Quick Question on building a small food plot
 

I will build a small food plot for next year.

I will be clearing out about 100 yards of old logging trail grown over with thorns and weeds. I am planning on using a sickle and rake to clear out most of the junk, and I would really like to avoid having to rent and haul in a rototiller - this spot is really remote.

Do you think I could use some Roundup Weed and Grass Killer to finish off the junk plants? I would wait a week or more before planting the food plot.

Any other advice or suggestions?

If you use roundup I think you have to wait like 3 weeks before seeding on it. From past experience, Id rent a rototiller and work the ground up good. Also, lime and fertilizer are a must. Even with all that you need rain. Good luck:)

Take a soil test this fall, and then you will know what you need for fertilizer and lime. I would spray roundup on the plot one weekend, and then till and plant the next weekend. If you do need lime, it really does need to be worked into the soil. Roto tilling will also kill perennial weeds, and provide a good seed bed for your seeds.

I understand that it would be optimum to do a soil test and rototill and fertilize and deweed and lime and set up an irrigation system, etc. etc.

But what I am trying to figure out is whether I can have success without rototilling. This is a remote spot and I don't have a 4 wheeler. It is going to be hard enough hiking in bags of fertilizer, seed, and possibly lime, as well as a rake and sickle.

do the best you can by hand. get it as clear as possible, and don't skip the lime and fertalizer part. Without it don't waste your time and money.

If you have a Tractor Supply store in your area, you can pick up a big jug of concetrate weed killer that has I believe 40% Glyphosate. It's generic Round Up for much cheaper. Tilling the soil will turn up seeds and can grow more weeds, but you may need to soften that ground at least once. May be able to avoid it the following year.

Can I put down weed killer, lime, and fertilizer on the same day? Then come back three weeks later and put down seed?

The lime and fertilizer, assuming the spot needs it, really needs to be worked into the soil. Since you can't get a tiller in there, perhaps you could turn the dirt over with a shovel. A lot of work for sure, but just tossing everything on top won't yield very good results I'm afraid.

And dilute the solution, of course. ;) 40% is extreme overkill for killing weeds. You only need a couple of % solution to kill weeds. The key to effective herbicide application is to do it when the leaves are green (must be photosynthesizing to work) and to make sure it sits on the leaves for at least 4 hours before it rains. Otherwise, it will kill most of whatever you spray it on. You can plant within a week or two after application, because glyphosate breaks down when in contact with the soil. By the time your food plot is germinating, the Roundup will have done it's thing.

And make sure it's actually Glyphosate, and not 2-4D or some other chemical. Glyphosate (Roundup) breaks down quickly, whereas many of the others are persistent in the soil and will kill your food plot.