Here is my question: What would be the easiest way to make a food plot with out a nice tractor or disc plow?
**the area isn't but about 1/5 of an acre.

There are different methods:

1) Fertilize the natural vegetation to improve the growth.

2)Spray the area with Roundup and then surface seed clover, etc.

3) Cutopenings in treed areas to create undergrowth (browse) for the deer.

4) Plant trees such as apples, persimmons,oaks.

Dan O.

Maybe you could try one of the newer seed blends that don't require much preparation. You could spray the vegetation, scratch the soil with a rake, respray the area a few weeks later, and the wait a week and sow the seeds. Has anyone tried the low preparation seeds?

I may take a tiller over there tommorrow and till it up a little and then put some biologic on it or something.

I believe Biologic does make a seed called no plow. Just rake it in. Like mentioned already though you may need to remove whatever is growing naturally by spraying weed killer.....

another one of the no-plow ones is called hotspot, just rake up existing vegatation and throw down the seed. You may want to check how much sunlight and rain is needed for whatever product you eventually choose. Also, a soil PH sample is usually a good investment

THere are quite a few throw and grows. The No-Plow is actually from the Whitetail Insititute. I've pllanted about 3 acres for 4 years. It does well. I tried the hotspot and it was too grassy.

Personally, if the pH is neutral. I like clover over a early spring snow and fertilize at greenup. My first choice is Imperial but I've tried the coops seed and it did OK. I don't mind spending a couple extra $$$ since my total planted area is just over 5 acres.

I would stay away from anybodys blend in the spring with brassicas. They don't seem to eat them in the spring or summer but my clover is worn out from the time it get a few inches tall until it gets covered in snow about a foot or more.

O

Right now might not be the best time to try to put in a food plot. Not much time left in the season. Rye grass seed might pop up in time to get a little grazing before the season ends.