I was looking to make about a 2 arce food plot. I am in Phelps County Missouri, and the soil is rocky, clay type. Its the same soil you will find on Fort Leonard Wood (anybody who has done time there will tell you the ground sucks). I have done a PH test to get 5.1. With this type of soil when should I start fertilizing and liming? I was told in the early spring, but Im thinking with this soil i will have to start sooner. I am looking to plant a Biologic Full Draw type product and maybe clover. Any help is greatful!!

A pH of 5.1 is low. Lime as soon as you can, and work the lime (plowing is best) into the soil. Do not plant clover this year, the pH is too low. I would suggest an annual crop such as oats, brassicas, or corn. They can tolerate a lower pH. You could plant a perennial like clover next year, after your lime has had some time to react with the soil. Do not add more N fertilizer to the soil than your soil test recommends. N will leach out of the soil, so a spring application is safer. You can build up P and K levels (if the soil test said they were lowor very low) by adding fertilizer and plowing it into the soil, but it will be difficult to do unless you can get fertilizer from a local coop.

I dont have a spreader, should i get one for the liming? Which lime should i use pellet or power?

I would borrow or rent a spreader. You will have much better luck spreading pelletized lime with a hand spreader. Other people have put powdered lime in the back of a pickup and spread by hand, shoveling out the back of the truck. If you have a good sized budget for your food plot, you could have powdered lime spread by a local coop.

I've walked around with a bag and hand tossed lime out - It takes time but works. Its not a scientific application - you probably couldn't accidently apply too much if you tried.

If heard of guys using a leaf blower out of the bed of a pickup -

FH

I feel your pain on the soil. I am in Maries county but we do have a couple of spots with decent soil, problem is we need all the pasture we can get for the cattle. We did try a couple of plots to see what would happen and we did not have good luck the first year. Hopefuly with another year of treatment we can get something this year.

On another note, how was the hunting this year? I think the rut hit about perfect with rifle season, and now the secondary rut is about over, but we had decent luck. No big bucks to speak of, but we did at least have opportunities to at least see them. I am still trying with the muzzy and I will get out a few times with the bow.

Well, good luck on the plot.

KC I grew up and huntied Crawford, Phleps, and Maries county moust of my life. The soil in these counties really suck for growing food plots. What we always did was use a winter wheat mixture. Winter wheat will do good in this soil every year and oats do very well. You could also through something like a cow pea with it. I my uncle lives in North Crawford county almost on the Gascanade county line. He uses this mixture and does quite well with it.

Also who ever suggested liming, listen to them no matter what you plant. Find an MFA - not sure what part of Phelps your in or I could tell you where to rent a line buggy. But be prepared to lime at a minimum of once every other year. If it were me, I would get the ground opened up as sson as I could after season.

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Take your shovel and start to dig into your soil about 12 to 18 inches deep. If there is a layer of rock that you cannot penetrate to get down this deep, the roots of plants will not be able to either and they will not survive. Therefore, planting in this location will be near impossible. (You can always hire a backhoe to remove the rocks or blast the area with explosives; however, these options are extreme, expensive and don't necessarily work.)
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Step 2

Remove any loose rocks that you can. If your shovel can get through some of the rocky soil, then your roots should be able to also, but you will need to amend the rocky soil to help your plants grow more successfully. Remove large rocks by lifting them out with your hands. For small rocks on the surface of the soil, use a garden rake to move them out of the way. You may also be able to use a shovel to lift them out of the soil.
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Step 3

Find, create or buy compost or mulch and other organic material, such as peat moss, that will help feed your plants.
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Step 4

Till the soil to the depth of 12 to 18 inches and continue to remove obvious and large rocks. You may need to till the soil several more times to reveal more rocks. Consider roto tilling your soil to help bring more rocks to the surface so that they can be removed.
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Step 5

Mix in the compost, mulch or other organic material to your tilled soil to raise the level of the planting bed to be at least ground level. Adding an extra couple inches will create a raised planting bed, which is conducive to good water drainage.
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Step 6

Purchase the seeds of plants that grow well in rocky soil, such as Dicentra chrysantha and Oenothera. You can ask your local greenhouse for other specific plants in your area that grow well in rocky soil.
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Step 7

Plant the seeds in the soil mixture you have made. Most seeds of plants that grow well in rocky soil should be planted about 1/4 to 1/2 inch below the surface of the soil. You can also scatter the seeds with a seed spreader or with your hands in a tilled flower bed.
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Step 8

Water the newly-planted seeds with about an inch of water. Water slowly so that the soil absorbs the water, rather than puddling. Continue to water the seeds each day to keep the top of the soil moist until the seeds sprout and begin to take root.