Now what? Mowed lot

BobReeves · Aug 26, 2018

Mowed my sunflowers down yesterday with my Ford 515 sickle mower. Sunflowers didn't do very well this year (not enough rain) but the prairie grass did really well and it looks like a freshly cut hay field. Tried going over it with my flail mower which was a disaster in grass being wrapped around everything. I have a 3 point tiller and a plow but do not have a rotary mower, afraid if I try to till or plow it I would have the same issue as I did with the flail.

Would really like to get it ready to replant sunflowers next spring but not sure how to best deal with all the cut grass. Just let it dry out and hope the coulters on the plow will cut through it or ?

rrlund · Aug 26, 2018

Run over it with a disc several times.

BigDanT · Aug 26, 2018

Those type grasses are difficult to chop up...I had
blue stem and Indian grass in one of my fields that I
tried to mow then plow...did not work! I tried another
field by mowing, let dry then burning. That worked
well.

Kickinbull · Aug 26, 2018

So, you?re wanting to fall plow?

BobReeves · Aug 26, 2018

(quoted from post at 09:46:04 08/26/18) So, you?re wanting to fall plow?

Hoping so to bury the grass seeds and maybe minimize this situation next year.

I can probably get my hands on a disk, neighbor has a 3 point in the weeds I can probably borrow or talk him out of.

Oliver 500 Wa · Aug 26, 2018

Too late now, but I'd have just flailed it to begin with. Might take a couple passes. One with the flail set high (10-12") and then set it low and run over everything again.

If I have to flail heavier grass over 2 feet tall, I have to do it that way. Not enough HP to keep the flail speed up. When the flail bogs down that's when it gets wrapped up. Also depends on how dry the grass is.

L.Fure · Aug 26, 2018

If you want to plow this stuff into the soil, you are a bit early. Let it set until it's too cold for anything to germinate. If you plow it now you will have more vegetation to deal with in the spring. Making it even harder to plow under.

BobReeves · Aug 26, 2018

Nothing is easy is it.. I did mow them down with the flail last year, problem was knocking the sunflowers down with the tractor before the mower got to them. Had sunflower heads attacking me and ended up with seeds and stem parts in every nook and cranny on the tractor and my body they would fit. Got the idea of using a sickle mower so I could be off the side and miss the bombardment.

This farming stuff is hard

Oliver 500 Wa · Aug 26, 2018

....I did mow them down with the flail last year, problem was knocking the sunflowers down with the tractor before the mower got to them. Had sunflower heads attacking me and ended up with seeds and stem parts in every nook and cranny on the tractor and my body they would fit.

I've never mowed sunflowers before. I have mowed through 8 foot high blackberry patches. I just go backwards through them for the first pass. Saves most of the bleeding

.

BobReeves · Aug 26, 2018

Don't think going backwards with 10 to 12 foot tall sunflowers with 6 to 8 inch heads will make allot of difference

Smalltowner · Aug 26, 2018

You need one of these old ?triple disk breaking
plows ? to turn it all under. I saw this one at a show
and there are other brands with various hitches on
them. I had a 3 point type years ago. Takes about
10 hp per disk but they will plow deep.

Traditional Farmer · Aug 26, 2018

Like RLund said disk it a few times to cut everything up and get it to decaying.I'd also plant some Crimson Clover in it for a Fall/Winter cover crop.Good place to plant some Mustard greens and turnips too.

504 · Aug 26, 2018

Let them lay, and run an ad for Dove Hunters.

Now what? Mowed lot

BobReeves

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rrlund

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BigDanT

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Kickinbull

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BobReeves

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Oliver 500 Wa

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L.Fure

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BobReeves

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Oliver 500 Wa

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BobReeves

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Smalltowner

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Traditional Farmer

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504

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