| Very Small Food Plots |
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By:
SmoothieJonez
Date:23-Jun-12
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Looking for advice on very small food plot areas I want to establish. The two areas area 45' x 15' and 30'x 25'. I looked at brands Backwoods Blend (no till) and Throw & Gro, and was wondering if anyone had success growing very small food plots in deep woods river bottoms/wetlands areas with products you'd find at TSS, Dicks or Cabelas? I'm aware the PH levels for the soil having to be above 6.0, which it is. I'm looking at a 12 week window to be at lunchable growth by Sept 15th. I've read the directions and steps on back of product bags and articles from F&S. I'm aware some may say put up a feeder, but the zone I hunt in doesnt allow baiting and I'd like to put my green thumb to task. Does anyone have reccommended products or certain seeds (tetraploid ryegrass, forage clovers, brassica and others), advice, shortcuts or tricks they can offer?
Many thanks in advance...
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By:
guidermd
Date:23-Jun-12
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the seed will grow anywhere and produce good results. poor results is from doing it wrong. soil sample, fertilize and lime according to soil results, getting the ph right is half of it. you can grow a foodplot on pavement if you do it right!! :P
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By:
SmoothieJonez
Date:24-Jun-12
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I'm going with the Shot Plot Brassica/Forage Turnip brand. After I ordered it, I realized it didn't say if area needed to be tilled, which would throw a wrench into my operation. This area is deep backwoods and the only way I'd be able to till is with a portable till with rake handle. Nevertheless, thanks for the advice. I plan on taking week by week snap shots and see how it comes along. I'm in northern Connecticut and haven't decided yet when to plant. Opening day archery season is Sept 15th. Do I plant soon so the 45 growth is lunchable for Sept opneing day or do I wait til Labor Day weekend so lasts til November/December?
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By:
WBowhunt
Date:24-Jun-12
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I have planted Shot Plot in Mid to Late July. I did not Till, but did bust my butt with a Rake. The key is to ensure the seeds have direct soil contact. If ther is a lot of Debris ( Dead Weeds and Leaves ) the seed will sprout and then die off. Likt JVT stated. Get a 1 or 2 gallon hand sprayer and go out now and spray the area with Glycol. Then wait a couple weeks. Then go back and if possible use a push mower w/ bagger to remove all the dead debris. A small Tiller would be best. But if you can expose some loose soil on top, the seed will grow. One other thing I found with these small plots. One, once they start growing, depending of the type of seed, the deer will wipe them out in one or two evenings. Or the deer will not touch them until the first cold frost and then they will wipe them out in a day or two. It is a lot of hard work and alot fun getting these established and getting ready for season, but word of Advice, Don't think that you are going to put in these small plots and then have deer on them every time you go out. At Best you might have deer that pass though and stop briefly for a quick snack. But Plots this small will not hold deer. At least in my experience. Good Luck
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By:
SmoothieJonez
Date:24-Jun-12
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Thanks for the heads-up and advice. The plots are in wetlands/swamp area where two big puddle beds have dried out, have direct sunlight and tested soil ph @6+. The plots are located near beaten down deer trails that go to and from bedding & feeding areas and border a small river bank. Now that everything is green and the growing season is on, these puddle beds do not have run off to fill up when it rains; treeleaves and other plants soak everything up. I know there's always a risk that a heavy rain of 2"+ can fill up the puddle beds, but I'm going to take my chances. That being said, I have low to no expectations, simply curiousity and willing to try something new. I have a few more questions:
1.) Do I till then put down Glyco or put down Glyco and then till 2 weeks later?
2.) I plan on laying down lyme and fertilizer also (after I do the weed killer bit), so do I put one down before the other after tilling? Lyme, fert, seed or fert, lyme, seed? Bare with me, I'm very raw and green (no pun) at this.
3.) Regarding the seed. How much do I put down (ounces) regarding the two different small sized plots, seeing the 5lb bag is for 2.5 acres? Is there an acre converter that I can use to figure out 35'x20' and 45'x15' plots for amount of seed to lay down? I do not want to over or under seed the plot areas.
By the way, where is everyone located in regards to the growning season? I am in the northeast, in the Connecticut River Valley on Connecticut/Massachusetts border.
Again, many thanks in advance... very helpful and informative.
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By:
Blackstick
Date:25-Jun-12
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Good acreage calculator here.
http://www.csgnetwork.com/lawnacrecalc.html
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By:
BowSniper
Date:25-Jun-12
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I find the leafy turnip tops are very attractive to deer when planted late season. Deer don't seem to hit the bulbs much. But watch those pre-packaged brassica mixes... most are over loaded with Rape seed. Seems to me the rape seed is cheap and deer don't like it near as much as the turnips and kale. Check your mix to see what ratio of brassica seeds they have packaged together. Not all brassicas are equal
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By:
SmoothieJonez
Date:25-Jun-12
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Pat, when would you advise to start with the Perennial Clover/Chicory combination plot - now or a few weeks ago? Never too late?
Bowsniper, is there a brand of brassica seed you use or prefer over others that is not overloaded with Rape seed?
