Bit of a preface. This was my first attempt at a food plot, it was very small (maybe 30x20yds). I did this on purpose in case it was a complete failure (which it was). This ground had never been plowed, disced, raked, nothing. I didnt do a soil test, or spread any lime or fertilizer. This area was pretty much prairie grasses with some weeds mixed in. So I went and sprayed glyphosate to get a good kill. Came back when everything was dead and broadcast a brassica mix directly into the dead/dying grass and then mowed with a push mower right before a rain. The result was about a zero percent germination rate. What I learned: Do a soul test. Even on a small plot and lime, fertilize accordingly. I also believe that virgin ground needs to be killed and disced or burned, or raked at least one time to get to that bare dirt. No till methods can then be implemented from there. There's simply just too much old duff on the ground for a seed to make good soil contact otherwise. I would also stick with easier germinating plants such as rye, wheat, buckwheat, clover, brassica. Buckwheat in the spring with something like a rye/wheat brassica mix broadcast into it in the late summer would be ideal. You can then cultipack or roll the buckwheat over that seed. Sorry for the long post, but anything you guys can add ?
Think you about covered it. That's a lot of wisdom for a 10 year old. While I don't know where in WI you are, I hunt in central Sand Country and we have to lime the ever living crap out of the ground to get it anywhere near decent. Clover seems to take best. By year 3 it was nice and thick. Last year we burned it out and went to soybeans which came in OK but there's so much ag in the area wasn't as much of a draw as we had hoped. Back to clover this season and it came in awesome. We have a couple smaller plots that we do a mix of clover and tubers. Tubers come in OK long as the deer don't eat them all early season.
Winter wheat or rye is an amazing plant, it will grow on cement it it gets enough water. I always start any new plot or expansion with a crop of that. The next year the plot will be more weed free. You still have time to throw some down.
Ok..lesson learned but you have so much more to learn. That's not a dig, just a headache preventer. 1. READ, READ, READ 2. Start with your lime and fertilizer a. Lime needs particle to particle contact to work & takes time to do what you need BEFORE planting b. understand what N P K actually does for your plants 3 . Weed seed banks, weed seed can lay dormant for as long as 80 yrs in some cases. When you kill then till you are feeding and freeing billions of weed seed. There is no such thing as one and done on fallow ground. 4. Know what your initial INEXPENSIVE plots can do for you. Understand your top 6 plants before you buy. a. Which ones handle low ph and improves your soil but also deer like b. Which help impede weed growth and HOW c. Double cropping Do internet searches lots of college study's, go to QDM they have good info. Now remember this ... all these guys now talking extensively about no till....look back to see they'd been working all these lands for years before hand, depleting those weed banks NO PLOT IS A COMPLETE FAILURE...you've started improving your soil, you've learned, and you actually did draw in wild life. Deer checking things out ,that will return check and turkey love disturbed ground. Have fun above everything else.
https://www.qdma.com/easy-no-till-food-plots-watch-our-whitetail-weekend-seminar/. Good info in this video if you’re interested in no till food plots. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just out of curiosity.. how long between your glyphosate application and planting? Had it rained after glyphosate application? I tried a throw and mow once with about the same results and always thought that it may have been the lack of rain after I initially sprayed, probably a little bit heavy on the glyphosate and only waiting nine days after I sprayed. I ended up mowing it again with Elbon Cereal Rye and it did well.
