huntress1082
Well-Known Member
What to plant? Ratio per acre? Fertilizer application...thanks!
First year to try a food plot. Advice?
- Thread starter huntress1082
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Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
Get the QDMA food plot book,and a soil test,thats good advice,if I say so myselfhuntress1082 said:
tnclayboy
Well-Known Member
thats a loaded ??? there are many choices to make there depending on youre situation.
like how much $$$ are you willing to spend on it .
What type of soil do you have there ?
does it get much sun in the plot?
How will you work the soil up?
How big a plot are we talking about?
For a small plot meaning 1/2 Acre or less I wouldn't worry much about a soil test . I would just lime every spring .I put a 160 lbs of pelletized lime down each spring per half acre . I sow wheat ,oats,and winter peas together .and after i harrow that in I sow a mixture of red and white clover on top .prefurably just before a shower. if the clover looks good the next fall I will leave half of the plot for a few years .that way I have something out there all year round. White clover will come back for 3 to 5 years without reseeding ,but it requires some work.
The most cost effective way would be to get a soil test done ,then it would tell you exactly how much lime /fert you would need , Im in west TN so I allready know my soil needs lime.
I think they make soil test results easier to read then they used to . hope i could be of some help to you.
like how much $$$ are you willing to spend on it .
What type of soil do you have there ?
does it get much sun in the plot?
How will you work the soil up?
How big a plot are we talking about?
For a small plot meaning 1/2 Acre or less I wouldn't worry much about a soil test . I would just lime every spring .I put a 160 lbs of pelletized lime down each spring per half acre . I sow wheat ,oats,and winter peas together .and after i harrow that in I sow a mixture of red and white clover on top .prefurably just before a shower. if the clover looks good the next fall I will leave half of the plot for a few years .that way I have something out there all year round. White clover will come back for 3 to 5 years without reseeding ,but it requires some work.
The most cost effective way would be to get a soil test done ,then it would tell you exactly how much lime /fert you would need , Im in west TN so I allready know my soil needs lime.
I think they make soil test results easier to read then they used to . hope i could be of some help to you.
huntress1082
Well-Known Member
Thank you! We are in east tn and the lease we are on is VERY sandy. Every food plot is in direct sun (that we have seen so far) and is about .2 miles around the edge. It is a mix of hardwood and pines that surround them. We want to do 2 plots that size for $500 or less. We bought sine clover and purple top turnips I know so far. The veterans recommend 15-15-15 fertilizer. We haven't done a soil test yet.
huntress1082
Well-Known Member
Oh and we are working the soil with our tractor and 4 foot rototiller on pre-bushhogged land
Buckhunter72
Well-Known Member
Get a soil test as soon as you can. The best way to save money is to have the correct soil information. Fertilizer can be expensive, but so is seed and your time. If you don't know what you need it is hard to make it right. Your soil may be perfect, fertilazation will only be a waste of money. As far as lime goes, it takes a bunch to make a difference.
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
stay away from the N if you can,will just promote grass
