How to prepare a plot?

[Jordan9682]

What technique/order do you use when making a plot? Assuming its not rock hard dirt.

Does disc, spread seed/fert, harrow,then pack sound right? (Cereal crops blended)

 

[bigdeer2000]

If you are using a light disk that doesn't cut very deep that will work. If your disk cuts deeper than you want the seed I would disk,harrow,seed, then cultipack.

 

[Jordan9682]

Great,
Thanks

 

[hillbilly rick]

I assume you already did a soil test and limed and fertilized as needed. One thing I did not realize before starting with food plots is that if you need to raise the pH a large amount (from the 4s), it takes a couple of years to raise it.

I also use pallets with cinder blocks for weight as a poor mans cultipacker. It works much better than I thought when I first tried it.

 

[Jordan9682]

I'm just wondering about the process involved, and if what I'm thinking about doing would work?-
1) disc, to break up soil and kill weeds
2)spread seed, fertilizer(if needed)
3) harrow, to cover seed
4) pack, for good seed to soil contact

 

[Western]

Looks good, thats how thousands of hunters do it every year.

I think you could do without the harrow if needed, 5-7 tires wired together would blow your mind how well it works, just floats over the ground. (wired in a pyramid). Of coarse it works best if you disc well.

 

[Jordan9682]

Great. Can't wait till the snow melts and i Can get at it

 

[Western]

Jordan, dont let a little "powder" keep ya out of the field:laughing:

Hey, I thought you "Northerners" planted in the snow so the seed would come up after thaw?? Seriously I have heard that, may have applied only to grass seed.

 

[Jordan9682]

Hey, I thought you "Northerners" planted in the snow so the seed would come up after thaw?? Seriously I have heard that, may have applied only to grass seed.

Fall rye, winter wheat, winter barley, grass, etc. to answer your question, we seed some crops (as I listed) in fall, not through snow. It's pretty hard to seed through frozen dirt:hissyfit: and it comes out of the ground in fall, but one an inch or two. But does all its growing the next year. Nice for harvest to spread it out abit, they are mature before your spring seeded crops.

 

[hillbilly rick]

I'm just wondering about the process involved, and if what I'm thinking about doing would work?-
1) disc, to break up soil and kill weeds
2)spread seed, fertilizer(if needed)
3) harrow, to cover seed
4) pack, for good seed to soil contact

I'd spray weed killer after step 1 to kill the weeds discing did not.