PLOT DISSAPOINTMENT

[brofoster]

Man I was really hoping for some great plots this year and God knows I busted my backside trying to get them in. I ended up planting 9 acres but we planted late because no rain. We planted 1 October which I was fine with. The issue is the seed sat there for a long time waiting on hurricane Ian which passed us by. The turkeys and dove helped themselves. Man I really put down a few grand on these plots too with all the help, lime, fertilizer and seed. I'm thinking about switching back to labor day planting vs late September. Just never a good time for planting. I've got some growth it's not a total loss. With the next rain I'll overseed with oats. Which do you prefer burned by heat or burned by drought??

 

[1eyefishing]

Lots of folks in your boat.
The verdict is still out on me. I waited and waited and finally stuck seed in the dust right before that rain last week. Was hoping for a second round of rain yesterday but didn't get it. My stuff is germinating good but doesn't need 10 days of nothing.
Here's a pic from this morning, but the Trail cams say the deer are not hitting on it quite yet.
Need more rain soon.

 

[1eyefishing]

What is SUPPOSED to look like this time of year...

 

[treadwell]

Mine are toast too.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

We planted Sept. 17th. As of October 9th, they all look like this:

 

[killerv]

I'm not expecting a whole lot, turkeys are hitting mine hard, no rain in site. Even the deer are browsing on any exposed seed. Had 9 in "foodplot" Sunday literally browsing in the dirt.

 

[1eyefishing]

I'm not expecting a whole lot, turkeys are hitting mine hard, no rain in site. Even the deer are browsing on any exposed seed. Had 9 in "foodplot" Sunday literally browsing in the dirt.

They get after any peas in the mix harder than corn I believe.

 

[Browning Slayer]

That rain we had last week saved mine by a long shot. In 2 days they jumped right back out of the ground and we planted in September. If we had went another week without rain, they would be dirt.

 

[kmckinnie]

Alex ;-) I’ll take food plots for 200.
My answer.....
What is toast ?

 

[deers2ward]

Man I was really hoping for some great plots this year and God knows I busted my backside trying to get them in. I ended up planting 9 acres but we planted late because no rain. We planted 1 October which I was fine with. The issue is the seed sat there for a long time waiting on hurricane Ian which passed us by. The turkeys and dove helped themselves. Man I really put down a few grand on these plots too with all the help, lime, fertilizer and seed. I'm thinking about switching back to labor day planting vs late September. Just never a good time for planting. I've got some growth it's not a total loss. With the next rain I'll overseed with oats. Which do you prefer burned by heat or burned by drought??

See it every year on here. Everybody wants to sit over food plots when season comes in, but you gotta change how you look at it. Instead of planting when you want to, plant it when mother nature tells you it's time. If you are in the Piedmont and planting a fall/winter plot, late Oct is historically a very safe bet. The dew helps to bridge between rains

 

[mattb78]

I understand the frustration. That hurricane sucked out alot of moisture and came at the worst time.

I would not significantly move the planting time. Droughts happen and they will always happen but much more often than not you will get enough rain to prevent a complete failure.

 

[Dirtroad Johnson]

Back before I retired, I always planted Labor day weekend because of extra time & it seem to always work out well. Now being retired I started waiting later, I planted on 10-13 & as of now nothing. Hopefully break the ground soon. Might go back to what worked out good for years.

 

[rstallings1979]

2.5 inches last week helped but the ground sucked it up like a sponge. Need another shower soon but it doesn't look to be in the cards.

 

[htr4life]

Timed a rain in Mid-Sept. Not great but a start.

 

[Canuck5]

My father always used to say, when you plant, document the date, when the last rain was, when the next rain will be, how many pounds per acre of everything you planted, the fertilizer, the lime, how deep you planted and if you planted in moisture or not. Make a history of what, when and where you planted.

Then when planting times comes around next year and open that book, rip that page out and burn it, cause nothing will be the same.

The good news is that your lime, fertilizer and small seed is probably all still there. Cereal grains probably got a work over by the birds. The other good news is that WHEN your seed germinates, it will more than likely out compete the fall weeds that are sitting there begging for rain too. If you planted a perennial clover in there, you will likely have a very good stand next spring.

Broadcast more cereal grains ahead of the next almost, pretty sure, hopefully the next rain comes ..... but it will come.

I burned down with glyphosate, my plots, the end of August and my seed is still in the bag, but that will change tomorrow. We got 3/4" of rain, last week, and a total of 1/4" in September, so I know my soil is probably pretty hard. I am not going to work the soil, so I can save whatever moisture is in the soil but broadcast everything on top of the burned down weeds and grass. Then cultipack over top.

Not my preferred way of doing things, but having my ph at about 6.5 and my P&K where it needs to be, I am going to give it a shot. Right now, now rain in sight.

I am going to get more of these pills.

 

[Canuck5]

What it is supposed to look like. Planted first week in October 2021. And this is what it looked like on October 29, 2021.

 

[HuntingFool]

I stopped replanting every year. When I did I always planted Labor Day and had good luck. Now that I have clover plots I just overseed with clover and greens and walk away. Just some mowing, lime and fertilizer throughout the year.

 

[RedHills]

Relative humidity at my place today...21% !!

The little rain we got last week is being sucked from the ground.

 

[davidhelmly]

I feel your pain, mine has been in the ground for 4 days now, hoping for some more rain… ?

 

[furtaker]

We finally got around an inch last week and I just checked on mine and some of it is starting to sprout and grow. We really need some more rain soon though.

It's frustrating but there isn't much you can do about it.