Everyone, I have a small (approx. 1/4 - 1/2 acre) of opening in the pine woods at my house and would like to till it up and make a small plot. There is no corn or beans really close to me, maybe 80 acres away. The potential plot has a 1/2 acre pond connected to it. Again, 10 acres of pine (white pine) trees all around. Soil is very sandy so I'm thinking I may need some lime. I was thinking maybe 1/2 in clover, 1/2 in beans? Does it make sense to have a couple rows of corn. Any suggestions on brand of seeds. I have a small rototiller, but that's it. Thanks for your help in advance.
firstoff welcome, If possible take a soil sample to check ph, soil might already be at a good ph, liming sometimes can take months for it to kick in. Another biggie is to spray weed killer like round up on the area and let it set in for a few days after you have worked the ground up. Does this area get alot of sun or limited, that will determine what kind of seed will grow better in your plot?
It gets good sun. The pond boarders it to the East, so as soon as the sun is up above the trees, it gets sun all day. So, till it up and then spray it with round-up? There is just some tall grass and clovers growing there now. I see deer trails through the plot, but just ot the water. They are not stopping at this time. Thanks,
If it is tall you might want to mow it down and then till it, then spray with round up to get rid of any undesired weeds. I think a combination of clover and beans would be just find, considering there is corn not too far away. leave the beans standing through late season. just make sure that when you pick a seed that it is one that needs alot of sun and will grow in the soil type. Remember you want to plant something in these little plots that will steal deer away from other food sources that they are use too! good luck and keep us updated.
try products such as no-till and throw and grow. You can find them at cabelas and bass pro even some smaller stores and they work great.
Like has already been said, you need to do a soil sample first, otherwise, you're just shooting in the dark. I can almost bet you will need to raise your Ph quite a bit given the situation you describe. Lime needs to be applied the sooner the better. With that small acreage, unless you have a good lime source, you're probably better suited spreading with pelletized lime which actually takes a bit longer to take effect, and doesn't have near the long term residual effect of pulverized which means it may take several applications over the first year or so to really build the Ph up. My recommendation for planting would be to spray, wait, plow/disc. Wait a few weeks for weed germination, spray again, then start prepping. If you want a good soil builder that grows in just about every condition, plant buckwheat. Till this under (green manure) in late summer/early fall, then plant a mix of white/ladino, winter rye, and possibly chicory. The rye will germinate early and provide green-up for the deer, and serve as a cover crop for the chicory and clover as well as provide a food source long after the first hard frost sends clover into dormancy. You will need to hit this plot hard with N, and probably P and K as well, so Triple 13 might be your best bet here. As for the beans, your plot size is just too small. I have a feeling the beans would be mowed down before the pods ever fully develop.
A few rows of corn would be a waste. Beans too. Clover might not make it in the first year for your ph, and if it did, it would likely get creamed. My advice. Soil sample, lime with pulverized now and again in August. In July, mow it and wait two weeks. Spray with Gly, wait a week. Lime with pulverized again and till. You really can't over lime it. If you want to plant it this year, you're gonna want to use pulverized unless the ph isn't that bad, in which case you could use pelletized now and plant in the late summer. I'd be planting in the late summer either way, oats at the end of Aug. They grow easy, stand up to grazing, and last for a while. They will establish your plot and then next year you can get more adventurous on another crop type. If you want a food plot that you KNOW will have an effect THIS year, don't get to greedy on trying something that is demanding on your soil. I'd be really surprised if you have decent ph in there.
Thanks for all of the great advice. A couple of questions: When I spray to get rid of the grass what do I spray with? Roundup? Someone said hit it hard with N. Is that nitrogen? Hit it with P & K? What is that? What is Triple 13 What is Gly? I'm such a Newbie
Roundup and glyphosate are essentially the same. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in roundup. Gly can be had for much cheaper than paying for brand name Round Up. This is what you want to hit it with first. NPK are the three components of fertilizer (Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium). Some plants (legumes like clover, beans, peas, etc) generate or scavenge (for lack of a better term), their own N from the atmosphere, and therefore require little N based fertilizer, while others (Brassica's or corn for instance) require a heavy applications of N. Fertilizer is sold by the percentage of contents within the mix of each component. For instance, triple 13 is 13% N, 13%P, and 13%K. It's a solid basis for application on a plot that hasn't been planted before. Urea, on the other hand, is also known as 46-0-0, because it's heavily concentrated N (corn and brassica's, for instance).
what you are describing is a micro plot. Soil sample is a starting point. Next figure out what the purpose is going to be supplemental feeding or drawing? If you are leaning towards supplemental feeding I would recommend a blend of chickory and clover. Something which has a lot of protien for growth. Depending many does are in area protien will be a big factor in them developing the milk required to nurse the fawn's. Try looking up Whitetail Institute or QDMA and see what they suggest. Ben/PA has great advice.
you are correct Sir. Had another date in my head. Taking the Daughter back to school on the 19th of Oct. I'm losing it.
I would suggest Frigid Forage Monster Magnet. It is a large seed that works good in poor soil, and is made for cold climates like ours. It has a variety of plants that mature at different times to keep deer coming back. There is Sunflowers, Peas, Soybeans, Buck Wheat, Sugar Beets, Rye and Turnips in there. You do plant at a high rate 25# for half acre because of the large seed.
