Dove Fields

[Rob7]

Planning this years dove field and thought I would check and see what others are planning to do. Haven't purchased any chemicals as of yet but understand they have increased significantly which got me thinking on the topic. I have enough Clearfield Sunflowers left over from last year to plant this years field so that's my starting point. Have already disc the field however plan to put the tiller on it prior to planting. May start tilling and planting next weekend. Will be planting with an old John Deere 2 row corn planter with sunflower plates in it. Was planning to spray the Spartan and Prowl as a preemergent right after planting however open to change chemical, or not do it at all. Was planning to spray sunflowers when they are knee high with the generic version of Beyond Herbicide or Lightning and then come back a week later and spray with Clethodim. At the end I typically let nature takes it course coupled with mowing and I do not burn it down with a glyphosate. Just curious what others were planning.

 

[hunt-4-life21]

Ahhhh. Sunflower talk. I love it.

I've changed locations this year and downsizing the field, a little. My solid stand of sunflowers will go as followed....already fertilized with soybean leftover fertilize (at the tune of $120 per acre...dang it man). We've burned down the ground already with a mix of roundup and dicamba. I'll come in a few days before I plant and run the turbomax over the field and do a similar style of no-till. Turbomax gives a really good seedbed without deep tillage. I have sunflower seed left over from last year, so I'll use that. They are Black Oil Peradovics. After planting, I'll spray a pre-emergent to keep weeks at bay (probably Broadaxe XC). I double I have johnson grass issues, but if I do, I'll spray over the top with Clethodim. Around the first of August, I'll go in and do another burn down with Roundup. I really liked that burn down right before the shoot. It worked well last year and kept seeds from sprouting when they hit the ground.

I have a separate section that I always leave cereal grains (wheat, rye, and oats) standing from winter food plots. I'm contemplating going in when the wheat seed makes a seed (rye is already making a head), doing a burn down, and no-tilling sunflowers right in the middle of the cereal grains. I no tilled around 6 rows last year and they made a small, small head so a little fertilize and they should be good to go.

 

[bigbonner]

I can not use a lot of weed killing chemicals on my field. The problem is that I plants strips of sunflowers and strips of Dove Proso millet .
If I put weed killer down it will effect the millet.
This year I had trouble finding Dove Proso Millet and I had to switch to German Foxtail Millet.
My Peredovik Sunflowers says 80% germination so I will have to add extra seed for the 20% loss

What I would really like to do is buy some of the spring planting wheat. You can plant it in the spring and have as good of a yield as winter wheat.
I would like to buy enough for two acres and combine the seed and save for next year. That type of wheat was made for northern states where they have short growing seasons and it gets too late to plant winter wheat.

 

[bigbonner]

I am about to pull my hair out.
Went and bought 10 bags of Peredovik sunflower seeds at Turnners seeds. I noticed when I bought the seeds that there was no seed size on the bag label.
Well I opened a bag to match my planter plates and I had a fit. The seeds was so small that I have no plates small enough to plant them with. There will two and three seeds per seed hole.

These seeds are as small as the eating hulled seeds you can buy at the store.
Way smaller than the #4 I had been buying. and half the size of other seeds I have bought in the past.
I am worried that them being small seed that when they grow out and the heads will have small seeds and possibly a small seed head.
The seeds on the right are the small seeds I just bought. On the left is last years seeds

 

[bigpuddin43]

I got some tiny seeds last year and ended up having to get a popcorn plate for my planter and it still didnt do a perfect job actually no till drilled the majority of them. havent opened my bag for this year to see how they look but hope the dry weather they are calling for next week lets me get them in the ground most of mine are going into sod so already done one burn down with gly and will get medal 2 and gly right before I plant. I got one more round of sweet corn to plant before I switch the planter over if I have to.

 

[bigbonner]

I got some tiny seeds last year and ended up having to get a popcorn plate for my planter and it still didnt do a perfect job actually no till drilled the majority of them. havent opened my bag for this year to see how they look but hope the dry weather they are calling for next week lets me get them in the ground most of mine are going into sod so already done one burn down with gly and will get medal 2 and gly right before I plant. I got one more round of sweet corn to plant before I switch the planter over if I have to.

How well did the tiny seeds grow?
Did they grow out like normal or was the seed heads smaller than they should have been?

 

[Little FR]

You can broadcast them and hit it with a drag.

From what I saw last year, the most popular spot in a dove field is a gravel driveway.

 

[bigpuddin43]

How well did the tiny seeds grow?
Did they grow out like normal or was the seed heads smaller than they should have been?

grew fine big heads worked out great.

 

[Drahts]

You can broadcast them and hit it with a drag.

From what I saw last year, the most popular spot in a dove field is a gravel driveway.

Yeah that's the location the landowner drove down dropping bird seed! LOL. We had a lease in MD on the eastern shore. One day I was archery deer hunting and I see the landowner driving down the lane with his door open. I put the binos on him and see him dumping something all the way down the lane thru the dove field. I walked over after he left and sure enough he was dumping bird seed on the lane for like 300 yards. Nothing like leasing a farm for big $$ and screwing the hunters when they get busted hunting "baited" fields.

 

[Little FR]

Yeah that's the location the landowner drove down dropping bird seed! LOL. We had a lease in MD on the eastern shore. One day I was archery deer hunting and I see the landowner driving down the lane with his door open. I put the binos on him and see him dumping something all the way down the lane thru the dove field. I walked over after he left and sure enough he was dumping bird seed on the lane for like 300 yards. Nothing like leasing a farm for big $$ and screwing the hunters when they get busted hunting "baited" fields.

Hmm. The driveway I was at was behind a gate and I’m the only person with a key. I think they were gritting rocks. My brother kicked the dove hunters off him when his barn roof started rusting, it was next to a powerline 🤣

 

[cdalle6]

Bush hogged on Monday, going to spray Sunday, hope to till Monday and plant Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

 

[Rob7]

Went to start working on the field this week and couldn't get the front bucket to raise or lower, searched for the issue and I think I found it... new cable acquired today, hopefully swap out tomorrow and get started once weather is right.

 

[bigpuddin43]

Got my sunflowers planted yesterday. Now to switch the planter over to get soybeans in the ground the wait for rain.

 

[cdalle6]

Buddy came and sprayed my field yesterday, I will till this evening and then he is bringing his tractor and planter Wednesday to plant. First time I’ve ever done rows so I am excited to see how they turn out.

 

[Rob7]

Got the tractor fixed and mowed the field yesterday evening. Will till this evening and subsequent evenings and hopefully be planting Saturday and spraying preemergent Saturday.