Couple questions about the warm season food plot I will be doing this year.... I am going to be planting a plot of Lab Lab Plus (lab lab, cowpeas, and milo) in a plot that is about an acre. I don't own a cultipacker or a tiller, and was wondering how you guys have covered the seed successfully (dragging with something, driving over it, etc.). Also, I will be putting up a gallagher style fence (convenient since I can get power off of the electric fence right next to the plot) and am unsure of how long I should keep the fence up. I want to ensure it will last until the season , but I also want to make sure I am not just wasting forage leaving it up for several months. Thanks in advance.
Sounds more like what I would label a kill plot than a food plot since it's main purpose is to pull deer in for you to hunt over. That being the case, I wouldn't want to open it up too early with only an acre or they'll have it demolished before season opens. I don't have experience with fencing off kill plots so others will have better input for that than I but I'm going to guess maybe a week prior to season or so....maybe two but an acre is small. As far as seeding, I've never used a cultipacker and seldom have any problems due to seed to soil contact. I have had many occasions where I just disked a plot, broadcast the seed and run the disk back over it lightly or harrowed it in with a proper harrow.
Sorry I wrote that wrong. I do not have access to a disk and use a tiller for working the soil. Could I use the tiller to do the same function as the disk running over the plot to cover the seed? I know using the disk is the most common thing people do for larger seeds but unfortunately I can't do that.
Sure, you could use the tiller as long as you have a way of setting the depth on it. You could also make a harrow out of an old set of bed springs with a post or something wired to it for weight. Main thing is the seed generally doesn't need to be set in more than a half inch in general for large and small seed mixes. 1/4" is preferable for most things. I hate to get mine too deep but it depends on the soil somewhat too.
I am going to be using a lawn roller to go over my seed beds after I broadcast this year. And as far as the fencing for your food plot if you are wanting more of a kill plot I would just wait and plant in August. once your plants reach a good height I would take the fence down. You may need to over seed come August or early Sept to cover any spots that the deer mowed down.
In my mind I was considering it as more of a destination source than a kill plot. I know an acre is pretty small for that but it is within about 400 yards of another clover plot, plus if it does get eaten down I wouldn't mind, as I would like to broadcast turnips and radishes come fall. I was just trying to think through the amount of pressure it could take so it was thinned out enough to reseed but not completely demolished.
Why not open up the fencing when you think the plants are big enough to handle the browsing pressure; and if the deer hit it too hard, then just put the fence back up? That way, you can make it last until you do your fall plantings.
