What would you plant??

• Aug 15, 2012

• #1

HeavyNeck91

Senior Member

This is a new club that i have joined and im wanting to put a food plot between the pine thick and a hardwood funnel. I have already mowed down the high stuff and have sprayed it with round up. Would really like to have it for bowhunting so my GF can have a good clean shot, but im open to anything...

What wounld you plant? When would you plant it?? Or what do you think??

Thanks in advanced for all the help..

P.S The first pic is the entire plot and the other 2 are closer and more detailed..

 

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• Aug 15, 2012

• #2

HeavyNeck91

Senior Member

Herer is an ariel

This is 1 of the many different properties i have to hunt. If im thinking correctly the deer should be using the hardwood funnels to gain access to some of the larger hardwood openings.

Thanks

The gray part of my pencil is really close to where it will be planted

 

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• Aug 15, 2012

• #3

S

Shaky Dave

Member

What will your soil support?

Well, first find out what type of soil it is go here for how to find out how to collect and test the soil http://www.ehow.com/how_5735575_read-soil-texture-triangle-chart.html then go here to figure out on the soil triangle what type of soil it is http://www.pedosphere.com/resources/bulkdensity/triangle_us.cfm
Once you have figured out what type of soil it is, i.e. sandy loam, clay etc then cross reference what type of plants will best be suited to that type soil.
Then perform a soil test and get the ph right along with the fertilizer.
Plant what your soil will grow best not what youd like to grow.

 

• Aug 18, 2012

• #4

HeavyNeck91

Senior Member

I did send off the dirt and got a soil sample! The PH was very low, like between 2-4! So gotta add a good bit of lime to raise the PH! So with that being said, now what would be a good thing to plant??

 

• Aug 19, 2012

• #5

DeepweR

Senior Member

wheat and oats

 

• Aug 19, 2012

• #6

T

T.P.

Banned

deep'we r said:

wheat and oats

Click to expand...

x3!

 

• Aug 19, 2012

• #7

S

sleepr71

Senior Member

You're going to have to put A LOT of Lime on it! Dunno the acreage..but I would say it'll take> 1TON to bring that plot up to 5-6..esp. if it has been in/under Pines. Welcome to farming in GASleepr71

 

• Aug 19, 2012

• #8

D

dick7.62

Senior Member

sleepr71 said:

You're going to have to put A LOT of Lime on it! Dunno the acreage..but I would say it'll take> 1TON to bring that plot up to 5-6..esp. if it has been in/under Pines. Welcome to farming in GASleepr71

Click to expand...

Yes you will need much more than 1 ton/acre if the ph is 2-4. My soil tests ranged from 5.3 to 5.6, with the target of 6-6.5 ph, and recommended 1.25 to 2.75 tons/acre depending on the lime buffer capacity of the soil.
I mentioned this a few days ago in another thread. My brother bought some active farm land years ago from an old farmer who apparently didn't use lime. I don't know what the ph was, but it took 5 tons per acre of lime in spots to get the ph right.(edit) I just found out the ph was 3.something.

 

Last edited: Aug 19, 2012

• Aug 19, 2012

• #9

Jeff Phillips

Senior Member

Looks like you have around a 1/4 of an acre, based on the pictures.

It's way late to be liming, but I would spend the money to put at least 500# of the Fast Acting Lime.

As others have said, wheat and oats will do well. Berseem clover can do well in pH's as low as 5 and can be mixed with the mix above. Crimson clover can be top seeded as well.

Come back next spring with another 500# of lime, then test again late summer.

I would not spend the money for expensive perrenial seed until you have the pH closer to 7.

 

• Aug 19, 2012

• #10

Forest Grump

Senior Member

As small as your plot is, you'll have trouble with most typical "bow season" plots like peas, because they'll eat them up in 1 or 2 nights. With a pH that low, you're gonna have to go with something really acid tolerant this year: do what they said above; a cereal grain like wheat & maybe some crimson clover. Put as much lime as you can afford down this time, work it in good, then repeat the soil test in spring & go again until you get it close to 6 at least. That one likely will take a few years of working on it to get it sweetened up. Be sure to use a liberal amount of fertilizer: at that pH, most of the nutrients & applied fertilizer will be tied up so the plants can't get it.

 

• Aug 19, 2012

• #11

G

Gadestroyer74

Banned

Use 200 pounds of solucal lime now and it will be fine Plant wheat oats and rye grains lime in feb with pelletized lime and plant buckwheat once it goes to seed bush hog it and it will come back again 2 green manure crops will really help that plot

 

• Aug 19, 2012

• #12

HeavyNeck91

Senior Member

Well i appreciate all the help guys.. looks like im gonna have to spend a little money an get this thing done right and hopefully if i stay in the club it will only get better...

Thanks HeavyNeck91

 

• Aug 19, 2012

• #13

D

dick7.62

Senior Member

Gadestroyer74 said:

Use 200 pounds of solucal lime now and it will be fine Plant wheat oats and rye grains lime in feb with pelletized lime and plant buckwheat once it goes to seed bush hog it and it will come back again 2 green manure crops will really help that plot

Click to expand...

I have never used solucal but I researched it and found an interesting comparison by University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. They compared pulverized lime, pelletized lime and solucal. Their results showed that pulverized lime was most effective, followed by pelletized lime with solucal third. Their conclusion was that solucal was less effective than regular lime for raising ph but was useful as a source of calcium. Link to the article: http://kentcoopextension.blogspot.com/2007/11/turf-liming-material-comparisons.html

 

Last edited: Aug 19, 2012

• Aug 20, 2012

• #14

wyldwulf

Senior Member

I agree with the above about the wheat and crimson, but you might want to try a little cereal rye too. I have found that it will literally grow on a rock if it gets rain, and it is green in the spring as well. I have found it gives me some good green matter to till in for the next year. And lime it as much as you can. Lime takes a while to work, but every day it's in there it's getting better! Good luck