food plot start up

twincerely · Jul 8, 2008

need help advice i have decided to put in a food plot here on my proporty i steped it off bout 180x180 feet so about 3/4 acres heres my questions. area i mow with lawn mower its on a hill side not steep, creek at bottom. going to get soil test tomorrow. do i need to go ahead an till it up now or wait till results come back an till,fertilze,an lime. its kinda poor dry soil. several huge w/oaks in middle an a lg persimmon tree at top good deer traffic year round.was thinking about the alfa rack or the no-till blend. anyone got any advice or helpful info to get me started on a fall plot. what would you do.

HOOK · Jul 8, 2008

Wait for your results. If you need lime for fall planting it's too late. The best you can do is lime now to prepare for spring planting. Takes an average of 5-6 months to adequately adjust pH using AG lime.

kubotakid · Jul 21, 2008

you can lime now then fertilize and plant in oct and be great. Decide on if you want to double crop every year or put in a white clover and chickory blend. If you keep it mowed and weeded your good for 5 years or so. If you double crop to feed in summer I would plant ebony peas and lablab then plant a cool season crop of your choice for fall and winter. you will be doing the most for the deer and give your self a great food source to kill in. The lablab is very brouse tolerant for small plots and/or the clover will do just fine there also. Do your soil prep now though so your ready when the rain returns

deerchaser007 · Jul 22, 2008

Round up the area now and kill everything first.

Stay away from alfa rack. Alfalfa requires a high ph level and alot of spraying required. To much for a sloped area.

See page 2 of the buck forage oats thread and read my post and if you have any more questions i will answer for you. I recommend a annual plot or a 1 time a year plot for a slope and slightly dry area though.