Planting Virgin Fields

[Devil Dog]

This past Summer, I worked up a 3 acre field. The field had been fallow for about 10 years and had growth about 4 feet high the previous year. I sprayed 2 qts/acre of Glystar, 1 qt/acre of Ester 2-4-d and 1 qt/acre Ammonium Sulfate the 2nd week of May. I waited three weeks and sprayed the same amount again. The second week of June, I tilled the field with my tractor. Two weeks later the field was lush with weeds about 1 inch high. I sprayed same amount as before. July 1st I sprayed 1 qt/acre Glystar per acre waited 4 hours and seeded. The second week of August I checked the fields and was amazed to field weeds 3 foot high in the entire field. I cut it and found that the cover Brassicas had sprouted but little if any of the perrenials (Whitetail Institute Clover and Chicory).

Can anyone offer up advice on planting fields that have been fallow for a long time? Right now, I'm thinking of just planting roundup ready forrage soy beans until I can get the weeds in check.

[criggster]

It will take some time to deplete the seed bank and you will never entirely deplete it. Tilling it just promotes the weed seeds to grow. Next spring spray it with gly and then plant buckwheat. Kill the buckwheat and mow it before it goes to seed. Wait until labor day and sow it in winter rye and clover. You should end up with a good stand of clover the following spring. You could then wait until the fall and kill it and plant an annual or maintain the clover as a perennial. The beckwheat and rye both have a compound in their root systems that prevent weed seeds from growing. The key is to either use a no-till drill or overseed it. Don't plow or till it! The other option is to plant a RR soybean or corn and spray the heck out of it. Good luck.

[Token_Lake]

Every time you till the soil you'll bring new weed seed to the surface. Being fallow that long there's probably a nice seed bank to grow from. Like Criggster said, spray and mow what you can and then plant Rye or buckwheat. Follow that up the next year with something roundup ready or start with it right off the bat and spray away.