Food Plots 1st food plot

[Public land rat]

Hey guys i just bought a piece of property that has about a 14 acre pasture on it that has been used for cattle for many years. The field seems to be beaten down and the hay/grass looks kinda sad. I am going to plant a food plot next year, so my question for you guys is do i need to lime in the fall and fertilize in the spring, or fertilize now, or what would be best? They cut the entire field this fall with a finishing mower to make the field look nice for the sale. I have been saving many years and living like a poor boy to finally get my own "piece" of land. naturally i want spend every dollar on the property wisely, so i wanna asking people with experience.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Soil sample/analysis and lime now if you can. If it's been used for grazing there's a possibility compaction could also be an issue so might need subsoiling as well. Seed, fertilizer, fuel, and equipment aren't cheap so invest the time (sometimes more so than money) to get the dirt properly prepped.

Congratulations on becoming a landowner and enjoy the journey!

 

[Public land rat]

Thank weevil, i apprecaite it. I enjoy seeing everyones food plots on here, kinda motivates ya. Hopefully next year i'll be able to add a pic of my own.

 

[feathersandfur2214]

I woul dget a get soil sample and go from there as far as lime fertilizer. I also agree that if has been used for pasture you are going to need a subsoiler. Kill the field off, subsoil, then lime/fertilize per recommendations. Good luck. Look forward to see your progress.

 

[Antler Dirt John]

Rules to remember
It takes lime 6 months in the soil to begin to break down and significantly aid the ph in your soil Lime in the fall to help spring plantings.
Soil samples are the road map to where you want to be. Know the best ph for the crop you want to plant.
If you dont have a ripper or subsoil tool, turnips and diakon radish will help reduce soil compaction and will pull deep soil nutrients up from further down than most crops send roots.
If planting annuals, always plant a winter cover crop and have year round food, erosion control and matter to give back to the soil.

 

[Antler Dirt John]

If you want to make deer more comfortable in a given area, plant a screen of tall crop like switch grass or sudan / sudex or sorghum. We planted 3 acres of soybeans among 5 houses on 3 sides within 100 yards of a main road and the planted a 10 ft wide screen of sudan / sudex grass around the three sides this year. Deer were in the plot at all times of the day often with people within 100 yd.

 

[Public land rat]

Thanks guys. I believe i have made a deal with a local farmer for him to plant the field this coming year in beans or corn. I figured that would bust up the hardened soil and the field would get fertilized in the spring without me having to pay for it, Trying to save money for seed. Then after he harvests the beans or corn i would then plant a fall/late season crop. I have made it clear that he, nor anyone else is to hunt this property, that it is a crop lease, not a hunting lease. What are yalls opinions on this?

 

[Boll Weevil]

Might be a good idea to put the terms in writing: aerial, acreage amounts, and acceptable rowcrops. You could also gauge the farmer's interest in planting a cover crop like winter wheat...they'd drill that right behind the corn or beans.

 

[catman529]

Sounds like you need a soil test and it probably needs a good bit of fert but I am not an expert. I'm thinking it would be the difference between an OK food plot and a lush, green plot. Congrats on buying the land, that's one of the biggest things I am saving money for now.

 

[chebuck]

Just make sure he is putting enough fertilizer down to build the soil. He can rob what nutrients that are in the ground and still grow a desant crop for a couple years then it will require much more fertilizer to get the ground back where it needs to be.

 

[Hunter 257W]

If you want to make deer more comfortable in a given area, plant a screen of tall crop like switch grass or sudan / sudex or sorghum. We planted 3 acres of soybeans among 5 houses on 3 sides within 100 yards of a main road and the planted a 10 ft wide screen of sudan / sudex grass around the three sides this year. Deer were in the plot at all times of the day often with people within 100 yd.

I've never thought of planting sudan/sudex (we always called it sorghum grass) as a screen around a food plot. I like that idea though. We used to grow a 20 acre field every year for hay and it gets over 10 feet tall so it would do wonders to boost a deer's confidence to come into a food plot in the daylight with a ring planted around the actual plot.

 

[Mike Belt]

Go ahead and get a soil sample taken. In all likelihood you're going to need lime. Your farmer is not going to lime the place just to plant 1 crop come spring. Go ahead and take care of that yourself. Bulk lime and having it spread is relatively cheap compared to the costs of fertilizer, etc. That liming can benefit you for up to 5 years before needing it again. I'd let the farmer do his on fertilizing but I'd want to know what and how much he used. Based on that number you'll know what more needs to be added prior to potentially planting fall food plots.

 

[Public land rat]

Thanks mike. Pelletized ag lime or the hydrated lime? There is a field right beside my property, planted in just rye grass i believe, there is deer in this field every evening. It is the only field around that is green and hasn't had cattle on it. This gives me a lot of hope for next deer season if i can plant my fields properly. I am going to try to plant a couple different things, but i cannot afford to plant/fertilize the whole field, so my goal is 5 acres per year. How expensive is this sorghum grass? I'm thinking of letting everything i cannot plant grow up, but i don't want to let it grow up in just anything, briars,weeds, etc. There is a pond in the middle of my field, we are wanting to stock it with catfish to eat, will fertilizing the fields negatively affect the fish?

 

[Antler Dirt John]

The Sorghum grass is for a screen and or a cover / bedding area, it is not a preferred food source. The seed is not expensive. pulverized lime available at the fertilizer supplier and or the local limestone quarry. It is a powder and is difficult to spread. If you wish to spread your own you will have to go to pelletized lime (50 lb bags and costs more). If your property drains largely to the pond be careful about heavy nitrogen applications just before a rain. The nutrients will wash into the pond generating an explosion of plant / algea growth resulting in oxygen depletion harming your fish. To revisit the first few replies. Decide your crop, take soil samples and send them in. Fertilize per the advised rates for the crop you wish to grow.

 

[landman]

Thanks guys. I believe i have made a deal with a local farmer for him to plant the field this coming year in beans or corn. I figured that would bust up the hardened soil and the field would get fertilized in the spring without me having to pay for it, Trying to save money for seed. Then after he harvests the beans or corn i would then plant a fall/late season crop. I have made it clear that he, nor anyone else is to hunt this property, that it is a crop lease, not a hunting lease. What are yalls opinions on this?

If he's no-tilling, much the large % do you soil won't be "busted up", and if he plants
beans I bet he doesn't fertilize at all.

 

[Antler Dirt John]

Many bean growers in our area use liquid and or foliar fertilizer and apply it when they spray for weeds.