N.Va food plot ?
 

Over the july 4th weekend i got 2/3 of an acre plowed(rototilled). The area is an old hayfield that has had nothing done to it but mulch hayed every year for a long time. The ground was very hard and dry ,,,and full of rocks,,,which i have picked some of the rocks but have alot more to pick. We did not do a soil test but we put two tons of lime on the ground before tilling. The ground was extremely hard so we went over it again with the tiller and we got down to a depth of 4"-6" evenly. This field is in full sun all day! What i would like to do is plant a sugarbeet,, turnip,,,and cowpee mix??? I would like a tall,,lush food plot but im not certain that it will grow under the circumstances. What are your thoughts??? I have access to machinery,,,but im lacking any sort of planter,,,im looking to rent one but i have not found anyone that rents a planter to date,,,so i guess i have a few restrictions to consider
Thanks alot
Mike

Mike....I know what you mean when talking 'bout rocks, a lot of my ground is VERY rocky. Makes using a tiller "interesting" lol.

Sounds like you got 'er in good shape and ready to plant. The mix you're considering could work. I've never grown sugarbeets but I have grown something very similar called "Mangels" One thing about them is they are VERY slow growing at first and keeping the weeds from overtaking them is very difficult. Plus in order for them to produce a root/bulb/shoot, they need to be planted late May - June. The sugarbeets may still work, but just in my opinion, there's better choices at this point. The cowpeas is very easy to grow, not particular about where its grown, grows very fast and deer LOVE them, and that could be a problem in a small plot...the deer could wipe them out quickly, and not have an attractive plot well before bow season. Turnips/brassicas are a different story altogether. In most areas the deer will not begin to feed on them until fall, preferably after frost "sweetens" them. IMO its best to plant a mix of brassicas...turnips, rape, radishes etc. Deer will eat Rapeseed and Radish much sooner than turnips also. The best time to plant a brassica plot in this area is late July - first week of Aug. Lots of fertilizer is needed, but brassicas are capable of producing literally TONS of plant matter per acre, if they are properly fed and decent rain falls late summer. SHOT PLOT is good mix of brassicas for small plots, but there are many great brassica mixes available and there are online sources that you can buy a little cheaper and create your own mix.

Another option to consider is a mix of cereal grains...Rye, Oats, Wheat. Planted around Labor Day or a little later almost guarantee's are very attractive plot by bow season and possibly through late M/L season...

Hope y'all got some rain ? its been ungodly hot and dry around here I know that! Hopefully the drought is over........


Almost forgot....a planter/drill is nice, but not necessary to grow great plots! in fact I prefer to use a hand type seeder for many seeds like clover, brassicas etc. Just about any and all seeds can be spread that way including corn and soybeans. I use a "SOLO" brand seeder and have planted acres in a few hours with it, many brands/models to choose from also. It's also possible to spread seed by hand...literally. Just put the seed in a bucket and fling seed as evenly as possible across the plot, can be difficult to get an even distribution, but can be done. After the plot is tilled and just before rain is expected sow the seed OR till the plot, run over it with a four wheeler, cultipacker, even a small tractor and then spread the seed, and pack once again to insure seed to soil contact and as a small hedge against the fickle rains...........

Looks good! I have been planting food plots in the same field for 3 plus years and I am still pulling a bunch of rocks out every year. Good Luck! Post some pics closer to the season.

4evrhtn:
Thanks alot,,,i will post some pics as things get growin

Haystack:
Thanks for replyin,,,i have been hanging on yer every word here for quite awhile,,,,,that said im gonna take your suggestion and run with it! Im gonna get the shot plot and plant the 1st week of august after i get back from Obx,,,,without a soil test would you think that 400 lbs of 10-10-10 is a good start for 2/3 of an acre or should i lay more down?and,,should i fertilize before or after seeding a brassica plot? I got some pics of what i have going on but i forgot to put them in order,,,if your sitting in the "Blind" the food plot is about 300yds in front of you,,,,ya have roughly 200yds on either side of the plot to the wood lines,,,i did this in hopes to have plenty of time to get a good luck at the deer before takin a shot,,and you have half a chance at getting in the blind before they see ya. The very 1st pic i was standing at the feeder looking back towards the blind (which is hidden) at the top of the hill just to the right of the last vehicle tracks you can see.
Thanks again
Mike

WOW...you've got a paradise there! if that is in PW county that is a JEWEL of a piece of property!

