Food plots

[fishuhalik]

I know this has probably been asked a million times, I looked back a little bit in this forum but couldn't find anything.

Anyways, I'm thinking about putting in a food plot in an area I hunt and was wondering how you guys that have put them in do it. There's a small field in the middle of the woods that I'm gonna till up and plant something in, I was thinking rape and clover. I'm gonna try to burn the meadow this winter and till it in the spring. Any better ideas?

[picksbigwagon]

Fish, is this your land, state land or paper company land? I am not sure you can plant food plots on public land

[BLACKJACK]

My recommendation for a first food plot would be clover, easy to plant and the deer like it. For lots more info goto the QDMA web site, they have a whole forum on food plots.

[fishuhalik]

pick, it's on Blandin Land. Their signs say you can't clear out underbrush for shooting lanes. The area I'm looking at using has no underbrush, it's just a small meadow that is already clear of anything. I plan to call Blandin's HR dept. before I go ahead with anything to be sure, but I don't imagine they will have a problem with it. The only thing I see them possibly not wanting is burning the grass, if that's the case my dad has a weed-whip kinda thing with a brush-clearing attachment that works pretty good for clearing grass. It'll take alot more time than burning but it shouldn't be too bad, I imagine it'll take me 2 full days of work to get the area cleared and cleaned up. There's also alot of old logs laying in the grass from the last time it was logged, about 30 years ago. Probably another 2 days to get it all tilled. There's an old logging trail that we can possibly get a wheeler into, my dad also has a tiller for his wheeler that he uses for his garden that we're gonna use.

[crothmeier]

i'd maybe take in a soil sample after you get it tilled to see if there is any nutrients you should put down to help the growth of it and to make sure the soil is fertile for growing.

[sticknstring]

I'd be interested in hearing what they have to say on that. I'd be surprised if you get the okay on it. I hope you do though.

[Bear55]

Normally I would spray and kill all the grass before I went in and planted, otherwise it will overtake the new clover very fast. If you want to till and plant right away I would hit it with a couple round of herbicide early in the growing season. Most of the guys who sell food plot seed also have a herbicide that thould work.

[fishuhalik]

Bear, if I was able to burn it I don't think I would need to spray it too. That's not a bad idea though if I can't burn it off.

[vister]

regardless of what you do, there will be weed seeds that have laid dormant for years. once you till, they WILL germinate. and since its grassy now, it will be tough sod ground. for an immediate plot, i'd disc the ground as much ad possible b4 tilling. this will help tilling it bigtime. then seed immediately, as long as rain is in the forecast. id recommend overseeding! better chance plot takes root vs weeds. once everything has germinated, and plants are 2-3 inches tall, fertilize with potash, or a 0-0-38 blend. i'd blend chicory and clover, both of which you DONT want to use nitrogen on. good luck

[Bear55]

Vister has it right, even if you burn everything grass will still shoot up. I sprayed everything dead and still had to use herbicide to keep the grass in check, it was choking out my clover like I had never sprayed.

[fishuhalik]

I was doing some reading on the qdma forums and they were saying that clover isn't a good idea if you're planning on hunting it, especially if you're going to hunt it later in the year, like during the muzzleloader season.

I agree with ya on using herbicides though. What do you usually use, and how much do you think it would cost me to treat an area 200'x200'?

[Bear55]

I used a product called Arrest, should be easy to find it or something similar by the food plot stuff. I don't remember how much it covered for sure but it should be able to handle 200 by 200.

[Wensel]

This is a great spot to get info on plots.

Whatever you do dont blow big money on seed in year one or two.

I'd run annuals for a couple years then go up.

Also I've had good luck with this: week one, kill the grass, week two disc and then week four disc, then plant.

Have fun, another reason for time in the woods!!!

