Clearing food plots

[thunder86]

Been at this few months now. Clearing woods to run a tiller thru is feeling like an indefinite task. Considering a disc or bottom plow. Most my clearing is on a slight slope so when I removing stumps and rocks it's a little scary when the tractor picks up from the ground a bit on a slope. Don't mind so much on flat ground. So I'm wondering if I can just run my disc or a bottom plow over these stumps and buried rocks with decent results.
Looking to plant clover in one spot, native grasses like orchard grass/birdsfoot trefoil in another with dense shrubs. Rabbit and deer hunting. My clearings are like in the picture below but most are on a slope making it difficult. Picture of stump and rocks scattered throughout.
I can always remove trees with chainsaw not worried about lighting yet, just wanting it to be a fertile pasture.
My only other thoughts is to rent a mini excavator and rip out all these stumps.View attachment 629809

 

[thunder86]

Disc picture didn't load.

 

[jeff9366]

That light Disc Harrow will not do much, but neither will you damage it if pulled at moderate speed. It may mix the leaves into the soil to 2" deep.

Clover is the major component in NO TILL food plot mixes, so clover does not require mixed soil. The seeds are very small and if covered so sun cannot hit them, germination will be poor. The best thing is to press them into the soil, rather than cover. If you want to buy another implement, a Cultipackker is dedicated to seed pressing. Clover fertilizer should be something akin to 0-20-20. Legumes produce their own nitrogen.
Clover does well in low sunlight conditions, relative to grasses, which need nearly full sun.

Native grasses should also germinate fine with minimal soil preparation. Native grasses may not get enough sun due to your thick trees.


Consider a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment for tearing out and piling brush.
VIDEO: ratchet rake on kubota b series - YouTube

Few plow sloped ground. For food plot use I would buy a Cultipacker prior to a plow.



You should add your location to your T-B-N PROFILE so some recommendation on lime could be made

 

[thunder86]

Long as I can get good germination, it doesn't need to be perfectly tilled like my original plan. Cultipacker would be nice, I planted some winter wheat in my field that never came up. I drove over it with my truck with no result. Cultipacker would be helped. How much does it need to weigh? Is this something I can make with pvc DNR concrete? Southern Indiana is my location. I feel the soil here is harder with some clay versus down south where theres sandy soil.

 

[nybirdman]

Get rid of the stumps or you will be fighting them for years.Rent the mini-ex and be done.Then plow and disc or roto-till.

 

[jeff9366]

I planted some winter wheat in my field that never came up. I drove over it with my truck with no result.

A soil test costs about $7.00 in Florida. I shared your zilch experience before I had a soil test.

Possible problems:

Old seed.

Seeds that have just germinated need enough moisture and nitrogen to green up. Cultipacking helps with moisture retention. Did you fertilize with something like 16-4-8, which may be marketed as PASTURE FERTILIZER @ $15.00 / 50 pounds? Soil test will tell you exactly which nutrient is low or absent.

Soil pH may be too far off for winter wheat. You may need lime.

Perhaps not enough sunlight.

Early pre-green germination is the most delicate phase for seeds.

Truck compaction of large wheat seeds should have served OK.




CULTIPACKERS: 5ft Cultipacker - Everything Attachments

 

[thunder86]

With the 15 acres I bought 1.3 is open field. Old hay field, so I never done a soil test. May have been my downfall. I did get purple top turnips to grow in it as I mixed them together. Plenty of sunlight. I feel they didn't get in the ground far enough. Far as the wooded area goes I still think I'm leaning towards renting a mini excavator this week sometime.

 

[jeff9366]

Winter Wheat is a grass. If the field produced good hay, it should have supported at least thin germination of Winter Wheat, another grass, IF it was warm enough and other conditions in Post #6 were met. Was your Winter Wheat seed fresh?

Solid seed/soil contact is more important for germination than seed depth. Truck compaction of large wheat seeds should have served OK.

 

[thunder86]

I'll do soil test and fertilize/lime in spring then. I may try eagle beans next year. Thank you.

 

[jasonzee]

For me to put a food plot in I had weeds and everything in that field was over grown but I concurred it!!!! I use a brush hog ,a 6'dics and 1 bottom plow to get it level. I planted winter rye and buckwheat the deer could not pass it up anymore.