Food Plots Mixing up your own seed for food plot

[alpha male]

I have a small wooded spot about 1 acre i want to food plot. It does get sunlight and i can get a tractor and disc to it.Its growed up pretty good right now i was wanting to know what steps i should take to prepare it and what to plant? I was thinking of just going in and spraying it but what to spray? Then go in and disc up then what to plant? Maybe Imperial no-plow?? Or make up my own stuff to plant?? First time food plotting all information will be much appreciated!!!

 

[muddyboots]

Spray with round up. I wait two weeks and disk up. Then bout end of august I plant a mix of wheat, oats, rye grain. For an acre id do about 60 lbs each and just mix them up. After planting I usually drag and cultipack then fertilize with triple 15 bout 150 lbs. Then wait for rain.

 

[bigtex]

Spray with round up. I wait two weeks and disk up. Then bout end of august I plant a mix of wheat, oats, rye grain. For an acre id do about 60 lbs each and just mix them up. After planting I usually drag and cultipack then fertilize with triple 15 bout 150 lbs. Then wait for rain.

Good advice, only thing I would do different would be to add a couple of varieties of clover to the mix.

 

[HenryCohunter]

If you can get a tractor to it.. Bushhog.. Then spray..wait a week to 10 days. Then disc .. Then spray again.. Give it 2 weeks and plant a mix of Austrian winter peas and wheat/forage oats. I'd wait and plant the clover this coming spring after you disc in your old plot mix.

 

[Hunter 257W]

If you can, I'd spray AND bush hog before trying to disk. Tall growth like you are describing is almost impossible to disk under if it's not dried out and cut up 1st. I've tried to take that short cut myself and ended up having to make 8 or 10 passes with the disk and even then still getting big piles of green weeds drug up all over the field.

 

[348Winchester]

Mow it, wait a few days and spray it. When the foliage looks like it was kissed by the angel of death, disk the hell out of it. Here is what I've learned these past 18 years planting food plots. The best plants for new plots are rye grain and winter wheat. I like rye grain a little better for it makes excellent green manure the next spring.

Here is my most successful recipe for a year-round plot that deer will use regularly in every season. In late summer prepare your plot as described above. Do not forget to add lime at one and a half tons to the acre. Lime is more important overall than fertilizer. However, fertilizer will be needed at a rate of 200 pounds per acre. I use 19-19-19.

Plant your seed mix of rye grain, wheat, or both. Broadcast at 100 lbs/acre. Adding in about 5 lbs of crimson clover and 3 lbs of red clover will extend the life of your plot well into the following spring. Try to time your sewing just prior to a rain as the rain will drive your seed into the soil as well as provide needed moisture for germination. After 2-3 weeks sew the thin or bald spots again for good measure.

In late February to early March frost seed some more red clover into the plot. Another 3-4 lbs simply broadcast will work wonders. Also, this is an excellent time to lime again at about half of what you did in the fall. In late May mow the plot very close. At this time sew in about fifty lbs of buck wheat. In mid July or after the Buckwheat has gone to seed, mow the plot again. Mowing will spread the buckwheat seed and keep the plot attractive to deer.

In mid September, you are ready to plant fall grain crops and clover again. Do not spray unless you absolutely must to control invasive grasses. After a few seasons following this routine you may want to add winter oats to replace the rye grain or wheat. You can plant a mix of all three if you so desire.

Remember, lime is very important! I lime frequently but in diminishing amounts as the soil becomes less acidic. Mowing, as needed, serves two purposes. It helps to control weeds somewhat and keeps the plants in a more tender state which deer find much more palatable.

 

[alpha male]

So 348winchester for summer plots dont disc back up just broadcast and next fall just spray for weed control and dont disc just broadcast??

 

[348Winchester]

There will be no need to disk the plot to plant buckwheat for summer. Just sow it very heavily by broadcasting the seed as closely as possible to a rain.

In mid September mow, wait a few days and then disk the plot thoroughly. That will turn into the soil the plant matter which helps build the soil.

I avoid spraying whenever possible. Generally, I only do it when first starting a new plot. Spraying chemicals is not good for the environment in my opinion and is very expensive.