[buckhunter21]

First you have to decide exactly what you want to plant, rape and clover wont mix unless you use a very small amount of rape otherwise it will smother out your clover. For that small of a plot you dont really have alot of options as far as a plot that will hold up to browsing pressure. Clover and or alfalfa would probably be your best bet to hold up at least until hunting time, most other things will get wiped out in a few weeks unless you dont have alot of deer around. If you go with the clover is there any possible way you could get it worked up this fall yet? If you can I have had really good luck frost seeding clover in the spring, just broadcast your seed on the ground right after the snow is gone and when the ground unthaws during the day and freezes again at night it makes cracks in the ground and pulls your seeds down, that way you dont have to till and pull moisture out of the ground and bring the weed seeds back up to the surface.

You could also plant a brassica mix in the late summer put theres a good chance that small of a plot could get wiped out but brassica usually dont get touched until after a few good frosts so it would be perfect for hunting time.

[walterman]

If it were me and got the ok to burn, that is what I would do first. Second, once spring arrives spray the area with round up. Then I would disc or till. Wait one to two weeks, come back and spray anything that came up again. After that your weed seed bank should be next to nothing. Finally till/disc and prepare your seedbed and plant. Make sure rain is foretasted before planting if possible. As far as what seed to plant, I would go with rye or something in the brassica family like dwarf essex rape, kale, or turnips. In most cases the brassica/rape wouldnt get hit hard until first frost or so. I am by no means an expert but if you have any ?'s ask away.

[vister]

the best thing you can do is till the plot to be, and leave the ground bare a full summer, while discing the ground every month or so. this way the ground gets worked up very well, and most weed seeds have germinated and been worked up. not an option most people want to do, but it is the best way to ensure you have the best seed bed you can have. if your plot has sod clumps in it when you plant, you haven't worked up the soil good enough.

[PEATMOSS]

I can't imagine that Blandin would even consider letting you do this on their property. If you did, Blandin land is open to the public and anyone could hunt over it.

[lakevet]

I'd also be surprised if Blandin allowed it. Kudos to you for asking permission. Those that don't ask and cause problems could put at risk access for everyone else. So many people hunt their property, and if they allowed you to do it, many others would also and it would potentially result in decreased timber production. Also spraying herbicides/chemicals on their property also is likely a big no-no. Lots of regs for that from MPCA. Also would be concerned about overspray and killing trees they depend on for the mill. If you owned the property, would you let the general public spray herbicides/chemicals unsupervised on your land? Let us know what they say.

lakevet

p.s. put that effort into scouting instead

[Cooter]

I'll echo visters comments on dormant weeds, I have a plot that I've tilled probably 6 different times and I still had weeds. However, I haven't had problems when planting rye. I'm assuming because of how fast it germinates and grows and thus can outcompete most weeds. Might also have to do with the fall vs spring planting time. Anyways, I've wasted clover seed twice due to weeds and if you're gonna plant where grass was its probably full of seeds.

More of a 'what no to do' reply - wish I had some postive tips. Good luck and as said kudos for not only for asking first but for the enthusiasm.

[luckey]

fishuhalik,

I usually do it this way.

1. Spray weeds/grass around Memorial day. (you have to wait until things are growing).

2. Spray again in 2-3 weeks to get what you missed and new plants.

3. Mix fertilizer and seeds and broadcast over the area.

Note: This can be done at the same time as the second spraying.

The dead and dying vegitation provides cover for the new plants.

[vister]

rye is a plant that pretty much kills off any competing weeds. its excellent for food plots, or at least planting the first year for this reason. however, there is one weed that always seems to grow with rye, and rye wont kill it. good ole canadian thistle.

[lakevet]

What did Blandin say about giving you permission? Interested in their answer.

lakevet

[BLACKJACK]

rye is a plant that pretty much kills off any competing weeds. its excellent for food plots, or at least planting the first year for this reason. however, there is one weed that always seems to grow with rye, and rye wont kill it. good ole canadian thistle.

You hit that on the head!!! My rye patch is getting tilled up next spring because of thistles!!!

[willyfahey]

Round up on cloth gloves works good to help manage thistle. You don't have to worry about the round up damaging your food plot. We walk through grabbing them as we go before they flower. Remember to put latex gloves on for liner.

[hockeybc69]

Why not carry a spot sprayer and deal with a little overspray.

I have NEVER heard of that, nor would i even consider that. Wow.