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.

 

[Jordan9682]

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

Noted. Thanks:thumbsup:
I could spray after its seeded before the crop is up also

 

[Turbys_1700]

This may not be an option for you but if you can get access to an old drill they work great for over seeding in pasture...
I've done this several times in my yard very successfully...

 

[Jordan9682]

I would love to get like a 4' drill, but there's none around:thumbdown:

That would just be to easy:cool2:

 

[jeff9366]

In Florida, if I seed when the ground is warm enough for the seed selected and rain is in the forecast, then cultipack, the plot seed germinates pretty much all at once and crowds out the native weeds, at least the later germinating weeds. Timing and moisture is everything.

My 2013 plots, with two seed mixes, have all germinated.

 

[Jordan9682]

In Florida, if I seed when the ground is warm enough for the seed selected and rain is in the forecast, then cultipack, the plot seed germinates pretty much all at once and crowds out the native weeds. Timing is everything.

My 2013 plots, with two seed mixes, have all germinated.

What do you use to seed?

 

[jeff9366]

I cast plot mix by hand. It is a kind of semi-religious experience.

I only have about two+ acres of food plots, in several irregular patches. Sowing by hand works fine.

Soil is shallow prepped with a Howse 16/18 disc harrow, discs nearly straight for minimum disruption, seed mix is cast, then cultipacked.

Occasionally I overseed Fall plantiing with NO TILL mix in the Spring. Generally I scratch NO TILL in with my Rotary Harrow. NO TILL does not seem to need more attention. The NO TILL wants to be perennial but it gets disced under before I plant grain/brassica mix in September. Soil here is sandy-loam, more sand, a low challenge to disc.

http://www.hancockseed.com/seed-var...no-till-food-plot-seed-mix-25-lb-bag-541.html

 

[Ted Summey]

I suggest skipping the harrow for cereal plots. Disc, seed, fertilize, pack. Use RR seed and you can spray after germination.

Edit: RR = Roundup Ready

 

[newbury]

I'm following this thread with some interest because I want to start making food plots. But I seem to remember in other threads they often suggested to plow first.

Is that not needed?

I was planning on plowing, discing, harrowing etc. for "cleared" ground - cutover with stumps removed.

 

[jeff9366]

Now that "no till" is the norm far fewer tractor owners have turning plows. I have not seen a field "turned" in Northern Florida in 10+ years.....but there are a plethora of heavy disc harrows used. Our field crops are hay, watermelons and peanuts.

I think most plotters do soil prep with a tractor 3-Pt./lift disc harrow.

You do not need the soil as finely prepared in a plot as you would in a field.

Cursor down the Food Plot posts, there are eight pages of threads with good information.

 

[Ted Summey]

Newbury, plowing isn't usually required for grains/grasses/clover. Brassicas, corn, and beans will do better with a deeper seed bed. You really only need 3 or 4 inches at the most in any case as long as you aren't working with hard pan . A disc will get you there in a few passes. The better the seed bed the better chance your seed has for proper soil to seed contact.