Terminating Buckwheat Without Herbicide 

I think the two passes would help the most. I was cutting off some plants as it was with the weight I had.

You bet- thanks for watching

You bet thanks for watching

Thanks!

Thanks- yeah I’m going to play with the weight a little bit I think more importantly, I need to wait a little longer in the plant maturity cycle before I crimp. Thanks for sharing

Good ideas- thanks for sharing. I agree that discing (or tilling) sandy soul is not a desirable approach. I think if I keep at this organic buckwheat approach I’ll be able to reduce the discing for sure and perhaps someday stop it all together (probably need herbicide at that point).

@@northernforestwhitetail - I've been planting food plots for almost 10 years, using no-till methods, and the end result has been much less fertilizer needed and much better growth in the plots. The bonus is it takes a lot less time, money and equipment.

I can’t grow buckwheat here without an electric fence around it. So you are correct that the deer would normally browse that remaining buckwheat off but I have it fenced so unfortunately the buckwheat will finish its life cycle

I like the idea- for my sandy soils, an organic layer of thatch is key. Thanks for sharing

I was wondering if you could bush hog or even sickle mow it? Would that kill it? A sickle bar would lay the stems down pretty similar to the roller

Thanks for watching 👍

@@troybrake5686 yeah Jeff always sprays his with herbicide while crimping. So it doesn’t matter what height he crimps his at if you spray it. You could crimp it 6” tall and the herbicide will take it out. I was trying to do mine without herbicide.

@@gregmulfort9577 nice work that should do it. I think if you do a shallow till it’s not the worst thing in the world for the soil. You can still build organic matter.

So you are saying terminate (roller crimp) later, correct? I think I may have may have jumped the gun by a week or two

@@northernforestwhitetail you got it! You had not let it get to the dough stage yet, it looked like to me. Wait another week or so and yes then roller crimp!

You bet

I tend to agree with the part about not getting the desired mulch effect without the use of herbicides. So, why is it that folks on RU-vid claim you can do a totally organic no-till? I’m genuinely trying to understand. I wish it was that simple (organic no-till). However, based on all the research I could find plus my own experiments, I’m finding that a sustainable organic no-till system is extremely difficult at best and impossible at worst. At least in terms of deer attraction.

Good to know- thanks for sharing

Sounds like you and I had the same idea. But I’m curious to hear how your additional test turns out. Keep me posted and thanks for sharing 👍

Well it's been close to a month shave grown well since I tried my "experiment". The final conclusion for me is I will spray the entire b/w field next year. Just overall better results by killing it with the gly. Just crimping did kill I would say 70%. Flowering plants did not really grow much higher but even weed wacking them did not stop the growth and many have seeded out. I am not to worried about the seeds growing this late and the rye and radishes will keep them from growing and cooler weather should help stunt any b/w growth. The rye and the rads have grown well anyway but I think ait has been a little better where the gly was used. I only am using 3 small plots of maybe 1/2 acre total so spraying the gly is not a big cost for me. Good luck hunting!

That’s a great idea- thanks for sharing. Might actually try that next year.

That makes a lot of sense what you are saying. Might have to try that next year.

The more I food plot the more I see the appeal in perennials. Plus I like having soil cover at all times.

I haven’t no just because I don’t have one. But I bet that would work fine

It’s possible. Although I was getting some plants actually cut off when the blade went over them in thin areas. This year I’m going to probably add a little weight and let the plants mature by a couple more weeks.

Thanks- I roller crimped it exactly 6 weeks after planting. When I planted, I disced the seed in (light/medium discing depth). That really helped the buckwheat get a strong start and excellent germination rate (vs just broadcasting on top of ground).

Yeah it is a bit jumpy… but I designed it that way so it had more of an impact on the plant stems. But you are right that’s why they do the chevron patterns so it rolls steadier. In that case you would need to add quite a bit of weight to get the downward pressure.

I don’t think weight was the issue. I say that because there were actually areas where those crimped blades were severing the plants. So I feel like I was as heavy as I wanted it to be. Mowing may be another option but I think the most important thing is timing. I believe I terminated a little too early. When I do this next year I’m waiting until the plants begin to set pods (dough stage). That way the plant should have less ability to resume its growth after it has already fully committed to the reproductive cycle.

Good to know thank you. That’s helpful. Doing this next year and see how it goes. Having “mulch” makes a lot of sense.

No herbicide and living roots are what I’m going for. I’m not totally against this roller crimped method. Will continue experimenting. Thanks for watching

I did think about a multi species mix but stuck with the brassicas blend this year. Might mix it up next year. I planted the buckwheat at 80 lbs per acre and disced it in. I’m in sandy soil so having a little soil cover over the seed is critical where I’m at.

It’s a chemical that I’d like to avoid if I can find a way. Not totally opposed to it. Just looking for ways to avoid its use if I can. Cancer link? Endocrine disrupters? Folks will argue it’s neither. But do we really know that for certain? Lots of ppl have cancer on the US unfortunately. To be clear I have no idea if there is a link but if I can avoid its use, why not try.

@@northernforestwhitetailit’s odd to me how many people seem to not think twice about covering their land with chemicals. Not to mention eating the animals that consume the chemicals. Is there a link? I don’t know for sure but it’s worth avoiding if you can

@@yanksfan6833 exactly- thanks for sharing

@@chadilacnissen9717 it won’t be quite as bad as rye but it can still cause you problems- would be better to mow/mulch the buckwheat first, then till. Would reduce binding of tiller

@@northernforestwhitetail Thanks Buddy!

Oh I agree with you 100%. That’s one of my concerns here. The buckwheat will need to die soon if the brassicas are going to have a chance (before our first frost). I’m hoping the volunteer buckwheat is minimal enough to where the brassicas still have a chance.

@@RJ-qq8kb waited just a few days for the area I did disc. That seemed to help

@@northernforestwhitetail May I ask what disc you use? Atv? Tractor?

@@RJ-qq8kb you bet- I have an ATV style disc with adjustable gangs

@@northernforestwhitetail pic?

I’m not sure that I’d use the word “scared”. It is proven to kill pollinator species, there is a possible link to non-Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer (not proven), and is linked to endocrine disrupters, etc, etc. I realize that many people have used it for years without any issue (including my friends and family). I’ve just thought: if there is a way to avoid it, why not try to avoid it? Some folks say glyphosate is harmless, inert, and absolutely harmless the second it touches pond water. But if that’s true, then why does the manufacturer say to wear a respirator mask and plastic gloves when handling it? I’m not trying to spread something that’s not true (I.e. say it’s directly linked to cancer), but with the preponderance of circumstantial evidence out there, I’ve just tried to find ways to avoid using it.

You sir are thinking correctly! Keep up the great work.

Of you can farm without it, why not? Plus that stuff isn't quite free either.

@@jesse4530 exactly