I have some poor areas that need some soil building and tend to erode if disk. They grew up in 4-5' weeds over the summer. Was considering not spraying and throwing out a variety of seed followed by bush hogging and fertilizer. Am I wasting my time?

I'd sure try it. I had so much success with my throw and mow test plot last year I'm not disking anything this year. I'll be glad to not choke on dust and burn fuel.

Did you spray with herbicide first?

I didn't. I did plant in late october though which helped with regrowth of original grass/weeds.

I do throw and mow and dont spray. Seed and fertilizer and bushhog. It will do fine if we ever get rain

Spray is not a must. And i believe i would wait till your greenfield is 3-4" high before you fertilize and do it right ahead of a rain if you can

I broadcast seed and fertilizer and bushhogged mid September. If it’s rained on it since, I can’t tell it. However, the foodplot is about 4” tall now. I don’t spray before planting cause I like the green material covering my seed.

I sprayed - not sure if i get my tractor guy r not

If i just throw seed over dead sprayed grass - Alabama blend - u think it would grown? I got to much to mow w my push mower

I usually spray at least three weeks out from a planned planting. Then toss seed and mow over it. I have a 60” Z so that makes short work of my 3/4ac of plots. I don’t fertilize until my plots are up and growing and I time those before a rain if at all possible.

Spread seed then drag the field with something. I’ve used a big cedar top before.

This concept is something unfamiliar to me, but very interesting.

Our place has one very small plot that hasn't been bush hogged or planted in two years.
Can I take a wheeler through that and spread seed, then mow and expect positive results?

Depends on soil type. I have better results on sandy loam soils. Hard clays not so much.

Seeds must make some contact with the moist dirt in-order to germinate.

I had a couple of log decks I planted last year that were new. These were very hard to get a disk or subsoiler to penetrate. What did grow on them was cereal rye. I went in and broadcast seed into them this spring, and alot of it came up. It grew better once I added some 0-20-20. 2 of them I did throw and mow, and one I didn't mow at all, I broadcast into standing cereal rye. All 3 did pretty well. Go back in the spring and plant some sunn hemp and sorghum. That should help alot with organic matter.

So I would broadcast cereal rye, and do it heavy, then mow it. I have been spraying some of my fields this year to kill crap in them I don't want, since its been so dry and I have to start over with clover in them.