Starting a food plot, any advice?

[jy951]

I think you need some kind of barrier or fencing so the plants don't get eaten before they are ready.

 

[Old Dog]

The grass must be destroyed, either mechanically or chemically, or it will out compete about anything you seed. Good soil to seed contact will improve germination. Anything you can do to get seed into the dirt will help. Soil test is a good start.

 

[BJHay]

I've been toying with the idea of a food plots for a while. I've talked to a few people and found an 8 page paper from Purdue that was worth reading (attached). A state biologist told me it's pointless because in most parts of the state food is plentiful. Some hunters disagree. I think some of the opinions expressed by Purdue are not fully accepted in the hunting community either.

If you have a common field that's been mown for years it's probably all fescue grass. That is tough stuff and as others have said you'll need to burn it with round up a couple of times. I think Purdue recommends a chemical burn AND turning it with a bottom plow. That is tough stuff and will smother many other species.

 

[two70]

I've been toying with the idea of a food plots for a while. I've talked to a few people and found an 8 page paper from Purdue that was worth reading (attached). A state biologist told me it's pointless because in most parts of the state food is plentiful. Some hunters disagree. I think some of the opinions expressed by Purdue are not fully accepted in the hunting community either.

If you have a common field that's been mown for years it's probably all fescue grass. That is tough stuff and as others have said you'll need to burn it with round up a couple of times. I think Purdue recommends a chemical burn AND turning it with a bottom plow. That is tough stuff and will smother many other species.

IMO, from what I read in a quick scan the Purdue document has quite a lot of good information, if properly filtered. I would filter the provided information with more up to date information provided by those like Dr. Grant Woods.

 

[teddy12b]

In the past I've used products like ground clear or other roundup products, but those things go scorched earth on the soil. I'd like to get something to grow, but if I use that kind of product I don't think I'll get seeds to take in that area in the window of time I'll have to get something started this spring. Maybe I'm wrong? I like the idea of dropping the deck on the mower as tight as it'll go to the ground and using those clippings as mulch after raking up the area.

This food plot that I'm hoping to get going doesn't have to be a competition grade hardcore hunter type of food plot. Part of the appeal is just to give critters a little place for some cover that's full of snacks. Don't get me wrong, I want it to do well and ideally have some of it come back next year, but if patches of it end up being a complete fail and I end up with high grass then that's not the end of the world either.

 

[bwframe]

I don't know anything about the tests, but why not do both and compare results? Seems like that would be the real learning experience?

Questions on the beets and turnips;
- Do the deer decimate these crops, or is there tops and roots left over to be consumed by the humans?
- Is the turnip/beet crop a deterrent from other area garden crops, or does it just attract them to the neighborhood to eat everything?


.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

In the past I've used products like ground clear or other roundup products, but those things go scorched earth on the soil. I'd like to get something to grow, but if I use that kind of product I don't think I'll get seeds to take in that area in the window of time I'll have to get something started this spring. Maybe I'm wrong? I like the idea of dropping the deck on the mower as tight as it'll go to the ground and using those clippings as mulch after raking up the area.

It depends on what you use. Plain round up (glyphosate) doesn't have a residual effect, seeds will sprout after you spray it. Others not so much such like round up 365. Farmers will spray a field with it to burn down weeds or unwanted plants before seeding.

 

[two70]

I don't know anything about the tests, but why not do both and compare results? Seems like that would be the real learning experience?

Questions on the beets and turnips;
- Do the deer decimate these crops, or is there tops and roots left over to be consumed by the humans?
- Is the turnip/beet crop a deterrent from other area garden crops, or does it just attract them to the neighborhood to eat everything?


.

1. I have very little experience with beets but deer will start on the turnip tops first and will usually eat the bulbs much later. Turnips, radishes, and I suspect beets are not really that attractive to deer until after they have had a substantial frost or two on them to concentrate the sugars. Also, depends on the quantity and quality of other food items available to deer at a given time. My experience with turnips and radishes are that they are rarely really high preference foods nor are they a last resort choice.

2. Deer will primarily eat the best available food source they can at any given time(in terms of palatability, access, and nutritional content). That said, they are opportunistic browsers and almost always sample other things encountered on the way to destination food sources. Turnips and beets should be planted as fall crops for deer and may have some ability to draw deer from other fall garden crops if the deer population is not really high and other good food sources exist. In the spring/summer garden, the deer will likely mostly ignore the beets/turnips on their way to more attractive garden plants. I've heard that the University of Nebraska was successfully experimenting with planting sun hemp near soybean fields to draw deer away from the beans at critical stages, so there is some proof of concept to that idea.

 

[Jaybird1980]

In the past I've used products like ground clear or other roundup products, but those things go scorched earth on the soil. I'd like to get something to grow, but if I use that kind of product I don't think I'll get seeds to take in that area in the window of time I'll have to get something started this spring. Maybe I'm wrong? I like the idea of dropping the deck on the mower as tight as it'll go to the ground and using those clippings as mulch after raking up the area.

This food plot that I'm hoping to get going doesn't have to be a competition grade hardcore hunter type of food plot. Part of the appeal is just to give critters a little place for some cover that's full of snacks. Don't get me wrong, I want it to do well and ideally have some of it come back next year, but if patches of it end up being a complete fail and I end up with high grass then that's not the end of the world either.

Your timeframe and what to plant really depends on when you want to try to attract them. The deer almost completely abandon my little plots through the summer. They usually return around harvest time and stick around through the next spring. They really hit the clover and hairy vetch and peas first, then they eat on the winter wheat and radishes.

If you're wanting to attract them for the summer then I'm not sure how to do that. To many farm fields around me to compete with and I don't have a big enough area. The rabbits use it during the summer.

