2016 / 2017 Winter Deer Food Plot ~~ Florida

[jeff9366]

12/05/2016​

In Northern Florida our precipitation is uneven. A typical distribution might be 25% Winter, 15% Spring, 50% Summer, 10% Fall. Summer precipitation is Tropical Storms and the occasional hurricane, so rain may be heavy over period of three to four days. Fall is the driest season, with November seldom experiencing rain.

I was away in September. Thenno rain in October nor November. My 'soil' looks like sand and a dust cloud followed me Disc Harrowing.

Finally, rain was forecast for this week.

So, yesterday, 12/05/2016, I decided to plant my Fall/Winter Deer Food Plot even though it is late. We typically have our first frost around Christmas, with February being our coldest month. We usually have 3 - 5 'hard' freezes each winter. (Our Florida 'hard' freezes are a joke to those of you in Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, etc.)

By mid-January the leaves will have fallen from the Oaks and there will be more sunlight on the soil.

I adjusted the gangs on my Tufline Tandem Disc Harrow for minimal turn, then disced in desiccated, remains of Spring / Summer Plot Mix.

Then I hand seeded forty pounds of Hancock Seed Company's Fall & Winter Wildlife Mix.
LINK: Wildlife Seed Blends | Fall and Winter Food Plot Seeds | Hancock Seed

I own a Cultipacker but the ground was so dry and powdery I decided pressing in the seed would be futile. It is raining now. If rain respites, I may pull the Cultipacker over the seeded food plot today. More rain is forecast this week.

In my mild climate I expect the Rye, Austrian Winter Peas and Daikon Radish will likely germinate during December. The other constituents may not germinate until mid-March but should feed our pet deer before the HOT weather arrives in July.

1) I am interested in opinions on whether it would have been better to pack the seeds with the Cultipacker yesterday, with the soil almost powder, rather than delaying for rain, which occurred twelve hours after seeding. We likely had 1" of deluge last night.

Or, should I skip Cultipacking the seeds because of last night's rain and additional rain forecast?

2) I have low acid / high pH soil @ 7.5. Which of the seed blend constituents can be expected to do better / worse with pH 7.5 soil?

 

[jack707]

I always use my home built cutipacker when seeding. I have different soil up here in WI.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I'm probably about 40 or so miles East of you so I have been waiting on that same rain that you were, I always roll a field after I harrow my seed in to save what moisture I have , it also seems to help to keep the cows from just bogging in the softer soil since it is well packed, but in your case if it was nothing but powder I don't believe it would have done you any good to pack it. I have good black soil for the most part so it's rare for me not to have enough moisture to get a stand of rhye up, I planted mine the last week of October and got a good stand but that 2&1/2 inches of rain the first week in December was a blessing.