Food Plots Soil Samples

[Shooter77]

How often does everyone do a soil sample on a certain plot? I've got 5 micro plots (.18-.53 acre) in the woods on my 29 acres that I've done soil samples on the last 2 years. 2021, I put down almost 1680 lbs of lime by hand on these. Turned out to be huge for them. Last year, all my plots were 6.8 - 7.2 ph and required no lime and no more than 1 bag of fertilizer. I've thought about holding off this year on these 5 plots. Go to a every other year soil test. Thoughts?

In March I will be closing on an addition 53 acres that joins mine. It has a field that's 4.5 acres that I plan to do corn and soybean on at least half. The other half might do some clover, brassica, wheat & oats mix. Would you do the whole field as a single test of break it up into at least 2 samples to address the different plantings? There is 2 small openings I plan to plant also, these are around 1/4 acre each. Should I just focus my soil samples on these new plots this year?

 

[MickThompson]

How often does everyone do a soil sample on a certain plot? I've got 5 micro plots (.18-.53 acre) in the woods on my 29 acres that I've done soil samples on the last 2 years. 2021, I put down almost 1680 lbs of lime by hand on these. Turned out to be huge for them. Last year, all my plots were 6.8 - 7.2 ph and required no lime and no more than 1 bag of fertilizer. I've thought about holding off this year on these 5 plots. Go to a every other year soil test. Thoughts?

In March I will be closing on an addition 53 acres that joins mine. It has a field that's 4.5 acres that I plan to do corn and soybean on at least half. The other half might do some clover, brassica, wheat & oats mix. Would you do the whole field as a single test of break it up into at least 2 samples to address the different plantings? There is 2 small openings I plan to plant also, these are around 1/4 acre each. Should I just focus my soil samples on these new plots this year?

I'd sample the whole field. You pick crop codes on the soil test. Will you be mixing corn and beans or planting them separately? They will have very different N requirements.

 

[Shooter77]

I w

I'd sample the whole field. You pick crop codes on the soil test. Will you be mixing corn and beans or planting them separately? They will have very different N requirements.

I will be mixing them. I don't have a drill, so I will have to broadcast my seed. Not sure how well that will work, but it's the only option right now.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

Corn and Beans do well together.

Three Sisters planting method

www.fws.gov

Have you talked to your County agent ?? They can help a lot with Free information .

 

[BSK]

I w

I will be mixing them. I don't have a drill, so I will have to broadcast my seed. Not sure how well that will work, but it's the only option right now.

First, increase your seeding rate with broadcast seeding. Second lightly drag the plot after seeding to cover the seed. I say "lightly" because it's very possible to bury seed too deep with certain types of drags (I found that out the hard way). Or cultipack after seeding.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

We only had to lime our fields about every 5 years. When collecting soil samples, get numerous samples per acre. Literally take a tennis ball out there and throw in different directions and take samples exactly where the ball lays. I usually aim for about 8 samples per acre.

On the new acreage, I'd do soil samples and plan from there. You can always plant soybeans in spring and then broadcast your fall seed into them when they start turning yellow and just before a rain come fall.

 

[Shooter77]

First, increase your seeding rate with broadcast seeding. Second lightly drag the plot after seeding to cover the seed. I say "lightly" because it's very possible to bury seed too deep with certain types of drags (I found that out the hard way). Or cultipack after seeding.

This is a overgrown field, should I mow, wait a few weeks to spray gly? Spread lime & fert per soil sample, then disk, broadcast, and culitipack?

 

[BSK]

If it is very overgrown (waist high or higher), mow first, wait a week or two, then spray with gly. Let that sit for a week and then disk, seed and either drag or cultipack.

 

[MickThompson]

I will be mixing them. I don't have a drill, so I will have to broadcast my seed. Not sure how well that will work, but it's the only option right now.

Id do the separately personally. Corn and beans have very different fertilizer requirements and management. For example, you could broadcast a fall crop into beans by themselves but can't do that into standing corn

 

[deerhunter10]

We soil samples our hay fields every year. Our food plots every other year. We lime as needed when it is truly needed. Usually for hay fields every 3ish years. Food plots 4ish. We cheap out on our fertilizing every other year on our food plots just do a generic fertilizer mix but we plant quite a bit acres. Take samples all over the fields. I will say for grain what you are talking about in our experience do everything right as far as what it calls for in the soil samples. We have the ability to spray so we get round up ready beans and corn as well. Separate the beans and corn. They require different fertilizer. We have personally never tried broadcasting corn but have done beans several times before we went to drilling everything. I think for our corn we went to heavy on our broadcasting as it does need some space, but honestly not sure we only tried it twice one time deer and turkeys destroyed it. As also said above if you are going to start to get into it pretty good one of the best tools you can invest in imo is a cultipacker. Haven't priced one in several years im sure they have gone up but you used to be able to find them for not bad at all. This year we are doing a lot of grain so we will start our soil sampling the end of February for us at least.

 

[megalomaniac]

Once I get the soil ph up to 6.5 to 6.8, I don't do soil samples but every 3rd year unless I am planning on planting an expensive crop (beans, corn, etc)

Now on new plots and those with low pH I'm still liming, I check them every year.