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Well I see a lot of new guys on here and the first thing they ask is about food plots, what to plant, etc. I am not an expert but I have been doing plots on the farm for about 7 years. I also do plots on other properties as well, and worked doing plots for a wildlife consulting firm while I was in college. With that being said, I have learned a lot the hard way.
Here are some quick tips if you are a first time plotter
1. Get a soil test - this can be done through mossy oak, local coops, whitetail institute as well. This will help to tell you what your PH is, and what fertilizer is recommended based on what you are planting. Lets just focus on PH for beginners. If PH is below 6.8, need to add lime. Either pellet or AG lime.
2. Keep it simple: IF you want to use Buck on Bag seed blends that is ok for small acres (anything under 1 acre). Just make sure you don't pick a BS mix that is full of rye grass.
3. Clovers are legumes they fix nitrogen in the soil - you can plant these for several years in a row
4. Turnips, radishes, and other brassicas take nitrogen out of the soil - these are a great crop to follow clovers
5. USE GRAINS - oats, winter wheat, rye GRAIN (not grass).
Typically spring mixes are harder to plant, due to higher weed competition. Clover/chicory mixes are great because you can mow them and keep weeds down. You can also spray with grass selected herbicides in the spring, this adds an element of complication.
If fall planting a great mix is simply:
spray round up (41% gly) doesn't have to be brand round up
till plot
spread clovers
spread oats, rye grain, winter wheat
run over with atv, or if you have a cultipacker
pray for rain
the next spring you should just have mow this plot and you'll have clover left over. The following fall you can oversewed with the grains. After a few years, till it under and plant turnips.
I hope you all find this helpful. Please add corrections where I am wrong or you disagree.
thanks for reading!
Here are some quick tips if you are a first time plotter
1. Get a soil test - this can be done through mossy oak, local coops, whitetail institute as well. This will help to tell you what your PH is, and what fertilizer is recommended based on what you are planting. Lets just focus on PH for beginners. If PH is below 6.8, need to add lime. Either pellet or AG lime.
2. Keep it simple: IF you want to use Buck on Bag seed blends that is ok for small acres (anything under 1 acre). Just make sure you don't pick a BS mix that is full of rye grass.
3. Clovers are legumes they fix nitrogen in the soil - you can plant these for several years in a row
4. Turnips, radishes, and other brassicas take nitrogen out of the soil - these are a great crop to follow clovers
5. USE GRAINS - oats, winter wheat, rye GRAIN (not grass).
Typically spring mixes are harder to plant, due to higher weed competition. Clover/chicory mixes are great because you can mow them and keep weeds down. You can also spray with grass selected herbicides in the spring, this adds an element of complication.
If fall planting a great mix is simply:
spray round up (41% gly) doesn't have to be brand round up
till plot
spread clovers
spread oats, rye grain, winter wheat
run over with atv, or if you have a cultipacker
pray for rain
the next spring you should just have mow this plot and you'll have clover left over. The following fall you can oversewed with the grains. After a few years, till it under and plant turnips.
I hope you all find this helpful. Please add corrections where I am wrong or you disagree.
thanks for reading!