Food Plots...Need some help PLEASE

[JoeDeer]

we are getting ready to put our food plots in...but with the drought we have had...the ground is hard as a rock....in years past ...sept 1 has been the majic date....if we get it in later...will we still be ok....?

my second question is that we are having a farmer that is doing our bush hogging and tilling....this is the first year we have used this guy...hes about 70 and been a farmer all his life...he said that before he tills for us to throw our seed and fertilizer down and then he will till it in...that this method works the best.....we have never done it that way and was looking for some feed back from you guys on this topic...

thanks for the responses in advance...

 

[BSK]

First, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES plant unless you have adequate soil moisture. If you plant into dry soil, all of that seed money has just been thrown down a rat-hole.

Second, each plant will have a preferred planting depth. If you plant that seed too deep, the newly germinated plants will die before reaching the surface. Tilling in seed is the fastest way to ruin a food plot as tilling usually buries the seed to deep. Cereal grains should only be planted about an inch deep. Clovers should not be buried at all, but should be compacted into just the surface of the soil with a cultipacker. I've seen more clover plots ruined by tilling in the seed than any other mistake.

...and by the way, the second most common mistake I see with food plot planting is planting on a given date in late summer or early fall, regardless of soil moisture. If soil moisture isn't adequate, wait. Food plots can be planted as late as mid-October and still do well.

 

[Soybean Man]

BSK is right. Seeds have stored energy to carry them through germination until photosynthesis occurs. Smaller seeds have less stored energy and when planted deep, can run out trying to reach the surface. BSK is also right in using the calender for planting. Always use environmental conditions to determine planting. I believe October is more ideal.

 

[JoeDeer]

according to bsk...you need to wait until we ground has moisture...

 

[BSK]

Disking in lime and fertilizer? Absolutely. Just don't plant any seed until we get considerable rain. It will take several rains to recharge the soil.

 

[Boone 58]

I agree with these guys. We need a rain pattern change in weather before even considering planting as we are in a severe drought circumstances. It wont hurt to wait till the first two weeks in sept.....but if we dont get adequate rainfall i would wait until we do. Remember two years ago we got rain around the 22nd of sept and then in lawrence county we got no more rain until the second week of nov....everything by that time had died from lack of rainfall. October can be brutal if there is no rainfall as daytime temps are in the 80's much of the time.
we need rain!!!