C. Letellier wrote:
As for your foxtail it is barley foxtail. It is a common perenial weed. So no it doesn't die back in winter It is an indicator of soil troubles usually. It pushes most stuff out and is fairly tough to eliminate because of its large seed bank and the fact that those seeds have a long life plus being a perenial that tends to choke stuff out because of its dense growth. In this area it typically starts in fields at the bottom end of irrigated fields where they get to wet for to long killing most stuff off. Once started there it out competes most other pasture crops till it takes over. The seed is barbed and digs in meaning it can cause eye problems, mouth problems, digestive problems and skin problems in livestock. It is best avoided. Decent early soil builder. Permies compatible kill methods are mostly tough. Best is mechanical cultivation followed by a heavy seeding of something else. If it has to start from seed other things will out compete it. The control in this area for it at the bottom ends of field is to plant Garrison foxtail. Garrison will withstand the same over wet conditions and thrive and is good livestock feed. Problem is that Garrison is hard to establish. It does make good filter strips at the ends of fields if it is left undisturbed. Once Garrison is started it will push barely foxtail out over time anywhere that it gets enough water.
If I did not want to use roundup, what would be a typical procedure to convert this field of foxtail to say a perennial clover mix. I do not have a tractor, currently. I am wondering when would be the best time to seed would be? What would be the ideal species to choke out the foxtail. How would the timing look on this conversion (ie cut in fall or do nothing, cut in spring, seed in spring, etc)? I think my foxtail is the green foxtail. I am in zone 6a/b. I have a notion to use pigs as a disturbance prior to seeding. I do not think they will eat the foxtail, but am hoping that they will at least disturb the soil enough. Thoughts?
