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

Given the spirited discussion going on now, and having been someone who has actually tried throw and mow, by whatever name you want to call it, for a few years on less than all of my food plots, I thought I'd try to summarize somethings I learned by observation, reading, watching videos, and trial and error. I even re-read as much of this thread as I could stand.

First, the absolute gold standard for no-till, is to no-till with a drill. That likely requires the following equipment, at a minimum: (1) a tractor, (2) an expensive drill, (3) a sprayer, and (4) a roller, ideally, an expensive "crimper." If you want to see how this works, google growing deer TV and watch Grant Woods' videos. I don't have the money to buy a drill or crimper, nor do I have the size of the food plots that they have in order to run an operation like they do. I have a bunch of food plots, mostly .5 an acre or less. With a few 2-2.5 acres. It's the nature of the property - part owned and part leased. Woods says rent one, or go in with some other folks to buy one, but I don't see that as a real option for me. I do own a sprayer, however, to keep cogongrass and other invasives at bay.

Second, if you don't have a drill, I believe it is absolutely essential to have the following equipment: (1) a sprayer, (2) a means to broadcast your seed, and (3) a means to get the seed to the soil under any thatch. One and two are pretty simple. in fact, you could do those with a backpack sprayer and a hand spreader in a pinch if you weren't planting many acres. three could be a mower of some kind, weed eater or, even better, some time of roller to the seed to the soil, even behind an ATV. If you are relying in a mower only, you absolutely MUST plant at or near a fairly heavy rain to get the larger seeds like wheat, oats, rye, down to the soil. if you are planting several acres, I'd consider a tractor, a three-point spreader, a three-point sprayer, and a rotary cutter or some type of roller essential, ideally, a roller or cultipacker.

Why do I say you need a sprayer, when so many others say you can do T&M without one? Because I've tried it and it didn't work for me without one. Why? Because mowing alone does not terminate grasses. Arguably, it can make them take off and form a mat on your food plots, which then prevents seed to soil contact when you "throw." Mowing will usually terminate the broadleafs that get in the way, but that's it. What are you going to do with all the grasses that keep coming back, year after year? Based on my experience, they are eventually going to take over your food plots unless you figure out a way to get rid of them. This hits on some of the points that have been discussed recently.

Third, the last thing I would say is that it's hard to do this without a summer cover crop. Why? Again, this is based on my experience. When you plant in the fall, you need the ability to have two things: (1) create a good thatch layer, and (2) terminate the existing plants to make sure they don't compete with what you are planting. If you are just randomly growing what most of us would call "weeds" in the summer, then you may end up with a bunch of plants that don't create a good thatch layer in the fall. Many of us have sandy soil, especially those of us in south Alabama. There, you are going to end up with dog fennel, ragweed, and some other stuff that doesn't create the greatest of thatch layers in the fall. It's possible to fix this if you mow two or three times over the course of a summer and saving your last set of "weeds" for about 4-6 weeks before your first forecasted frost. But, it's much easier if you plant something that will create a thatch layer when you spray and mow it in the fall. Buckwheat is really, really good, but certainly not cheap. Millet is good, but it absolutely must be sprayed at the end of the year. Why? Because it will re-sprout if allowed to go to seed. Ever mowed a field of millet down in September or October for doves? I have. It resprouts quickly given our warm fall temperatures, and will be competing with your wheat and rye if you aren't careful. Granted, the first frost will kill it, but it's going to come up before then.

Fourth, most people think of throw and mow, and think of less labor. I don't agree. It requires the same amount of time, if not more. What it can cut down on, eventually, if you keep going, is your fertilizer costs. I'm not quitting T&M yet, but I've rethought it.

Finally, one of the things that is true about it is that you need to go heavy on rye for cereal grains, and then probably some clover and brassicas. Why? Because rye is hardy and will create an easy crop to terminate in the spring that will reduce or eliminate weeds in the spring to make it easier to plant a cover crop. The downside to rye is that it is not as palatable to deer as wheat, oats, triticale. It just isn't. I'm hoping to incorporate more wheat, oats, triticale as time goes by and thatch layer improves. We shall see.

I've rebooted my T&M stuff to incorporate spraying. I haven't bought a cultipacker or roller yet, but plan to if I'm going to stay with T&M. If the spraying doesn't cure my "weed" issues, then, I'm going back to 100% traditional because I don't have the cash to buy a drill.