Looking to plant a hiddy hole plot in some pines. It's want get a ton of sunlight but enough. Should I plant throw and grow or somthing else? And what should I plant? So if anyone can help me. Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
first item you will need to do is test the soil---I imagine you will start off needing about a ton of lime this being in pines---then I am sure you will need something in the 20 -20-20 range of fertilizer----then I initially would plant something easy to grow like winter rye that would be a good start
Pines are very acidic so soil prep will be more important than whatever seed you want to plant. It's a good thing that lime isn't super expensive! I'm sure that you'll need a bunch of it.
It really depends on what you are looking for. The back end of my yard was a row of pines about 40ft each. They were limbed up so you could walk under them without hitting your head. The ground was bare dirt under them. I cut them all down, and today, the thickest grass I have us where they were. And I didn't do a thing except cut them down, no lime just the same fertilizer I put on the rest of the yard. Sometimes just opening the canopy is enough. Again depending on what the results you are looking for are.
If you meant "lime" then not necessarily. You just need a soil PH between 5.5 and 7. Lime is what raises soil PH. You don't have to soil test or anything else. You can throw some cereal rye on it and hope for the best.
The first thing I like to put down on a new plot or expansion is winter wheat or rye. It makes the next plot come up more weed free and it improves the soil. Added bonus it will grow on asphalt if it got watered enough.
I would look at White Clover like a Ladino blend. Shade tolerant and can handle a lot of browsing from the deer. I believe this will work well early season till acorns are dropping. It will continue to be a social spot if its in the right place. You can always broadcast something else in later. However when its only clover you can kill off the weed competition with Clethedin and it won't hurt the clover.
I have owned my property for 3 years now - my biggest conclusion is that the learning curve will be steep for some time with regards to food plots. Some points from other posters that should be reiterated.... The first thing I like to put down on a new plot or expansion is winter wheat or rye. It makes the next plot come up more weed free and it improves the soil. Added bonus it will grow on asphalt if it got watered enough. Can't agree more, maybe add clover to this. The difference on how the soil works up after a year or two is amazing. Some other things I have learned. Corn = expensive, but in my opinion increases the size of your property while providing food. Let me say here no food plot is a miracle - each in my experience does something different at a different time. One key point was that the travel patterns changed with the corn. Corn next to beans is even better - did it for the first time this year with great results. Got the idea from Ed Spinozza in a QDMA article - I will continue to experiment but with the combination is fantastic. Once the snow hit the ground it was amazing how many deer were in the corn during the day. The corn allowed me to sneak into stands more effectively. This December when the snow hit the ground I had the only standing crops in the area - the deer responded. Sugar beets - other posters have stated that the deer don't hit their plots until late in the year or in my case until snow is on the ground. I rate them as an insurance policy - cold, snowy years, they are the last line of defence. I think they get hit in the snow because all other greenery is under the snow. I plant them very sparsely with clover - a little goes a very long way. Isolated in clover the bulbs get huge. Soya beans are one of the favourites - the last crop standing is king. I saw this my first year - I didn't have any beans, a neighbor had trouble getting his off due to wet weather. The deer trashed the crop - however for two weeks I saw quality bucks almost every night either chasing or tending the does. The last two years my beans have been the center of attention once all the farmers have their beans harvested. Something that I found accidently when I ran out of seed was that once an area is tilled and mowed or just mowed, native plants that aren't tall (like golden rod) dominate. It almost becomes pasture and the deer actually use it just as much as the clover and chicory that I plant. I believe that the combination - clover, chicory (other greens) and these native greens augment each other. I someone only has an old lawnmower just mowing a section will provide some benefit.
. Going to plant this. What are yalls thoughts about this? Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I am sure it is good seed, my belief that if the seed you buy has a buck on the package you are over paying. I get my seed from my local feed mill.
Like many have said the first step you should do is get a soil sample and send it off for testing! I have seen some pine plots do ok the first year, but decline rapidly in sequential seasons. Once you get your soil sample you will see how much lime you need to spread to get a decent pH and also what sort of fertilizer to spread. Once that is complete start figuring in on using some soil building type blends to really establish your seed bed for the current year and many years after. I recommend plant species such as crimson clover, ladino clover, berseem clover, oats, peas, wheat, and/or rye. The owner of Grandpa Ray Outdoors, John O'Brion, put it best with his quote "Hope is not a strategy" with food plots! p.s. I strongly recommend picking up a copy of the book Quality Food Plots: Your Guide to Better Deer and Deer Hunting by the Quality Deer Management Association. It will help you gain the knowledge a better grasp on food plotting, soil health, and improving your deer heard health through food plots.
