Effectivness of the "no plow" products
 

Was just wondering i hunt a farm in North central PA and do nopt have the ability to plow etc...the farmer won't lease either. He doesn't care about hunting and is very permissive (letting eveyone hunt his land)

Here is my question, how effect are those "no plow" "throw and grow" etc products with the use of just a rake to break up the top soil for seed to soil contact.

Any advice or experience would be appreciated. ( i know in the perfect world, lime fertilizer, water, plow, weed control etc but thats not where i am right now)

RE: Effectivness of the "no plow" products
 

If your situation won't allow you to do ANY ground work other than with had tools...anything is better than nothing. Both in terms of working the ground a bit and planting a food plot. The "no plow" type seed mixes are going to produce more forage that what is there naturally in most situations. pH and soil nutrients are more important than the seed variety, but those seedmixes should be designed for those areas that you cannot work as well as you like. That is, they should be able to handle a wider variety of soil, moisture, and growing conditions.

That said, in my humble opinion, you generally get what you pay for in seed. The organizations that make their living researching seed types and developing seed rather than just bagging and selling it have better products. I've tried many, many varieties and I have my favorites. I don't want to suggest one type and slander another. You can do a little looking on a variety of sites and forum here and elsewhere and get a feel for what brands work and what are not worth the money.

RE: Effectivness of the "no plow" products
 

Hey derodkey: BioLogic Hot Spot vs. Whitetail Institute Secret Spot
Experience with either? One seem better than the other? Is either going to attract deer almost immediately upon germination?

RE: Effectivness of the "no plow" products
 

One thing to consider if "everyone" hunts the land is that if you spend the time and money to get something to grow will "everyone" also want to hunt the spot? If so you may be wasting your time and money.

RE: Effectivness of the "no plow" products
 

Illini Sportman...nope, never used either for work (wildlife biologist)or play. I have used the Whitetail Institutes Whitetail Clover with pretty goodresults along with some of their mineral supplements. Now I make my own supplements. I use Tecomante seed now. I have a buddy who works for Tecomante so I'vebeen using their products for awhile with great results. If the company you are buying from has put in the time for research, and not just bagging seed and advertising as so many do, the seed should be good.

RE: Effectivness of the "no plow" products
 

i used Secret spot and had good results with it....the area was sprouted green in 5 days