Looks like you got a very good kill on the grasses, there might be some grass seed continue to sprout for a while but eventually it will diminish. As time allows in the future, there's different types of fast growing screens that could be planted to hide your entry and exit, to and from your blind. Just a thought.

On the fertilizer question....I really believe you could get by with 300 lbs. of triple 10. Most brassica plantings call for roughly 90 lbs. of nitrogen per acre and that will indeed grow some hellish brassicas with adequate rainfall. 300lbs. would be a plenty on 2/3 of an acre IMO. It is best to apply the fertilizer right before planting. If its applied to early, weeds will explode and use up some of the nutrients and nitrogen can be lost if applied to early.

Something I need to mention on the Shot Plot and/or any type brassica, is there are many cases where deer just won't take an interest in them at anytime throughout fall and winter. Yet travel a few miles away and those deer absolutely love them. So there's only one way to find out what those particular deer will and will not favor.

I believe the Shot Plot is available in 2.5 and 10lb. bags. Roughly 5 lbs. is recommended per acre, so you could almost get by with the 2.5 lb bag or get the 10 lb and save the left over until next year. Its very important not to plant them to thick, they need a certain amount of space to grow a strong stem to support the huge leaf, but you don't want them so thin that weeds can get a start and rob moisture and nutrients from the brassicas.

What have you got planned for the strip where your truck is parked ? Looks like great place for Rye, Oat or Wheat plot....

The deer around here prefer that mix to just about any type of food plot out there.

Here's an example from last fall...:biggrin:

Haystack: That property is actually on the pw faquier co line,,,broad run va rt 600,,,just far enough in that we can use the rifles safely. The area where my truck is sitting is where i got lazy,,,and i broke the slip clutch and part of the drive shaft on the tiller,,(which cost me a few hours and 250.00$ to replace,,since it was a borrowed piece of equip. I wanted it to go back to the owner perfect),,,so my thoughts were to hit hard with the disc and give it a dose of either winter wheat or clover of some sort,,but i was leaning towards the winter wheat,,,i have some land in Pa and i have watched those deer walk right thru whitetail clover to go to the winter wheat.Those plots of yours give me WOOD!,,,That is exactly what im hopin for this year!

Oh and thanks for the info on the shot plot and fertilizer,,,im gonna give it a try for this year and if for some reason the deer dont seem to like it i'll go with something different next season,,,im plannin on planting aug.1st and i will keep posting pics for you to see the progress,,,it's rainin pretty good here in marshall and it was really rainin hard when i was comin out 66 around the broad run area so i hope it keeps up,,if it does i may plant before i go to the outer banks on the 24th! should i fertilize before or after planting?
Thanks again
Mike

Ouch...hate to hear about the tiller, chit does indeed happen, I've tore up quite a bit of equipment on account of the dang rocks.

It's possible to grow a decent crop without any tillage. Of course certain crops do better planted in tilled ground and tilling in lime and fertilizer is best, but there are quite a few advantages to planting in killed sod or undisturbed soil, such as moisture retention, little to no soil erosion and less weed seeds being brought to the surface.

The wheat could be planted without tilling. Timing and rain is critical but it can and will grow just by broadcasting into that killed sod. Clover does really well planting into killed sod also.





Mike....you could put down part of the fertilizer right before planting and then come back with another application 3 to 5 weeks later. I usually apply nothing but nitrogen on the second application.

Rained here again today also, thank goodness. Hope the pattern has changed and by the looks of the extended forecast, it very well could.

Definitely keep posting pics! I really want to see you have a great plot, with lots of deer action and success!!

Have a good one down at the Outer Banks!! it's kinda hard NOT to have a good time there!!

Let me know what kind of equipment you might be looking for also, might be able to help ya out.....

Ok guys i have another question,,,,im planting the shot plot this morning and after a quick check on the 7 day weather i see that there is no rain in sight and it's supposed to get damn hot here wed. this upcoming week,,,i have access to a 500 gal water tank that i can pull behind the tractor,,,how long should i wait for rain before i start watering the food plot? we had about 2 good hours of rain here thursday night,,,im gonna start out discing in 150lbs of 19-19-19 and then roll and then sow the seed and finish up by rolling again,,am i forgetting anything?

