dhuntingr

Ok this is my first year puttinin in a food plot so far i have cut the grass and (rotatilled ) ? the grass . i was wondering how do we keep it live and healthy if we cant water it ? No i dont have any of the big fancey farm equipment either... Please give me all the help you can... thank you

Moose75

cut the grass, till it up, lime it, spread the seed, fertilize it , I plant clay peas and acre peas in the summer.

dhuntingr

how often do i cut it every weekend to a certin point or do i let it grow to a certin hight?

Moose75

You cut it once and till it up real good get the dirt tore up so your seed can have a chance to grow. How big an area are you doing? you need a tiller or a disk to break the ground.Before I started using a tractor I used a tiller to break it up. Grass is bad it take away from your peas. You want to plant something with at least 16% Protein. Go to your Co-op or feed and seed store and they will help you. Look at the plots on my web page huntchristiancreek.com go to the "look around" page.

GSPsnFORDs

Your local extension center, farm co-op, or FSA (?) office can help you. Take a soil sample, then get the appropriate amount of lime, then plant & fertilize.

dhuntingr

what does lime it mean ?

Moose75

Lime helps the soil to better produce food for your deer (corrects the PH level) go to a feed and seed store or Co-op as they will be happy to help you learn about planting and in the long run making bigger better deer.

dhuntingr

ok thank you moose

Bill Yox

You might consider spraying RoundUp on the area to eliminate all grasses and weeds prior to discing. Theres other, more expensive sprays that kill only jointed grasses but not broad leafed plants, etc. I have limed areas before, but to me, other than alfalfa, not too many food plot blends seem to need that high of a pH. I could be wrong, but my ground is close to 7 already. Thats after liming three times in 5 years. I like the clover mixes and kale, planted alongside cover like goldenrod and ragweed and switchgrass. What about you guys? By the way, I do this inside deer pens, not so much in the wild.

GSPsnFORDs

dhuntingr.....lime is basically a neutralizer. You spread it on the soil get the pH balance to the correct number that your specific crop needs. The pH of a soil is basically the hydrogen ion concentration in the soil. When talking about soil acidity, 7 is neutral...anything under is considered acidic, and anything over is basic. Depending on the type of crop (or your food plot forage), you want to try and get the desirable pH level for that crop so it can grow at its maximum performance level. And if you get serious about this, it gets intoa maintenance spreading of lineon an annual basis (to replace the nutrients that particular plants take out of the soil) and a build up of lime which would be every four years. Sounds complicated, but honestly, it's really easy once you have the right formulas in hand. But I wouldn't worry about any of this just yet.

I would recommend getting a soil sample taken and having the right amount of lime spread to optimize your food plots performance though!

Also, like the previous post said, I would spray the weeds/grass to kill it in about 2-3 weeks advance, prior to you discing and planting.