Food Plot suggestions

• Aug 1, 2014

• #1

t-roy211

Senior Member

My club has never been the type to have really nice looking food plots, and ours arent big, the biggest being around 3/4 of an acre or so. Last year our seed didnt do worth a ....

I got to talking to a buddy who works at a landscape supply, and he was saying we have been messing up by fertilizing at the same time we are seeding, since we are seeding in August and the soil is still pretty warm. We always seed, and the same day we are throwing out 10 10 10 fertilizer, and no water but just hoping for rain in the next week after or so.

In yalls experience, what do yall think about this? My buddy suggested not fertilizing until the plots get about 3 or 4 inches tall, and the weather is cooler. He also said if i wanted to put anything down when we seed, just use some starter fertilizer.

We are gonna plant rye, rape, clover, and probably some biologic full draw this year. As far as planting and fertilizing, what do yall suggest?

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #2

Buck Nasty

Senior Member

Might want to post this down in the Food Plot/Gardening Section. Lots of knowledge floating around in there.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #3

tbrown913

Senior Member

I have only put lime out when putting seeds out. We normally limed twice a year so it wasn't the only time the plots got it. We typically would fertilize a week after the plots started growing if there was a good chance of rain.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #4

dblnranch

Member

I've ALWAYS had better success fertilizing after they break thru the soil although time might force me to get it all done in one trip. Either way, the # factor in planting is the rain. I will not even plant if rain isn't forecast w/ in 72 hours. I usually disc all my plots the first week of September. If I plan a trip and just miss a rain with no rain in the forecast, I know there is moisture in the ground. You can just spread seed and lightly disc it in.

I learned my lesson by discing too deep which will obviously dry it out. It sure looks nice when you are done but if rain is not coming, all bad.

Good luck.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #5

elfiii

Admin

Staff member

13-13-13 goes down at the same time as my seed and I've never had a problem. I would suggest August is a little early for cool weather cereal grains. I would also have a soil pH test done. You may be on the low side.

X2 on the food plot forum.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #6

t-roy211

Senior Member

How much does one of those soil tests cost?

Yeah we normally go down mid August for our work weekend, and we usually try to break the ground and plant all in that weekend. So maybe i need to start planting around the weather forecast.

The way i understand it though, you could throw out just seed, and as long as its covered so birds dont get them, it should be fine even if it dont rain for a couple of weeks. But if you throw out fertilizer and seed, and no rain comes for 2 or 3 weeks, then the fertilizer will burn up or kill the seed. What do yall think about that?

Thanks for the reponses so far!

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #7

t-roy211

Senior Member

tbrown913 said:

I have only put lime out when putting seeds out. We normally limed twice a year so it wasn't the only time the plots got it. We typically would fertilize a week after the plots started growing if there was a good chance of rain.

Click to expand...

What does Lime do to the soil? Ive never messed with it much

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #8

Jeff Phillips

Senior Member

elfiii said:

13-13-13 goes down at the same time as my seed and I've never had a problem. I would suggest August is a little early for cool weather cereal grains. I would also have a soil pH test done. You may be on the low side.

X2 on the food plot forum.

Click to expand...

Agreed.

Hold off until at least mid September and your results will improve.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #9

catch22

Senior Member

Been planting plots 20+ yrs. Fertilizer always goes in with the seed when we plant and our plots generally turn out great. As others have said, you need to wait until rain is in the forecast.

Also, IMO you are planting too early. We wait as long as possible to plant because there is so much native browse for the deer in August and Sept. that they don't pay much attention to plots. Then the plots get long and grassy and they are no longer young and tender.

We wait until late September or early October to plant our wheat/rye/oats/crimson clover plots.


Good Luck!

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #10

shdw633

Senior Member

t-roy211 said:

What does Lime do to the soil? Ive never messed with it much

Click to expand...

It sweetens the soil. I use dolamite lime at the time of seeding and it works great. I would recommend you get the pellets and disc it in when you disc your plot and then just plant.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #11

t-roy211

Senior Member

Ok so it sounds like the general consensus is to hold off on planting until the weather cools down some. So maybe ill go ahead and plow in August, but not plant til about opening weekend of bow season or so

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #12

chefrific

Senior Member

t-roy211 said:

What does Lime do to the soil? Ive never messed with it much

Click to expand...

Sir, Lime is probably the MOST important thing to put down in your plots depending on your Ph.

Without lime/proper soil Ph, it's like your plants going to a buffet with their jaw wired shut.


#1 - Get a soil test.
# 2 - Add lime
Get your dirt sweet, then worry about what to plant and when to fertilize.

Depending on the type of lime, it may take a while before it makes a difference.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #13

elfiii

Admin

Staff member

t-roy211 said:

What does Lime do to the soil? Ive never messed with it much

Click to expand...

Lime neutralizes acidic soil. Optimum soil pH is 6.0-6.5. If your soil pH is below that the soil is too acidic and needs to be adjusted up to the 6.0 range. Also, lime converts the nitrogen in the fertilizer into usable nitrogen for the plant.

Since you said you are using 10-10-10 and not getting much out of your plots I'm guessing your soil pH is probably low on top of planting too early and not providing enough nitrogen in your fertilizer. You can still grow a plot in acidic soil but it requires a higher nitrogen level in your fertilizer. Fertilizer is expensive. Lime is cheap.

Soil tests are inexpensive and they are going to tell you exactly what you need to do to your soil. The county extension agent for your county will conduct the test on the soil sample you send them and send you the results.

Go to the food plot forum and start a thread. Pay attention to advice from Canuck5 and Forest Grump. You can't go wrong if you follow their advice.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #14

Milkman

Deer Farmer Moderator

Staff member

Soil test is $8 per at your local Extension Service office. They will email your results in about 2-3 days.

 

• Aug 1, 2014

• #15

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !

Lots of great advice above!!! Just adding a chart, to show you how much fertilizer you're wasting (or your plants can't use) by not having proper PH.

Lime is soooooo cheap, compared to fertilizer. And fertilizer is an acid, so each application of fertilizer, only made your soil more acidic!

 

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• Aug 1, 2014

• #16

Forest Grump

Senior Member

Actually, you are "messing up" as your friend put it by planting in August. Wait for cooler, wetter weather & plant the last week of Sept to the first 2 of Oct., when rain is in the forecast. It's fine to put the fertilizer down at planting, but do turn it into the ground, then the N won't burn the plants or evaporate into the air, & the P & K will be down where the roots are. The plants you are planting are "cool season" crops, they don't like hot weather. The only exception might be the rape; if you are planting a plot with just brassicas you can put them in a week or two earlier so they will be bigger before frost, but you don't want the cereal grains to do that.

Do the soil test now, & apply the lime it recommends, or as much of it as you can. If your soil is very acid, it may take several years for you to get it into a good range, but it will be well worth the effort.

How to's:

http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/soiltest123/Georgia.htm

http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C896