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Started by gobblerchaser89, April 16, 2019, 09:31:48 AM
Quote from: BKnisley on April 16, 2019, 10:40:53 AMChaser, There is a lot of help available online from mossy oak, whitetail institute, realtree...etc. Without diving too much into agricultural complexities I would suggest sending in a soil sample to an extension office. You'll have an idea of what you might need to do to to the soil to maximize your seed growth, such as adding fertilizer, or adjusting your ph. Mossy oak and Whitetail institute will do this as well. A lot depends on if you have the equipment to work the ground, and how big of an area you'll intend to work. You'll need to kill old growth first with round-up. This can be done with a tiny tow behind sprayer on a lawn tractor...again depends on how big of an area your talking. A lot of people have success planting strips...and do it spraying round up by hand, and breaking the ground with a 4 wheeler and smaller disc. You could even do it with a small roto-tiller or cultivator. I prep mine with a cultipacker after I disc, then plant, then re-roll the seed with a packer. If you're looking at a no till seed you'll just need to spray the area first to kill old growth, then broadcast your seed in the winter...the seed will fall into the frost cracks in the soil and "plant itself". Don't forget a good spray to keep the weeds down in your plot. I would go with whatever your seed blend recommends. Thinking in terms of seasonal needs helps too. You could plant two sections that mature at different times so there is always something there the majority of the season. Clover, red or white, would be a good choice for deer or turkey (lots of bugs in the clover). Chufa is a sedge and turkey will eat the tubers...but if you've got pigs they'll do the same. Soybeans would be another option as well. Don't forget about planting berries or mast producing trees. Deer love apples, persimmons, chesnuts, and acorns. A lot of people say what you do to help deer will do the same for turkeys too...I would agree. Here in my little corner of Ohio deer will literally watch the Black Arkansas apple trees drop fruit. Half the fun is finding something they enjoy. Let me know if you need anything else. It's a big topic to cover, but it's addicting when you start to see your hard work paying off.Brandon K
Quote from: bbcoach on April 16, 2019, 03:42:31 PM PH is the key to growing a quality food plot. A soil test is a MUST. If this area was recently logged, your PH will probably be around 4.5. You'll need to bring that up to around 6.5, which will require lime. The soil test recommendations will give you how much to apply per acre for what you want to grow. I would get the soil test done ASAP and the recommended lime down ASAP. AG lime takes about 6 months to neutralize the soil. My recommendations would be to spray the plot with roundup after green up, apply your lime and wait until August or September to plant. Deer and turkeys will eat clover and cereal grains (oats, winter wheat and winter rye) well. Your local county extension agent can recommend what will grow in your area and when to plant. My advice to you is take it slow, get your soil tested and amended and plant this fall after your lime has done it's job. Good luck and check back with questions.
