Just finished planting my food plot !!
06-20-2008, 10:23 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location:
Posts: 268
Just finished planting my food plot !!
Hey folks,
I just returned from finally planting a food plot on some land that's in the middle of nowhere & well off the beaten path. I started 7+ weeks ago clearing a fairly level area that's just off two intersecting deer trails.
In the picture below, I'm standing right in the middle of the intersection of the trails when taking the photo. After clearing everything away, I hit the entire area with Round Up, waited two weeks, then hit it with Round Up again. I then waited two more weeks, went in with 20 bags of topsoil & 6 bags of munure/humus and spread out the soil/munure/humus in the back 1/3 of this plot which is basically a 17 yard circle. I then sprayed 2.5 gallons of Liquid Lime in the entire plot and let it sit one month. For those of you who think the 2.5 gallons of Liquid Lime is overkill, mind you- the pH in the soil was 4 when I started this project. Whitetail Institute Imperial Clover & Alfa Rack Plus need a soil pH of 6.5 & 6 respectively in order to produce optimal results.
I returned two days ago and cut a few small trees by hand & raked up any debris which had blown in over the last 30 days. I also took a soil sample & dropped it off to my buddy that afternoon so as to find out what the pH levels were (I expected the soil/munure/humus area to be higher than the other 2/3's of the plot). My buddy called last night to tell me that my pH numbers were 7 (in the soil/munure/humus area) and 6 in the rest of the plot! Needless to say, I went in there this morning, whacked a few big trees with a chainsaw on the far (southwest) side to open it up to some afternoon sun, put down the Imperial Clover & Alpha Rack Plus where the pH was 7 and put down a combination of No-Plow, Extreme & Secret Spot in the other 2/3's where the pH is 6.
I then put down some 13-13-13 Fertilizer, executed a "poor man's harrow" on the ground where the Imperial Clover & Alfa Rack Plus were, and then sprayed the entire area with 5 gallons of water.
Here is the result. It doesn't look like much right now, but the picture doesn't do it any justice. I'll update this thread with pictures every 3 weeks or so to keep you all "in the know" regarding the progress of this plot.
A prize to anyone who can spot my trailcam!
Rob
I just returned from finally planting a food plot on some land that's in the middle of nowhere & well off the beaten path. I started 7+ weeks ago clearing a fairly level area that's just off two intersecting deer trails.
In the picture below, I'm standing right in the middle of the intersection of the trails when taking the photo. After clearing everything away, I hit the entire area with Round Up, waited two weeks, then hit it with Round Up again. I then waited two more weeks, went in with 20 bags of topsoil & 6 bags of munure/humus and spread out the soil/munure/humus in the back 1/3 of this plot which is basically a 17 yard circle. I then sprayed 2.5 gallons of Liquid Lime in the entire plot and let it sit one month. For those of you who think the 2.5 gallons of Liquid Lime is overkill, mind you- the pH in the soil was 4 when I started this project. Whitetail Institute Imperial Clover & Alfa Rack Plus need a soil pH of 6.5 & 6 respectively in order to produce optimal results.
I returned two days ago and cut a few small trees by hand & raked up any debris which had blown in over the last 30 days. I also took a soil sample & dropped it off to my buddy that afternoon so as to find out what the pH levels were (I expected the soil/munure/humus area to be higher than the other 2/3's of the plot). My buddy called last night to tell me that my pH numbers were 7 (in the soil/munure/humus area) and 6 in the rest of the plot! Needless to say, I went in there this morning, whacked a few big trees with a chainsaw on the far (southwest) side to open it up to some afternoon sun, put down the Imperial Clover & Alpha Rack Plus where the pH was 7 and put down a combination of No-Plow, Extreme & Secret Spot in the other 2/3's where the pH is 6.
I then put down some 13-13-13 Fertilizer, executed a "poor man's harrow" on the ground where the Imperial Clover & Alfa Rack Plus were, and then sprayed the entire area with 5 gallons of water.
Here is the result. It doesn't look like much right now, but the picture doesn't do it any justice. I'll update this thread with pictures every 3 weeks or so to keep you all "in the know" regarding the progress of this plot.
A prize to anyone who can spot my trailcam!
Rob
06-20-2008, 10:30 AM
#3
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location:
Posts: 268
RE: Just finished planting my food plot !!
It's actually posted about 2 feet up that tree. The debris/brush pile just in front of the tree makes it look as if the camera is mounted lower than it really is. It's also mounted slightly angled upwards- so as to shoot up the very gradual slope of the plot.
Rob
Rob
06-20-2008, 10:47 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Central, WI
Posts: 1,860
RE: Just finished planting my food plot !!
Looks good. Are u pulling the stumps out or just planting around them?
I am in the process of making a 1/4 acre food plot. Mowed some of it and sprayed some of it last weekend. Going there again soon to finish the rest of the mowing and sprapying. 2 weeks after that I will disc it up and put in fertilizer and plant it.
I am in the process of making a 1/4 acre food plot. Mowed some of it and sprayed some of it last weekend. Going there again soon to finish the rest of the mowing and sprapying. 2 weeks after that I will disc it up and put in fertilizer and plant it.
06-20-2008, 12:40 PM
#10
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location:
Posts: 268
RE: Just finished planting my food plot !!
ORIGINAL: BobCo19-65
Did you re-check the PH?
Did you re-check the PH?
(from third paragraph of my initial post)
I returned two days ago and cut a few small trees by hand & raked up any debris which had blown in over the last 30 days. I also took a soil sample & dropped it off to my buddy that afternoon so as to find out what the pH levels were (I expected the soil/munure/humus area to be higher than the other 2/3's of the plot). My buddy called last night to tell me that my pH numbers were 7 (in the soil/munure/humus area) and 6 in the rest of the plot!
Killadoe,
You were the first to accurately locate the cam. PM me your snail mail address & I'll send you your prize (small deer hunting accessory that goes in your pack).
Ryan,
Expensive? Compared to what? It's all relative. I look at this as a hobby. This particular hobby helps increase my odds of succeeding at another hobby- bowhunting deer. I don't gamble, smoke, chase women (except my wife), I don't do drugs & I buy about three 6-packs of beer a year if/when I'm going to a friends house for a cookout. I spend mydisposableincomeon sports programs for my kids, taking my family onvacation &bowhunting. This is merely an extension of bowhunting and keeps me in the woods in the late spring/summer. Some people are into cars, model trains, professional sports teams, NASCAR, Professional Bull Riding, Gourmet food, nightclubbing.......etc...... I like creating food plots in the middle of nowhere- deep in the woods, where only the deer can find them. This is the 6th plot my buddy & I have created inthis general area. Depending on wind conditions & time of day, we both now have multiple options if we want to sit a plot. So to me, it's not expensive at all....... it's simply what I do. Just curious- what do you spend your disposable income on?
Rob