Food Plots Many questions , first timer😄

[74MOPAR]

First time doing a "real" food plot
Is it too late for a plot ? It's been so dry I haven't done it yet .
I bush hogged yesterday.
I was going to disc the area, spread the seed , then drag to cover the seed.
Should I spray weed killer in the process?
What should I plant?
Fertilize?
It's an open area with full sunlight, I've been bush hogging it for a few years so nothing has ever been planted before.

 

[maclet24]

Weather is making it tricky this year. Others may be able to give you better advice, but in my opinion the easiest thing to do would be would be to make a clover and rye plot.

I would skip the disc if for no other reason trying to save every bit of soil moisture I could with no guarantees of getting any substantial rain in the immediate future. I would go blast it with glyphosate, throw out 100# per acre of elbon rye, 10-15# of clover, drag to get seed below that thick mat you just made mowing or mow over it again after seeding. Come back in 3 weeks and throw another 50-100# of rye depending on how it looks. Enjoy the hunting season. Come back in the spring mow or spray out the rye. You've now got a clover plot you can use next year or you can mow and disc that in and plant something else.

past that you can get into it as much as you want. Depending on the size of your area you could keep half the clover and do half in brassica next year. You could go get a soil test and add lime and fertilizer. You can mix in some chicory with the clover. You can get liquid lime and fertilizer for this season if you were so inclined.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Not too late. I haven't even thought about planting until the rain comes. Spray with glyphosate (round up), wait a week or so to make sure it gets a good kill, disk and then throw some wheat, oats, and crimson clover in there. You'll also have a good turkey plot come spring with that mix

 

[348Winchester]

There are a lot of factors but as a general rule of thumb this has worked for me for 28 years.

1. Lime, lime, lime! In abscence of a soil test go with a ton per acre. If your plot is less than an acre pelletized lime works quicker and is easier to spread. I like to mix my large seeds with it for a more even distribution of the seed. You can lime anytime of the year and you'd have to work awfully hard at it to over lime a plot.

2. Winter wheat or winter rye are great choices for many reasons. They are widely available, inexpensive, very forgiving of poor soil, easy to establish with proper moisture, are browse tolerant, sprout and grow quickly, can be planted later than many other crops, and deer readily consume them. I plant at 100lbs. per acre broadcast.

3. After you have disked in your wheat/rye broadcast some crimson clover at a rate 0f 12-15 lbs per acre on top of the soil. Do not disk it in. Let the rain drive it into the soil for you.

4. Once everthing is up and growing well (2-3 weeks with proper moisture) spread a good balanced fertilizer like 19-19-19 at 200-300 lbs per acre. I like to mix it with pelletized lime for even spreading. 2-40 lb bags lime to 1-50 lb bag of seed or fertilizer.

5. After about 2-3 weeks or whenever you fertilize, I like to oversow another bag or two of seed with a hand spreader on any thin or bald spots.

This is by no means the only way to plant a plot but it is about as fool-proof as one could get for establishing a first time plot or for a beginner. Hope this helps!

 

[backyardtndeer]

Definitely not too late, there is still time. My favorite fall planting are a mix of perennial clovers and rye grain. This year I am trying forage oats and clover in a small plot.

Also agree with liming and fertilizing. Most bagged see will have recommendations in the event you don't get a soil test.

 

[muddyboots]

Here is what I do.
I spray just because it makes it easier. Do not have to do this. It's late in the year. I'd skip that step this year.

Bushog

Spread fertilize. 2 bags 15-15-15 and 2 bags ammonia per acre

Disk ground.

Then I wait until I'm pretty sure it's gonna rain and try to sow a day or 2 before. I like to sow wheat, oats and rye grain mixed. Not rye grass. Very important difference.

Then I cultipack. A drag will work fine.

Done.

 

[74MOPAR]

Well I wasted my afternoon discing a spot and getting most of the big clumps of grass from bush hogging, get home and my father in law calls and says after it rains and softens it up he will take his big disc over and bust it up. I appreciate him doing it just wish I wouldn't have wasted my day. I was going to seed it Wednesday before the rain