalks were tough and the root systems were larger than I expected. I am going to need to do it again before reseeding with a short term green manure here in early may. My gosh there is a huge amount of organic matter from the Sorghum that I worked into the soil.
 
Sounds like success

We Bushhog the sorghum also, and you are correct there is a lot of material to work into the ground which is a good thing. We may let ours go and see if it reseeds this year. We have never tried self reseeding before. Good luck with your plot, to wet yet here to work our ground. Viking
 
I haven't really seen the milo volunteer like the corn does. I just got done bush hogging 75 acres of food plots. Lots of corn,milo and flowers on the ground.

The volunteer corn really works well. I also overseeded 60 acres of alfalfa in firebreaks. Planting conditions we ideal. All those low dicey spots were dry. Got pre-emergent on the tree belts and and a few other projects.

Winter storm hits tomorrow. Mother nature at work. 4-8 inches of snow will help the new seedings grow and the pre emergent needs it too. Plots will also get tamped down and start to break down. Seeing good numbers of birds.

Nice to see fire coming to the prairie in surrounding areas.

:cheers:
 
UGUIDE said:
I haven't really seen the milo volunteer like the corn does. I just got done bush hogging 75 acres of food plots. Lots of corn,milo and flowers on the ground.

The volunteer corn really works well. I also overseeded 60 acres of alfalfa in firebreaks. Planting conditions we ideal. All those low dicey spots were dry. Got pre-emergent on the tree belts and and a few other projects.

Winter storm hits tomorrow. Mother nature at work. 4-8 inches of snow will help the new seedings grow and the pre emergent needs it too. Plots will also get tamped down and start to break down. Seeing good numbers of birds.

Nice to see fire coming to the prairie in surrounding areas.

:cheers:
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Uguide great info, is the pre emergent successful on rag weed or thistle? I have never tried pre emergent other than on the lawn. I like the alfalfa idea may have to try that, did you disc that area then drill it in or just threw it out there? I hope the extra left over seed on the ground will keep the pheasants busy so they don't pick the corn out of the rows like they like to do.. viking
 
Sorry to interupt but are these crops that you harvest or just for food plots? I was wondering. I dont use pre-emergent in my plots because it does stop the weeds from spreading. And in my plots, the thicker the better. I let the weeds grow up. Plow em under and do it again the next year. Plus pre-em is kinda pricey around here. So my question is "What are the invasive weeds that you're trying to prevent?"
 
sdviking said:
Uguide great info, is the pre emergent successful on rag weed or thistle? I have never tried pre emergent other than on the lawn. I like the alfalfa idea may have to try that, did you disc that area then drill it in or just threw it out there? I hope the extra left over seed on the ground will keep the pheasants busy so they don't pick the corn out of the rows like they like to do.. viking
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I park the disk and pretty much no till everything in. Chop the food plots on those.

you can get pre emergents for broadleaves or grasses.
 
PheasantWhisperer said:
Sorry to interupt but are these crops that you harvest or just for food plots? I was wondering. I dont use pre-emergent in my plots because it does stop the weeds from spreading. And in my plots, the thicker the better. I let the weeds grow up. Plow em under and do it again the next year. Plus pre-em is kinda pricey around here. So my question is "What are the invasive weeds that you're trying to prevent?"
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I treat my plots like production crops for best result. Fertilize and weed control.

foxtail and sandbur are some nasty ones.

Weedy plots are great but if you have good plots in grassy cover you dont need the weeds.
 
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