 

[Michigan Slim]

Alfalfa roots deep and if you mow it down a couple times through summer/fall the deer mob the new growth. I'm a fan of that and clover mixes.

 

[mmpsteve]

With established grasses, I think you're going to have a hard time getting other stuff to grow, no matter what you decide to plant. Even killing it with something is not going to get you good seed contact with the soil.

Might be worth renting some kind of tiller, or pay someone to at least disk the grass under, plant your seed, then pay to have it rolled in.

Just my .02, and good luck with it.

.

 

[Cameramonkey]

With established grasses, I think you're going to have a hard time getting other stuff to grow, no matter what you decide to plant. Even killing it with something is not going to get you good seed contact with the soil.

Might be worth renting some kind of tiller, or pay someone to at least disk the grass under, plant your seed, then pay to have it rolled in.

Just my .02, and good luck with it.

.

This. I just moved my raised bed garden 3'. I tried busting up the areas covered in grass. My front tine tiller just beat the hell out of me as it bounced off the surface and scalped the grass. Even a heavy rear tine tiller is going to be a lot of work for an acre. It can be done effortlessly by a tractor in no time.

 

[teddy12b]

Had a thought run through my head because I'll be mowing tomorrow and I have to run by tractor supply tonight anyway. I was debating on getting a bag of granular fertilizer and spreading that out before I mow the new plot area, mow as short as I possibly can and then come back in a day or so and spread all the food plot seed out.

Maybe I've got those things in the wrong order? Thoughts?

 

[two70]

Had a thought run through my head because I'll be mowing tomorrow and I have to run by tractor supply tonight anyway. I was debating on getting a bag of granular fertilizer and spreading that out before I mow the new plot area, mow as short as I possibly can and then come back in a day or so and spread all the food plot seed out.

Maybe I've got those things in the wrong order? Thoughts?

IMO, you'll likely just be wasting time and money. The grass is already established and it will easily out compete newly planted seeds. It is hard to seed, especially broadcast seed, into living grass and get a good stand of whatever you planted.

What seed did you decide to plant?

 

[teddy12b]

I've been rethinking spraying the soil with grass killer and or renting a tractor with a grader box for an evening to tear up the soil. All the reading I've been doing shows seed to soil contact or nothing at all. The broadcast seed spreading is more of a lazy pie in the sky wish that ends in disappointment from most of what I'm finding.

These are the seeds I got and I also intend to toss out a tiny amount of wild flower seed mix along with milkweed seed for butterflies.

Amazon product ASIN B09PHYXP7R
Amazon product ASIN B09PHYXFVH
Amazon product ASIN B09PHZ48X9
Amazon product ASIN B09PHZRHCM

 

[Jaybird1980]

I've been rethinking spraying the soil with grass killer and or renting a tractor with a grader box for an evening to tear up the soil. All the reading I've been doing shows seed to soil contact or nothing at all. The broadcast seed spreading is more of a lazy pie in the sky wish that ends in disappointment from most of what I'm finding.

These are the seeds I got and I also intend to toss out a tiny amount of wild flower seed mix along with milkweed seed for butterflies.

Amazon product ASIN B09PHYXP7R
Amazon product ASIN B09PHYXFVH
Amazon product ASIN B09PHZ48X9
Amazon product ASIN B09PHZRHCM

IMO if it's not going to get turned over, I would probably think about running an aerator over it a bunch of times. Then spread the seeds so they can get into the holes. Not sure how much good a grader box will be. Definitely have to kill the grass first though.

 

[two70]

I've been rethinking spraying the soil with grass killer and or renting a tractor with a grader box for an evening to tear up the soil. All the reading I've been doing shows seed to soil contact or nothing at all. The broadcast seed spreading is more of a lazy pie in the sky wish that ends in disappointment from most of what I'm finding.

These are the seeds I got and I also intend to toss out a tiny amount of wild flower seed mix along with milkweed seed for butterflies.

Amazon product ASIN B09PHYXP7R
Amazon product ASIN B09PHYXFVH
Amazon product ASIN B09PHZ48X9
Amazon product ASIN B09PHZRHCM

Depending on the county you live in, you may be able to rent a no-till drill from your Soil and Water Conservation District office for a really reasonable cost. That would be the best way if you decide to rent a tractor. Broadcast seeding can work well but only if you have a well prepared seedbed where you've killed off the competition.

Those look like some solid seed choices but if it were me #2 and #4 are the only ones I'd even consider planting in the spring/summer. We've always had better luck getting chicory established in the fall than the spring for some reason but its worth the effort as deer and turkeys both love it. Most of the plants in #1 and #3 will be much more attractive to deer in the fall and the radishes and turnips will likely bolt quickly in the heat of summer.

 

[teddy12b]

I mowed the section of land down over the weekend as low as the mower would let me, and I think I'm going to plan renting a tractor with a grader box. Probably going to set the teeth down as far down as they'll go and I'll tear up everything as best as I can with that. I'm pretty limited what equipment I have available.

For seeds, I was looking at the charts and really wanted something that'd come back more each year, but I get that's not entirely likely. I plan to broadcast the seeds in steps and then again later this fall.

 

[Kernal1984]

I started 3 plots with these guys stuff and going by the recommendations from their soil tests last year and they all did great. My clover I planted should be good for at least 5 years and up to 8 with proper care.

Soil Test Kit

Get the most out of your soil with Whitetail Institute's soil test kit! This soil sample kit will provide you with the results you need for a quality food plot.

whitetailinstitute.com

The link is a soil test that is done at a lab but it’s suited to what they sell, you could probably compare their products to what you’ve already purchased to get a good idea of what’s needed to make your soil right.

I’ve never had luck without turning the soil in some way shape or form. These guys are great to talk to about what works and what doesn’t for your location and soil type as well.

 

[two70]

Excellent video explaining soil test results: