Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Quality Deer Management Throw n Mow Q&A

Year #2 of Throw n Mow. Now waiting for a good rain.

Dean, looks like you have plenty of thatch to have a nice green field with adequate moisture. Good looking spot.

If someone in Alabama or MS didn't get some rain out of this last storm, that's just bad luck.

Looks good Dean!.....That should work out real nice.

That was a slow soaking 3/4" rain last night.

I used the throw and wait method in several acres of dead soybeans next to drilled plots in early October. Drilled plots emerged within 3 days and are 6” tall. Throw plots are barely starting to emerge. Going to look at plots Sunday afternoon. If I don’t have good emergence by then I will drill through beans. Read an article published this put out by Alabama Extention Service that says 10/30 is optimal time to plant small grains in central and North Alabama. Most folks plant too early. Deer are attracted to young tender plots better than 2-3 month old plots. I’m not a bow hunter. Also think deer will finish acorns before hitting plots

I don’t think you’re ever gonna have a really good stand by simply top sowing seed. Mowing or dragging down dead vegetation over the seed really changes the situation. It would be like trying to do a germ test in between to paper towels without ever putting the top paper towel over the seed. You need that thatch over the seed to create warm, moist, greenhouse conditions at the soil surface level for several days after your initial rain. I also think the mowing and dragging helps to get the seed down to the soil a lot better versus only broadcasting. What you did is a little bit apples to oranges compared to what Dean just posted pics of for example.

I understand what you are preaching and agree with you 100%. I was just trying to leave beans standing to provide protein through winter. One day I’ll figure out this pic posting and show a side by side comparison. Really wish I could get the throw and wait thing to work. Little success with Diakon radishes and small clover seeds. Almost no emergence with small grains

Here's one of my radish fields in front of my shop. It's not as big as my others but there so much tonnage out there no way they can eat it up now. My son and I stop counting at dark Sunday and had 40+ out there. I never planted much radish/clover before mixed but I'm sold for now.

Do the radishes hold up to freezes?

Good looking plot! Is that a throw & mow plot? Also what type radishes/clover is that and when were they planted? lol

Looks drilled to me

Drilled. Sodbuster radish/crimson clover/triticale. Planted sept 25. Yes radish will be killed by a sub 25 degree freeze. Frost won't bother them.

Checked some of our plots today. The throw and mow plots that have some shade coverage look awesome. The ones that don’t get any shade look absolutely terrible !!

It’s all about moisture …..the shady places are holding more moisture……More thatch also holds more moisture. More organic matter in the soil holds more moisture…..That's what you're wanting to work toward long term.

Not knocking the T&M method as I strongly support anything that protects soil and adds OM. Just not working for me. Just checked several fields and will be replanting tomorrow with a drill. Planted 40 acres several different ways. Regular T&M, sprayed Roundup then broadcast seed into soybeans. I can see some seed emerging but don’t think it will have a good stand before season starts. These are good fields with proper ph, high fertility, great soil, etc. T&M is better than discing but, in my fields, doesn’t do nearly as good as drill

I just went and checked some my plots that were planted last Sunday. They're jumping up pretty good. I'm definitely pretty impressed.







And I saw about 10 turkeys in 2 separate plots so I was pretty fired up about that too.

Glad you are having success. Wish I could get it to work

It just doesn't seem to take hold much in N AL. Different soil structures and sparse fall rain spells disaster on most normal years. Our ground just dries out super fast after a rain.

Started replanting fields today and stopped. most my T&M plots are gonna be fine as they are. Plots are little thin in places, but plenty good enough. Can also leave beans standing