new food plots

[easports]

As I've mentioned in the pass I have the opportunity to manage a couple of small properties that are very different. I'm looking for advice from you all who have turned a grassy plot into a deer food plot. This property is only 32 acres and has 2 (1/4 acre) food plots. About a month ago I put in a third plot also about ¼ acres. I burned the grass with super concentrate Round-up and after 3 weeks tilled the grown and dragged any remaining patches of grass. It looked great when I was finished.

My goal is to increase the PH during the summer months to approx. 6.0 or 6.5 from 5.7 and plant in late August or early September. Not that big of a deal. The problem is in walking the property today to apply another application of lime I was amazed that 100% of the grass grew back. I can't get that type of results in my front yard where I want grass. So my frustration is I've wasted all those man hours for nothing.

What can I do to keep the grass under control till it's time for planting? I understand once you turn the soil by tilling, buried seeds will germinate. I don't want to repeat the process with the same results. Let me know what is the best way to approach this task without working myself to death. Thanks.

[msbadger]

Easeport...there just isn't and easy answer to this...remember the buckwheat/turnip/corn plot of last year....first pic...well here we are June 15th and see what I have in...nothing...the second pic is the result of 3 spray downs and 2 discing....I bought up way too many rocks with this years discing and In the expanded area...the weed seeds are just non stop...after I remove the huge rock piles I will disc wait  a week and then disc in feed corn for a late screen...the middle part I will rake the small stones out and go with winterwheat/rape  this year....Still some feed and attractiveness but with the weed seed and CRAB grass...I can't seeing wasting good money ..on the expensive seed...until the area is in good shape...time and patience...good luck

[badtoys]

you have to do like the farmers go back and spray again when it just starts growing

[msbadger]

PS...with some of these more aggressive grasses ...if you till or disc before they are completely dead...each rhizome  that is viable and cut...will produce that much more grass

[Goose]

We have had the same problem, you can fight it mechanically (working it over), with fire, or with glyphosate.
We ended up going to a round-up ready seed and over the years it is gradually getting better and we still have good stands each year because we kill the weeds when the plants are a couple of inches tall and then they(the plant we want) take over.

[Richard]

You could hit it with a grass herbicide depending on what you want to plant in that plot this fall. There are a bunch of different herbicides out there that will do the trick. Check out Iowawhitetail.com website, click on "forum". then click on "Archive" at bottom of page, then click on "dbltree's corner" and then click on # 12, then last but not least click "HERBICIDES" and it will give you list of herbicides, a short discription of the herbicide and the product label that will tell you everything you want know about that specific herbicide.

[buckhunter21]

ORIGINAL: Goose

We have had the same problem, you can fight it mechanically (working it over), with fire, or with glyphosate.
We ended up going to a round-up ready seed and over the years it is gradually getting better and we still have good stands each year because we kill the weeds when the plants are a couple of inches tall and then they(the plant we want) take over.

 
Goose hit it on the head here.  I think planting it with a RR seed, and maybe putting the same or different RR plots in one or two years in a row, you should take care of most of that problem.  The third year you should be able to plant something that isn't RR if you wanted and shouldn't have an issue.  Goose, is this what you would recommend, or what you were saying?