food plots

[mcd176]

I am glad this thread was started, after another year of low deer activity while hunting me and my neighbor have decided to put some plots in, we are planning around 10-15 acres

How do you guys that already have plots plant the seeds, do you till or use a plow and disc? also will I need a cultipacker?

Thanks for the help.

 

[EddieWalker]

I spray to kill everything growing there. Mostly to get the grass and weeds that are showing up in there.

Then I broadcast my fertilizer and disk it all into my soil while disking up the dead plants. I like to go over it a few times to get red of the larger dirt clods. The more I go over it, the nicer the soil looks.

Then I broadcast my seeds over the top of the soil.

I made a lightweight drag that I pull behind my tractor. It's a piece of heavy duty metal screen with some iron at the front of it for weight. I have a chain on it that loops over my tow ball. I just drag that over my seed. It nocks down the ridges from the disk, and burries the seed.

For very little money, I've had some great results. Now I just need to find the right crop that my deer wont be able to resist. So far, I'm not doing so good on that part of it.

Eddie

 

[Western]

I do it much like Eddie, save for the weed killer.

I have used all the implements you mentioned and would make one note on tilling. If you till, I would till around a month early say the first of August, maybe again 2 weeks before you want to plant, that will kill allot of the vegetation and turn most of it to compost. I have found tilling then planting makes a nice soft bed but, to soft for me. My tractor then leaves ruts that are hard to fill with a drag. If you till like I mentioned above, then disc the day you plant it will be almost perfect.

I do like Eddie said, 1st pass I disc in the fertilizer, then broadcast the seed. Remember when broadcasting add a higher seeding rate since broadcasting is not as efficient as a planter.

I have used allot of different "drags" The best so far for me has been 7 used car tires wired together then chained to my draw bar.

Most plots fail because the seed is to deep, so try to not go deeper than the seed is long.