To maximize the success of your plot, conduct a soil test and make adjustments as recommended. Mindfully select your crop and prepare the soil accordingly. Try whenever possible to plant ahead of a forecasted rain. Especially when planting warm season plots, be prepared to battle weeds.
How do you manage food plots?
To maximize the success of your plot, conduct a soil test and make adjustments as recommended. Mindfully select your crop and prepare the soil accordingly. Try whenever possible to plant ahead of a forecasted rain. Especially when planting warm season plots, be prepared to battle weeds.
How do you prepare a food plot?
- Choose a Plot Location and Seed. The first step is to choose a spot for your food plot where wildlife is active. ...
- Test the Soil. A successful planting begins with knowing the PH of your soil. ...
- Clear and Prep the Soil. ...
- Plant and Fertilize. ...
- Maintain your Plot.
Should I mow my deer food plot?
“ Mowing definitely has a place in your perennial food plots, but you can save yourself a lot of time mowing if you spray the correct herbicide at the correct time,” he said.
How do you save a food plot?
By late July, simply broadcast a 1/2 acre of brassica into the standing beans , and let some timely rains save your food plot failure. Then, if you still have more than 50% of the soil exposed sometime during early September, broadcast 100-150#s of Winter rye right over the top of your food plot.
Are food plots worth it?
Sometimes called “kill plots,” these fields are definitely proven to work for any whitetail hunter that has access to a large chunk of whitetail habitat, and an undying desire to take a mature bucks. A well-thought-out food plot plan will help you attract mature bucks, drawing them from surrounding properties.
When should food plots be used?
August Food Plot Planting Window – Early August to Early September may just be the best time to plant a food plot. While corn and beans need to be planted during the Spring, many do not have the resources and even then, there are a strong portion of parcels where they would not be appropriate.
How deep should a food plot be?
A good rule of thumb is, “ the seed diameter times three” , gives you your planting depth. If you are planting a 1⁄4 inch thick pea or bean seed, it needs to get about an inch into the ground.
What is the easiest food plot to grow?
Clover . Clover is by far one of the easiest food plot species to establish and maintain. It is one of the most popular species to throw into mixes, put into standalone plots, or throw it in around other larger food plots.
How often should I mow a clover food plot?
Depending on rainfall, a good stand of clover should be cut at least 4 times a year . If you cut clover past this height it will put a lot of stress on the plant. Always keep an eye on the forecast and plan your cuts around a heavy rain, this will allow it to bounce right back.
How do I keep weeds out of my clover food plot?
To control grasses in clover plots Ben uses Select Max (Clethodim) at 16 oz per 10 gallons per acre. To control broadleaf weeds in clover plots Ben uses Butyrac 200 (2-4DB) at 1 quart per 10 gallons of water per acre , which does not harm legume species (clover, soybeans, alfalfa).
Will deer eat clover in winter?
In the north clovers go dormant during the winter , but their cooler, humid growing season favors most varieties and the whitetails devour it there just like everywhere else. Perhaps the most important trait is deer love the taste, but it's difficult to kill from over-browsing.
Can you overseed a food plot?
Over seeding clover in food plots for deer can be done early spring or late fall . The timing is geared to let mother nature use her freeze thaw cycle to work the clover seed into the ground, and give us the necessary soil to seed contact for germination without working the ground.
Why is my food plot not growing?
Tim Kent, who works for Evolved Harvest, says one of the primary reasons food plots fail to flourish is because a soil test wasn't done . A soil test in itself won't make your plot plants grow, but it will tell what they need to grow. ... Too much seed can create too much competition for nutrients in the soil.
How does winter rye grow?
Cereal grains like winter rye are fast growers, sprouting quickly from seed to form a thick mat that blankets soil . This living ground cover smothers cool-season weeds. Having a thick ground cover also helps prevent soil erosion over winter and loss of nutrients from exposed soil. Winter rye is a deep-rooted plant.
