Trying to get my Dove fields turned this year. I like to have them all done by mid January but between rain and snow it's been a challenge. I believe I'll get my last 100 acres turned by next Tuesday...God willing.

If you fellows haven't got your native sunflower fields turned I would suggest getting that done ASAP. Those seeds need a couple of freezes on them to crack them so they'll come up this Spring. And doesn't seem like we're going to have a lot of freezes this year.

One thing I've learned though, never grip about rain out here, just work around it. 150 acres turned, 100 acres to go.

I was thinking the same thing as you Stompy...This year feels like we’re not going to get that many more freezes. I’m planting a new sunflower field and I slung my seeds this weekend. Looks like a good freeze coming this weekend so hopeful it’ll work. I am in Central Texas and unfortunately our dove situation has been going downhill every year the last three years. I don’t know that my project will work but I am going to give it a try. I think I can grow some sunflowers but don’t know if the dove will show up. Five years ago it was lights out on my place in Hamilton County, last three years, it’s been almost nonexistent.

Good luck sir !

Get after it. Your fields always look amazing. Just get rid of them dang burrs. Took 3 weeks to work one out of my finger. LOL

Finished discing all the fields. Just smoothing them out with a drag now, should be done sometime this weekend.

I wonder if seeds planted now will come up? I've always been told natives have to be planted in Sept/Oct for them to come up the next year.

Attaboy!

The people I know that plant them around here say as long as you get a good freeze or two on them they will still come up. But to Stompy’s point it’s hard to say how many more good freezers will have. Which is why I planted mine last week with 200 pounds per acre of fertilizer. I then disc them in very shallow, just enough to cover the tire tracks. That’s what I was told to do anyways so I followed instructions. I think my sunflowers will do fine. But whether huntable numbers of dove show... up that’s a real crapshoot. Looks like now no freeze this weekend but hard freeze middle of next week.🤞🤞

I guess I'll try and get my hands on some seed and give it a shot.

So, I’ve got a field with ragweed, broomweed, etc. Do I plow it right now and turn it to pure dirt, go to Turner Seed and buy some Native Sunflower, throw it out somehow, light disc it in? Is that how you do it? Why do all the weeds not come up and take over? How much fertilizer? Does Milo do any good?

That's how you do it. No need to fertilize the first time.

There is some probability that if you plow now and leave it alone, your field will come up with sunflowers even if you don't plant any. Seen it many times.

Thanks!

That is true, if it had them sometime in the past.

A couple years ago I put native seeds down on a plot south of Stompy about 20 minutes. Nothing ever came of them. Soil test came back perfect. This year I turned them somewhere around January 15th. I don't know if the seeds are still viable, but I'm hoping.

My new place in hunt county, I was hoping to plant non natives and milo come spring, and then natives with the wheat come fall. Didn't end up getting the time to get it turned before the freeze next week.

Stompy, looks like our freeze stratification is coming in the next week. I’m glad, this is a new field I planted and I was starting to get nervous we weren’t gonna have any more freezes but I think this one ought to do it. Supposed to be 18° here in Central Texas Saturday night. Wish we would’ve had this cold front in about December to get a few more ducks into the area.

Plenty of cold and snow on the fields now.

question for you experienced native sunflower guys. We planted 15 acres with native sunflower this year in callahan county for the first time on January 16th. we disced the field, broadcast the seed then drug with a weighted chainlink fence. So now we do nothing and see if they come up correct? Do any of you do a light disc in the spring just to keep it turned? then the second part of the question is when we shred and disc next winter do you guys fertilize then also or do it in the spring? Is there a good general rule of thumb on what fertilizer to use?

I have planted in April and they done fine

Good luck sir

You're done, do not disc again, sunflowers will start coming up this month. I fertilize every other year with nitrogen, about 60# per acre.

You must be planting hybrids. Natives need to be planted before the last couple of freezes and they start coming up in March.

Y
Yes hybrids

I'm planning my first sunflower dove field for next year on a field near Lone Oak TX:

Some of the key things I've seen in Dove Food plot videos after turning and scraping the dirt:
1. Pre-emergent
2. Plant in rows at 30-36 inches in April or May
3. Use fertilizer and herbicide to keep out weeds
4. Bush hog in mid August

A few questions for ya'll.
First, I noticed "native" vs. "hybrid". What made you decide either way?
Second, why broadcast and not plant in rows? I thought, from watching the videos, that good spacing ensure large growth for the heads.
Third, while I saw some comments on ferilizer, I didn't see any on herbicide.

Thanks in advance for any responses.