Now What Should I do?

[bobthebowhunter]

Ok i am a newbie to qdm. The land owner had us a nice turnip patch this year, but this year I want to take over the qdm and start early with a spring and summer mix. but how should I prepare the soil. What do I do with the existing food plots, and areas where I will be making new ones. I guess I need to bush hog everything first?????? Please Help

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Testing the soil and applying the proper amounts of lime and fertilizer sohuld be your first step. To many people skip this step and then regret it later.

 

[bobthebowhunter]

Ok. How do I test the soil.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

There are several ways but what I would do is go to your soil conservation office and get the little boxes you put the soil in. It has the complete instructions, you mail it off and get a paper back that tells you exactly what you should do for the plants you are trying to establish.

 

[bobthebowhunter]

One more question. This Soil Conservation Office you speak of. I am in Hickman co. So who do I need to contact.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

This is what I found by googling it.

Hickman Soil Conservation Office at 931-729-2686, ext. 3.

 

[kholmes]

I would establish some perenial clover and chicory plots. Do as Steven suggested and get your soil test first. Disk and spray a few times this summer to kill weeds and grass. If possible I like to plant RR soybeans in my future clover plots to kill weeds and grass and give the deer something to munch on in the summer. Then in mid September disk the beans up and plant your perenials.

As for QDM you can do a bunch without foodplots. If possible managing for native browse is a great alternative to foodplots when applicable (landowner letting you cut some trees of little value for daylighting , fertilizing your mast trees, fertilizing your natives). This year was a real eye opener for me in that the deer on our property made their living on honeysuckle and greenbriar. I will be doing all I can to promote this stuff this year.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

great post kholmes.

 

[woodchuckc]

Bob,
The co-op in Centerville on Hwy 100/50 about 1/2 mile west of the town square has soil analysis bags and will send them off for you when you bring them back. BTW,Hickman Co doesn't even have their own co-op; it is actually a branch of the Humphreys Co co-op. It is recommended that you not take the whole sample from one place - scrape away the vegetation and collect soil from 5-6 places in the area that you want results from.

After a week or so you can go back and they will have a printout of the results, which will have recommendations for lime and NPK (fertilizer) application rates based on what you specify you want to plant.

 

[Chaneylake]

if you have the proper equipment, roundup and no-till will help keep food plots cleaner.

every time you disc, you can cause a new weed/grass problem, loose moisture, etc.

 

[Swampster]

OK, I'm new to QDM too. Why does QDM automatically = establishing food plots and soil amendments?

 

[BigGameGuy]

OK, I'm new to QDM too. Why does QDM automatically = establishing food plots and soil amendments?

I think that's been the best question asked thus far!

I think the very first step in ANY QDM program is is to take an eagle eye look at your property as well as all the surrounding properties, especially if you are planning on small property management (<500 acres). Getting this "big picture" developed will help to determine what best management practices are needed for your property.

For example, if his property sits in the midst of 1,500 acres of soybean and cornfields then why on earth would he need a food plot? His best QDM option may be to convert a good portion of his land into cover. He may also want to create a travel corridor such as an overgrown fencerow or fallow field leading to the aforementioned crops. In other words, food plots shouldn't always be step one in every QDM program. They may very well be the first step, but sometimes they aren't.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Swampster I think alot of folks do that because they already have cover or theres notthing they can do about the current timber situation(like leasers) My case is that I already have plenty of cover and browse so food plots are the next step.

 

[BigGameGuy]

Just so you know, I wasn't singling anyone out. In most cases, food plots are the best management practice, but as a general rule of thumb, "looking at the big picture" is always where any QDM program should begin.

 

[C farms]

very good point- The big picture