Question

[CharlesH]

I just got to see my uncles food plots that he planted and they seem to be a little bare i was just going to see if i could get ideas of why....even though i think i know why.
The plots are in an area that is semi-hilly and they are on the down slope of the hill, my uncle had the soil tested and he put the appropriate amounts of lime, etc..., He went to a place and they told him the amount of seed he would need for the sizes of his plots, but they don't seem to be growing to much and seem to be really spotty. The plots were planted with clover, oats, rye, and a few mustard/collard greens. Now the soil for the area ended up being really rocky for Haralson County so i figured that might be why they haven't come up well. Oh yeah they were planted two weeks ago. I know that i rambled but i was just spitting out info as i could remember it. Do any of you food plot experts have any advice??

Charles Harrison

[CAL]

My only guess would be because the seed were planted too deep or the moisture left the seed.Lots of times the moisture will leave the seed after it has sprouted and the seedling will die.It could be that the seed were planted and it was too wet and the soil sealed over keeping the seedling from coming up.There are many things keeping seed from germinating.Why don't you go and check the soil for compaction,dig down very carefully and see if you can find the seed or find what is wrong?If the plot is sealed over,you will almost be able to walk on it without making a track.
One thing,all seed require different planting depths.You can plant wheat,rye,and oats the same depth.Collards,turnips,and clover are planted different.Would be curious to know what happened!

[Ga-Spur]

Maybe all the seeds washed down the hill as much rain as they had on them.

[CharlesH]

Cal,
I don't believe the soil is too compace atleast not on the lower end, because there are tons of deer tacks where they have been munching on the white oaks that line the edge of the plot. It could be that the depth planted was wrong or there was too much water

Ga-spur,
I also thought about the fact the plot was slanted and wondered if the rains from Frances might have washed the seeds down the hill somewhere, i'll be back there this weekend of the next to check on them again, maybe they will have grown a little more.

[huntnnut]

If they have been in the ground two weeks already then they should have already come up pretty thick and be about 5" to 8" tall by now. Somethings definitely not right. It sounds as if they may have been planted to deep. The oats and rye should only be covered about a 1/4" to 1/2" deep and the clover and the mustard/collards should have been top seeded.

[gadeerwoman]

If they are on a downslope if you've had heavy rains it could have washed some seed out of the soil but if they were covered good that seems unlikely. Could it have been old seed? The good think is that you can overseed the bare spots with wheat, rye, clover, brassicas and still get a good crop.

[Muygrande]

It's a little early for some of that stuff if you've had any heat, not living in Albany anymore I'm not sure how the weathers been but soil temp needs to be below 65 degrees for optimum growth.

OR.........has he got a high population of deer and are they overbrowsing it before it can take hold??