I may go with the chicory/clover plot in the wetland/river bed area and try the brassica/turnip seed in tobacco field that's 2+ acres after the tabacco's been harvested, to hold the deer over for late season archery and muzzleloader.
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By:
SmoothieJonez
Date:25-Jun-12
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Looks fantastic Pat! That's exactly what I'm shooting for. I was hoping to get healthy lunchable plot in by Sept 15th, a littel less than 12 weeks away. I'm curious to know why I should plant late August instead of now. I take it since the chicory/clover plot is a perennial, you don't have to refertilze and seed each year, it just comes up no its own naturally?
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By:
Bogey
Date:26-Jun-12
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Michael, I'm not sure if you saw my thread out here on Bowsite too about plots? It may give you some ideas. There isn't a lot of traction on that particular thread (it's not widely popular) but it does walk through everything I've done to plant small plots in the woods, with some different seed types and what I did to the soil and so on. It might help (I'm also in the NorthEast - New York). So I think that the information will be similar to what you may see.
http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?forum=4&threadid=407889&MESSAGES=46&FF=4
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Date:26-Jun-12
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Smoothie,
I have been following this and you are getting excellent advice! Good luck.
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By:
Mark Watkins
Date:26-Jun-12
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Agree with Frank 100%...
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By:
Mad Trapper
Date:26-Jun-12
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If you plan to plant clover, I would wait until fall. I would plant it with a nurse crop like rye - not rye grass, but cereal rye. The rye will help shield out the weeds and provide some cover for the clover to grow. The deer will eat the rye. In the spring, you will need to mow off the rye and you should have lush clover. The rye will not come back. If you just plant the clover and chicory and expect them to grow in a few weeks to have a plot to hunt over, you will likely be disappointed. It takes clover some time to develop. If you plant the clover now, it will likely be too dry through July-early August and you will likely be disappointed with germination and will most likely still not have a huntable plot by bow season. If you plant the brassica, follow Pat's advice. You will be able to hunt over it, provided your deer like it. The first year we planted brassica, the deer didn't touch it much - until late in the winter. Once they learned about it, they will eat it on my farm long before we get the first frost. And yes - they dig up the bulbs. Often our brassic plots will look like a group of hogs hit them late in the winter. My 2 cents.
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By:
SmoothieJonez
Date:26-Jun-12
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Bogey, I acutally sent you a private message before starting this post/thread. Did you not receive it? You inspired me to try this, although my small plots are a a little smaller than yours. Again, I have no or low expectations, but its good therapy for me as I await archery season to open. My zest for fishing and boating has been lost the past few springs/summers and need something to fill its void.
Pat, Tom and others - again, many thanks. Sincerely. And if anyone else thinks of any other tips, shortcuts or advice, please continue to post.
Thursday will be 1st round of Glyfo. I will also keep this thread updated.
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By:
Bogey
Date:26-Jun-12
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Mike, Sorry - I hadn't seen any PMs until tonight. I replied to you on that, but thought I would post here too just in case:
I did do all of my raking, fertilizing and planting in one day. I never tried the weed killer just because of my schedule - my first opportunity to get to my place was going to leave a 4 week gap before I could get back again. So I just figured "what the heck" and put the seed down.
I do recommend taking lots of photos as you go through the process and posting them here. I also recommend making yourself a map of what you planted and where, along with how you prepped the area - what kind of fertilizer if you try more than one and what kind of seed if you try more than one. This will help you later (even though you think you'll remember - you might not). Most of the seed I planted will come back again next year and the year after so that was part of my choice in seed. I heard a lot of guys say they get better plots after the second year.
You're likely going to have better luck than me. By now, I can see spots that would have been better locations because they get more sun naturally then the somewhat random places I chose in the early spring.
Good luck! Keep us posted.
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By:
P.A.G.
Date:27-Jun-12
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I have a plot app. 1.2 acre in no.central Ct.I plant half in chicory,clover and the rest in winter greens,which is a combination of braccia.turnips,and rape.I have found in my area the best time to plant is the 2nd week in Aug.That way you get deer in from early fall right through winter.Plant it right and THEY WILL COME.Good luck.
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By:
Mike Hudson
Date:28-Jun-12
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Hey Smoothie, I've been doing small food plots for 20 years. I also plant in bottomland next to a creek. Clover works very well for me. I spray round-up and wait about 10 days and go back and spray any areas i missed first (I want to be sure I've got it all). Then wait again and till. I use a walk behind Troybilt Tiller (worth the money) and till soil several times over. Then I use a hand spreader mixed with sand and apply seed. Don't wory about trying to bury (seeds are too small). I usually run over with fourwheeler or tractor. This presses down seed and gives good soil contact with the seed. Fertilize as recommended by the ph test. TIP-keep it mowed. If grass gets established it's hard to recover. Should last about 3-5 years before replanting. Deer love it. Good luck.
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By:
SmoothieJonez
Date:08-Jul-12
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I need to know what brand of Durana/Chicory mix do you recommend. Also, what brand of oats or cereal rye do you advise to use?
