Budget of $150 per acre

If you guys had a budget of $150 per acre to spend on food plots for this year, how would you spend it? Don't count tractor time or fuel. Just seed, fertilizer and/or lime.

Soil test. I would not short your self on the recommended amount of fertilizer. IMO I would rather have a smaller better stand of crop then a lager less productive stand.

you can plant it for less than that if you don't buy the high dollar seeds. Last yr the seed I bought was $20 a bag (2 bags) and the fert was $15 a bag (3 bags). This was 3/4 ac plot.

That all depends on how much lime you need. You are probably looking at $90-120 per acre on fertilizer for 300-400 lb per acre (bag prices, not bulk). For seed, 1 bag on wheat ($15) + 1 bag of oats ($20) per acre, leaving you with $25 per acre. If lime is required, use the rest of the cash on lime. If not, use the remaining cash to mix in some red clover.

I would spend the money as follows:
soil test
Lime as recommended. This is more important than fert.
Seed( crimson/wheat )
Fert with any money left

I would definitly get a soil test. I would think you are too late for regular lime be be of any help this year. I have heard that solu cal or something like that might work faster. That being said the mix I make up consists of 25lbs oats(I use regular feed oats or cheapest I can find), 25 lbs wheat(cheapest I can find), 10 pounds I/C peas, 10 lbs austrailian winter peas, 1 lb purple top turnips, 10 lbs crimson clover per acre. This mix gives me something for the deer during all seasons. Last year it cost me $300 in seed and $500 for 1 ton of fertilizer to plant approx 13 acres. We threw 13 tons of lime in May for approx $500 including the spreader from southern states. I have not ordered my seed yet but am expecting a call from my dealer today. I would assume that seed will cost me $350-$400 this year. I would skip lime this time and throw fertilizer per soil test and plant. I usually plant the first week of October but am rolling the dice this year and planting next week. I would definitly throw out whatever lime your soil test calls for in the spring.

Hmmm...some of you say skip fertilizer because lime is most important while some of you say skip lime since it is too late to help this year. What's up?

It really is a double edge sword. It is true that lime affects soil over a period of several months. But it is worth noting that it starts doing something the day you apply it. So literally, every day/week/month the lime you put on now is helping your soil. The other problem is that with very low PH soils the fertilizer cannot be absorbed properly by your plants, so throwing a bunch of fertilizer out can be wasteful. Here's what I would do...I would soil test..only takes a week, and go ahead and till in some lime. My choice of plants for this year would be on the basic cereal grain and crimson clover type of plot. Cereal rye will grow in a lot of harsh soils, so it is a decent choice along with some oats. Crimson clover is a great addition, particularly since some its best growth for me is in the spring, and if your soil needs lime, any you put on now will be acting well by then. Just my thoughts...

win280 said:

I would spend the money as follows:
soil test
Lime as recommended. This is more important than fert.
Seed( crimson/wheat )
Fert with any money left

Click to expand...

This^^^^^ Also ww post #8

soil test

Soil test is a must! We did one this year and found that weed don't need lime. Without test we would have wasted money on lime. Now we can spend more on quality seeds and fertilizer. If you still want to plant blind, I would use fast acting lime, a fall mix w/ added clover, then fertilizer. JMHO...

Got the call from my seed dealer, will cost me $500 for seed to plant approx 13 acres in coker 227 oats, crimson clover, ic peas australian winter peas and purple top turnips. So thats about $38.50 per acre in seed. Could go cheaper and get feed oats but I'm going to try coker this year.

Having a low ph is like going to a buffett (sp) with your jaw wired shut. Just because the food (fertilizer) is there does not matter. The plants can not eat eat. Soil test,lime,plant,then fertilize.
The lime will help you for 2-4 years depending on soil type and amount of rain. Solu-cal is expensive but will fix the soil in 6 weeks. It starts working immediately.

on a low budget crimson clover works well it is $70 for a 50 # bag of pre-inoculated and if you mix with wheat at 50 # wheat about $14 a bag and #10 clover you are looking at around $28 acre seed cost and spend the rest on your lime and fertilizer and you should come out to a little below your $150 mark

for a real plot you can't cut lime or fertilizer...ya gotta do both to reap the true benefit. hunting ain't cheap, unless you road hunt or poach.