"Control burning" of fields

[Valley Station]

Is it best to do "control Burning" of fields before fire season gets here ( Feb.15)?? Any recommendations??

[Multidigits]

On our club's lease, The Nature Conservancy has a burn every now and then. Their burn season is from Jan. 15th to June ???, weather dependant.

I don't know how they can get around it, but you can't burn during fire season until after 6:00 p.m. local time. if your near any wooded areas.

Does anyone know the effects fire would have on a clover field? I have one that needs something. It's about 3 years old and now contains some orchard grass and some weeds, including dotter??. Or should I just redo the whole field?

[CSS archer]

Burning will increase the clover germination and renew the field if there is enough fuel to carry the fire.

[MrBowhunter]

I did a couple of small patches today. Just scares the heck out of ya if ya know what I mean. The last thing I want to do is burn the neighbors woods up, haha. I guess I thought it would burn off closer to the ground than it did, and it left anything thicker than an 1/8" in diameter standing. I think I'm trying the alternative and poisoning the grass. Whats the best poison on the market Joe? I'm going to Lowes and pick up a sprayer for the quad. One spray do it?

[Darton73]

Hey MrBowhunter,

A slower burn will take out more of the bushes and samplings in a field- to do this you need to start your fire on the downwind side of the field (burning against the wind - just be sure you have a good fire break around the field!). What kind of vegetation are you wanting to take out? Roundup Ultra does a pretty good job of killing out grass/weeds - I'de wait until March/April when the vegetation is green and actively growing at a heighth of ~8". If you're wanting to take out saplings, buhses, and other woody vegetation, you may want to try Garlon 3A. Both of these chemicals are fairly expensive but do an excellent job. On the other hand, if you are wanting to establish native warm season grasses, then Plateau is an excellent choice. It takes out pretty much everything but warm season grasses, and unlike Roundup, it has a residual effect and will keep the ground barren much longer. If you have any more questions, let me know. I'm sure Joe can also throw some further advice in here too!

Brian Grossman
Darton73@alltel.net
www.KentuckyHunting.com