Food Plots

   / Food Plots #1  

mtsman

Bronze Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2002
Messages
55
Location
Pennsylvania
Tractor
F16D, F22D
Marty / all:

I wish to start a 2-3 acre foodplot for whitetails and other game. I have been preparing equipment and researching best planting practices. I have been given a lot of different advice. It has all been very helpful.

I bought seed through Ernst seed in Meadville, PA. 3 different seed mixes ( deer & turkey clover mix, big buck mix, upland forage & cover mix). Marty, your recommended field preparation procedure is almost the same procedure they recommended. They said it is important to remove the weeds in order for the patch to take hold. They also said tilling the weeds under will work but chemicals work better. This brings me to Q1.

A tributary of a Class A wild trout stream runs along the field I wish to plant. I am very hesitant to use Round-up because of the potential for runoff into the tributary. The seed company says they use a version of Round-up called Rodeo in wetland reclamations all the time. It has no surfactant and is short duration. Have you/anyone used this? Opinions?

Q2.

Soil sample. Who will analyze? Local Agway?

Could I just call the local Ag office and ask what minerals deficiencies are in the local soil?
 
   / Food Plots #2  
There a gentlman right here on TBN that could shed some light.. Robert..NY..check out his profile.
 
   / Food Plots #3  
I can't help you with the seed mixes or herbicides. However, as far as soil samples, I would definately call the state/county extension office. They should also be able to help you with your questions about herbicides and their use.

Hope this helps.

Terry
 
   / Food Plots #4  
If you till the ground do a good job of it wait a while after the intial till and till it again to keep anything from trying to regrow. We turned over a field last spring and disked it down every couple weeks to keep any weeds from regrowing, this spring it will be planted with a Strut and Rut misture for deer and turkeys we get thru the National Wild Turkey Federation. The field we are planting this spring is 5 acres and we have 15 acres more to do that was old grape land that re reclaimed. The ag office will not know what is missing in your soil until you get the test done. Agway should be able to help you or at least point you in the right direction. We have our test done thru a local farm store and he sends them to a lab in Canada to be done. In most places you will need lime and lots of it to help build the ground back up. We have done no-till planting in some of our active pens and the clover does well but we have to mow the fields to keep the weeds down and let the clover have a chance. I have never sprayed a field so I can not comment on how it works but if you can till the plot and keep tilling it every couple weeks for about 1 month it should remove about 95% of the weeds. It is a lot of work but it does work. As you probally know animals need protein, we run our feed for our captive whitetails at 18% protein and plant a mixture of clovers, ryegrass, alfalfa, trefoil and some Dwarf essex rape. We have had good luck with antler growth in pens we have planted while pens we have to do still the bucks antlers do not grow nowhere near as well as we expected them to. We have to work the last few pens this spring. When you have the soil test done agway should be able to mix a fertilizer to help build up all your deficient areas and they will also be helpful if you have any particular questions. If you have any other questions please ask as I have tried to answer what I could and hope I didn't miss anything. Take care.
 
   / Food Plots #5  
mtsman,
Roundup is the least hazardous of the commonly used herbicides. It's chemical makeup causes it to bind tightly to soil particles, therefore there is no runoff . It is bound so tightly that even plants cannot uptake the Roundup from the soil, only from foliage. Just use the instructions on the label and common sense.
Happy Tractorin"
Greg H
 
   / Food Plots #6  
Mtsman,
Lots of good advice here. I agree about the Roundup being pretty benign in soils. Two years ago I sprayed R-up on saturday on an area that had been tilled and weeds were 4-6 " tall and spread my seed on sunday just before the rain. Worked great.

Have not used Rodeo. I imagine it is a R-up knock off.

I would take samples to Ag. Extension agent or equivalent. pH is most important. Marty
 
   / Food Plots #7  
About 20 years ago, someone told me that Roundup is only absorbed by (green) foliage and it deactivates after a few hours in the sun light. He was managing all the grounds at Johnson Space Center at the time (about 1600 acres IIRC).

Its safe to use for killing grassy/weeds around the base of trees since it isn't absorbed through the wood. Its safe to use to kill the grass in the gaps of sidewalks as long as it doesn't rain within a couple of hours of application.

-david
 
   / Food Plots #8  
I'm not sure if roundup has different formulations.. but as a road contractor, we contract with the city and county to do roadside maintenance.. and one of those duties is to spray the shoulders to prevent grass growing up through the asphalt. There must be some residual effects, or it would not work. That said.. however.. I'm sure the comercial concentrate we buy is not the same you find on the shelf in kmart.. etc.

Soundguy

"About 20 years ago, someone told me that Roundup is only absorbed by (green) foliage and it deactivates after a few hours in the sun light. He was managing all the grounds at Johnson Space Center at the time (about 1600 acres IIRC)."
 
   / Food Plots #9  
Thats the problem with round-up on large areas, farmer concentrate uses around a pint per acre maybe, at maybe $3/pint, whereas it will take a gallon of consumer round-up to do 20,000sq ft at $40. I don't remember the exact figures from when I did a quick comparison a few years ago but there is a big difference.

Personally, I dont care about weeds when I plant food plots the intended crop always takes over and shades out most weeds. It's not like you'll have to sell the farm if you get 75% less yield by just sticking a seed in the ground and letting mother nature take over.
 
   / Food Plots #10  
Agreed... Our tractor tank and sprayer used a quart of concentrate mix at a time, into the sprayer tank.... thick stuff, like honey.

Soundguy

"Thats the problem with round-up on large areas, farmer concentrate uses around a pint per acre maybe, at maybe $3/pint, whereas it will take a gallon of consumer round-up to do 20,000sq ft at $40. I don't remember the exact figures from when I did a quick comparison a few years ago but there is a big difference.

"Personally, I dont care about weeds when I plant food plots the intended crop always takes over and shades out most weeds. It's not like you'll have to sell the farm if you get 75% less yield by just sticking a seed in the ground and letting mother nature take over. "
 
 
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