Great stuff, just what i was looking for. Ive tried plantimg willows and hybrid poplar cuttings as well, but that RCG chokes out a lot of those. This year I'm trying to plant larger cuttings that I took from some existing trees so they're tall enough to get above that grass

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I took a walk around yesterday and the Streamco Willows are all doing very well, even the ones planted down in the RCG as a 12" cutting a few years ago. They somehow grew their way up and are now above the RCG, so I am assuming they will start dominating the area in a few years as they cast shade on the RCG. Keep me updated on how your plantings react. All the best to you.

You may want to plant some red osier dogwood in those downed tops. They can handle the we feet and are preferred browse. The tops should act as natural tree cages to help them get established.

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Great idea! I think I'll put that on next years shrub order. All the best to you.

As someone that’s fighting a war against acres and acres of Reed Canary you are doing the only thing u can. Plant trees and brush into it. U might benefit from knocking the grass back around the willows for a few years with a grass specific herbicide like clethodim till the willows take off. One other thing you should plant is American larch (tamaracks) in there with the willows but cage them. You are definitely on the right track. You can also do hybrid willow trees and hinge cut the tops into the grass. When planting into Reed canary u must go with fast growing species or the Reed canary will just smother it out. I have 20 acres of dog wood in Reed canary and have a wall full of 130-170 class bucks I only hunt the edges and don’t go in it. I got about another 25 acres of reed monoculture I’m trying to break and turn into bedding

@theback40

8 ай бұрын

Hey Nick, thank you for the feedback, glad to hear I am on the right track. I just planted 50 Tamaracks in there this spring, but hadn't though about caging them. And I really like the dog wood idea. I usually wait to put in my tree/shrub order in March, but think I am going to do it now to make sure I get the order filled (they often run out by the time I think to place the order). Great comment, all the best to you. Keep me updated.

Mark......good info thanks for sharing. We were out yesterday in the snow looking at a small area to open up as a clover plot and we saw tons of deer while traveling around the farm. It is really a good feeling, if we see them now with limited food and cover, they continue to come into our food plots and bed in our bedding areas during bow season. We continue to reevaluate our farm and try to make small improvements each year. I think we will cut a few poplar trees down, as they regenerate from the root system and hopefully it will thicken the area up and offer more browse. We have been successful in harvesting aged bucks in the last two seasons. Keep up the good work. Bob

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Hey Bob, thanks. This week is looking good for getting out on the property again.

Mark thanks for sharing, give’s me more ideas

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Sure thing! I'll keep updating on this area as it matures.

Looks like fun. Ponds are great for attracting lots of wildlife including deer.

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

That area floods out in the spring, too, and draws LOTS of waterfowl.

@bradbrockhaus633

Жыл бұрын

Hey Kurt ...I like that pond of yours

@kurtcaramanidis5705

Жыл бұрын

@@bradbrockhaus633 #metoo.

I like the willow tree planting to try to shade the RCG out, but that takes a few years. I also have an area of about 4.5 acres of RCG. Last year on about an 0.5-acre patch, I mowed, burned and then sprayed with glyphosate during green up. That seemed to work, but I will check it in a couple of days to see if it's starting to green up. However, this year I'm going to burn the RCG, hit with glyphosate when greening back up and then plant RR soybeans, and manage the beans with occasional glyphosate spraying as needed. The plan is to repeat the process yearly until the RCG is gone.

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Hey Don, sounds good, keep us updated on how it turns out. I used Clethodim (a grass selective herbicide) on it once after it sprouted after a burn, and it set it back enough to let some other growth like willows get somewhat established. But I probably needed to do it a few more times to really set it back and let everything else fully establish and choke it out. I just didn't feel like doing that at the time with all my other project on the slate. But if you are converting to a food plot, gly is the way to go. All the best to you.

Just bought a 40 in sw mich. Very siimular to yours..question..why not hing cut the trees instead of just drop..thanks

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Hey Dennis, congratulations!!! It's not easy getting 40 acres, I'm sure you made sacrifices, but it is so worth it. I'll hinge a few of the deciduous trees, like a few cherry and oak if the situation is right, but poplars are very different than most species. They have a network of roots all connected underground, and when you cut the big trees off completely in the winter time, all the energy down in the roots creates a ton of small sapplings that shoot up out of the root web in the spring, which in turn accomplishes what I am trying to do......thicken up the area for bedding, screening, browse etc... Hope this answers your question, if not, let me know and I'll try again. All the best to you.

Did the deer leave the streamco willows alone? I believe streamco willows are also known as silky willow. Maybe speckled alder would work also. We have a similar area, but ours look wetter then yours. We get humps of soil and grass that builds up, making it difficult to walk.

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Hey Patrick, so far, yes, the deer have not touched the Streamco Willows. But another year or two of growth and they will be prime rubbing size, so we'll see then how they respond. And yes, your area must be a bit lower and wetter, as we don't have the grass humps like yours. This area will flood in the spring, but usually is dry enough to walk over in May/June. All the best to you.

Would this reedgrass area be a good candidate for switchgrass? either burn or till reedgrass plant switch then hit it with simozene? will not hurt switch but not sure on the reedgrass

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Hey Randy, I'm really not sure, I haven't looked into this or tried it. It is a seasonal flooding area, and I'm not sure if switchgrass can handle that much water? But I do know that willows thrive in this kind of environment, and they are also good for deer cover, and the bucks love to rub antlers on them, so I'm going this route. All the best to you.

@nickb8618

8 ай бұрын

I’m sure the seed bed from the Reed canary is so thick it will just resprout and over populate anything else planted. I have acres and acres of that crap on my farm. All you can do it hit it with roundup if it’s a monoculture or clethodim (grass specific) to knock the Reed canary back and plant brush so once the Reed canary grows back up and the brush makes it stand. If you try to just get rid of Reed canary you can and will spend thousands and thousands trying to get rid of it and the Reed canary seed bank will just come back. Ask me how I know

Hello Mark, I enjoy your videos and I am trying to get into filming more of my Habitat projects. I was wondering what cameras you are using and what you use for editing? THANKS

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. I have a Sony a6100 that I intended to use, but over time, I find myself just using my iPhone for 90% of the videos now. Bought a Rode mic to put on it with a dead cat to minimize the wind noise, and this set up seems to work best for me. I have a Mac, which includes iMovie for all of my editing and publishing. Super simple. Wishing you all the best in your upcoming projects.

I’ve been told by DNR biologists the best way to get rid of invasive grasses is to plow them under. Then the native seeds have a chance to grow. Kind of an ouch for the no-till soil health way, but the invasive species is gone.

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Hey George, I could probably do that is some of this area, but some of the spots are too wet all year around and would bury the tractor. I've made that mistake ONCE, and I intend to keep it that way. What a PITA to get it out, had to wait for a month until it got dry enough to pull it out. Ugh. Thanks for the info, all the best to you.

plant some sawtooth oaks

@theback40

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the idea. We already have sooooo many oaks on the property though, I think I'll stick with the willows. But are you saying sawtooth oaks grow well in low wet/seasonal flooding areas? This might be an idea for others that don't already have oaks on their property. All the best to you.