Sunflowers Blooming

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The sunflowers here at the house are in full bloom. They sure are pretty when you wake up in the morning and look out across the field. The anticipation grows as the sunflowers do. When they head out and you can start seeing the seed forming, you know dove season is on the way. You start thinking toward the hunt, the friends, and feathers drifting on the wind. Burnt powder and dog retrieves. And of course bacon-wrapped doves on the grill.

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fowlhntr

Six Pointer
Better question is deer, weeds can be managed with spray. We planted a similar size field last year and the deer literally mowed the tops off before the plants flowered. The ones that did make it were ravaged by goldfinches. Lucky for us we had a field of millet too and it came thru.
 

nettereo16

Six Pointer
Better question is deer, weeds can be managed with spray. We planted a similar size field last year and the deer literally mowed the tops off before the plants flowered. The ones that did make it were ravaged by goldfinches. Lucky for us we had a field of millet too and it came thru.
Man, I gave up fighting the deer! We put in a 3 acre sunflower plot a few years ago and the deer nipped every single head.
I've switched to browntop millet and it's easier, cheaper, and deer don't eat it. Brings in doves just fine.
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
All the heat and dry weather has put a hurting on my sunflowers. See where they are dropping seeds. Haven’t checked the seeds to see if they were filled out inside or not
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
We've actually had good rain here this summer. We've been getting regular hits from thunderstorms every couple of days dropping a quarter inch or more at a time. Goldfinches are starting to work on the sunflowers now though. That brings the doves in to feed where they drop them on the ground.

Also have a small patch of millet coming in that I replanted. It's pretty weedy, and has both german millet from this years planting mixed with proso millet that I planted last year that sprouted. Thankfully it doesn't have to be pretty to attract birds.

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Rescue44

Old Mossy Horns
There seems to be fewer weeds this year overall. I used metolachlor peemergent. Same as last year.

You must not have pigweed. I thought it was everywhere. This is a neighboring farmer's field. Insurance gave the go ahead to abandon the cotton and he sprayed it with Gramaxone to kill the pigweed. There is a whole lot more pigweed that is small enough to not be visible from the road. Sorry for the hijack.
 

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sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I’ve got a little, but nothing like what I’ve heard others deal with. I’ve pulled some by hand when it got started.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
You must not have pigweed. I thought it was everywhere. This is a neighboring farmer's field. Insurance gave the go ahead to abandon the cotton and he sprayed it with Gramaxone to kill the pigweed. There is a whole lot more pigweed that is small enough to not be visible from the road. Sorry for the hijack.
Farmers that used manure and didn't have good spray programs on fields will have horrendous pigweed problems. If you live close and have powerlines then you will be blessed.
 
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