Seeding rye question

[Anonymous-0]

I raise a little rye for straw. I wait til it goes to seed before I cut it, then beat the snot out of it with the tedder and disk the seed in for next year. It's pretty green on the bottom with the cut weeds. How deep can I disk it to kill the weeds and still have the rye come up? Its light loam, not sandy or clay. TIA

 

[randallnMo]

Why don't you just spray the weeds and leave the seed alone until you're ready to "plant" it. Discing now will surely bury some of the seed too deep. THat's what I'd do if I only wanted to control the weeds now. So, you let the rye mature and do not combine it or otherwise harvest the seed. You just cut it for the straw and utilize the seed it produces to "seed" the next years crop? If you would cut the rye earlier before it goes to seed, you could get ample straw, plus, you would have a regrowth that could be cut and baled for straw as well. Two crops of straw! But then you'd have to buy seed for the next years crop. Discing now should still afford you plenty of available seed. You've got a unique idea, but you sure are wasting a lot of seed.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I'll try to answer your comments. You did say the seed could be buried too deep, which was my question. Spraying in this state requires a license which I don't have and hiring for 2 acres is not cost-effective. I didn't know rye would re-grow after mowing. And I fail to see why not letting rye mature to it's potential is any less wasteful than letting it's seed production plant next year's crop. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Mike Aylward]

Bernie, as a rule when you disk something in you are covering most of it around one half the depth you are disking. Notice I said "most". I've seen wheat disked in years ago after being spread by a fertilizer cart and it looked like it had been drilled. Rye won't need a lot of covering. I've always said it would grow on a rock with a dewdrop to start it.. Mike

 

[Shetland Sheepdog]

Always disced in rye spread with fertilizer spreader when doing Winter Rye cover crop/green manure crop. This is following sweet corn! First, chop sweet corn with bush hog. Second, spread rye seed with 3 point fert spreader. Third, disc in seed. Done! Always comes up excellent!
JMHO, HTH, Dave

 

[Anonymous-0]

Thanks. I'll go over it once with the 8' disk. If the weeds are still growing/ rye not I have plenty of time to disk it again and replant.

 

[randallnMo]

I may be wrong here, because I don't know the state rules in MA. In my state, you only need a license to spray "restricted use" chemicals. You might check that out. For two acres, you could rig up a four-wheeler sprayer. My son does that on his deer plots. I routinely get two crops from rye. I mow it just as the seed heads start to appear the first time. THere is always a second regrowth. THe first growth cutting will usually be around 5' tall. THe second crop about 4'. You'll need to "feed" it, but it is a prolific tonnage producer. I use mine for silage bales or silage.

 

[Anonymous-0]

We planted rye for plow down. Used a 7' Easy Flow with a 8' disk behind it.Over laped to get full coverage. When it came up it looked like it was drilled in.

 

[kyhayman]

Plain old 2,4-D out of a hose end sprayer like you spray dandelions in the yard will do a world of good on broad leaf weeds in rye. I dont know as I'd want to spray 200 acres this way but 2 acres shouldnt be too bad. Where I used to live I had a 2 acre yard and sprayed it that way twice each spring.

 

[Matt from CT]

I believe 2,4-D is State Restricted in Massachusetts for quantities larger then what a homeowner would pickup off the shelf.

 

[Anonymous-0]

As far as I know Roundup is the only thing I can use without a license.

 

[dpendzic]

does the rye have to be disced in for the seeds to take?
I have winter rye growing in NW Ma and am going to bush hog it in a couple of weeks and was hoping a new crop will grow

 

[John_PA]

(quoted from post at 12:21:06 07/15/11) I raise a little rye for straw. I wait til it goes to seed before I cut it, then beat the snot out of it with the tedder and disk the seed in for next year. It's pretty green on the bottom with the cut weeds. How deep can I disk it to kill the weeds and still have the rye come up? Its light loam, not sandy or clay. TIA

If it is owned by monsanto, you better not! LOL They will come to your house and eat your cookies, sleep with your goats and poop on your porch.


seriously, why not combine it and reap the good seed? running a combine is fun. Seems like the only reason I get up in the morning... your results may vary.

 

[randallnMo]

Then for sure use Roundup. It's probably cheaper than 2-4D....and will for sure get the weeds and won't hurt the existing seed laying on the ground.
Rye doesn't take much incorporation to get a stand. I've broadcast rye onto thin grass/alfalfa stands in the fall before (with no mechanical incorporation), and gotten good stands of rye. WHat was it the other guy said, "rye only takes a rock and a dew drop to germinate"? If you've got two acres to do, try leaving a little corner undisced and see if the rye comes up there. You may be discing the entire field for nothing.