Thanks again
Mike

Mike........it's a tuff call, but I've never watered brassicas. Last year was drier in my area than what I've got now and I planted the first week of Aug. It barely rained after planting and the brassicas still done OK. No doubt timely rains is necessary, but it's amazing what the brassicas can endure before they become irreversibly stunted.

Something that's a bigger threat in dry weather IMO, is grasshoppers. They will completely destroy a plot in short order, especially in dry hot weather. If you notice many grasshopper's in the fields around your plots, better have some liquid 10% "Sevin" spray on hand, just in case.

Bottom line, I would only water if the majority of the seed sprouts quickly and no rain what so ever falls for the next 2 weeks.

Here's some of mine from last year, it was ungodly dry when I planted these, followed by 2tenths a week after planting and light occasional rains in August. Finally got a ground soaker first of September.

Haystack:
Thanks for the info,,,and i can only hope that our turnips come up that good! I made a super STUPID mistake! i bought a broadcast seeder from southern states and followed the directions as to settings for the fertilizer and it worked great,,,but the setting for the seed was'nt clear to me for some reason and i spread 5lbs of shot plot around the outside edges of the 2/3 acre! I had it set on #2 and it should have been set on the lowest setting,,,i also had a bag of rackmaster elite on hand so i spread it on the rest of the plot!!!! Im gonna see what happens in the next 3 weeks and if things dont look right to me im gonna make another plot and try those radishes and clover mix. I have put alot of planning into this and im pretty disgusted with myself right now for making such a dumb mistake,,,but we'll see how it turns out
Mike

Happens to everybody
 

Anybody who has ever planted brassicas has done the same thing! If they say they haven't, they're either not being very honest or ain't done much brassica plantin!

Just chalk it up as valuable experience and see what the outcome may be, you never know. It takes a while to get the hang of a new seeder also. Something else is, I always find it VERY hard to resist the urge to sow more brassica seed than necessary. The seed is very small and it just doesn't seem like a few pounds is enough, but with the right amount of moisture and fertilize, they quickly become quite large and fill in.

I've seeded way to heavy before and came back 3 weeks later with a disk adjusted with the least amount of angle as possible, and made one light pass with decent results. I've also let it go and had insects thin 'em pretty good :s2:

On another note, that Rackmaster elite has got some of the best clover seed on the planet! I haven't tried the Patriot clover (hear it's good stuff) but I've got a plot of the Durana, and I can honestly say it's the toughest, most heat and drought resistant clover I've ever grown, and deer love it! It's slow to get started (will be next spring before its thick and lush) but once it gets going, it's pretty much there to stay.

Hang in there, regardless of what happens with the brassicas, still have plenty of time and options!

well...were gettin some well needed rain,,,im hopin the turnips and clover are lovin it as much as i am! This saturday will be a week since planting,,,when can i expect to see some germination? The older i get the more impatient i become!

There will be some brassicas sprouted and up the next time you pull into the field :biggrin: if you're going out Saturday, I guarantee there will be brassicas sprouted. Those things are one of the fastest sprouting seeds I know of. Three days after planting isn't unheard of, under the right conditions.

The clover takes a little longer, maybe 6 - 7 days and there will be clover sprouting in September still, just the nature of clover and white clover in particular.

Glad to hear you're getting some rain! Looks like a chance every day for the next 7 days, I'll take it! And I won't be complaining when these hot, humid days are behind us :cool:

Haystack:
Man were you right!Turnips are up everywhere,,and they look to be pretty even,,,i see very little sign of the clover sprouting yet but we did get a few showers again last evening,,maybe that will help? I must say that this foodplot thing really has me excited!

The rains/soil moisture is definitely critical in getting the seeds sprouted and off to a good start, but extreme patience will be needed with the clover that's in the Rackmaster mix. Quick establishment is not it's main attribute, but life span/duration is, and once the clover gets established and growing, I think you will be very pleased. It's going to be next year before you see the full potential the clover has and the aggressiveness should continue for quite a few years.

Crimson Clover, some of the Red clovers as well as some of the annual clovers is very quick to sprout and grow if you might be wanting a clover plot sooner.

I recently seen a few bags of the Rackmaster Elite, the newest bags had the Trophy radish included but the old bags didn't. I'm curious whether or not yours was from the new batch or not? if so, I'd definitely like to know how the deer in your area use them compared to the brassicas in the Shot Plot.

And I agree, food plotting and growing stuff is not only fun and exiting, but very rewarding, especially when things work out, like the soaking rain we're getting today! :guiness:

Haystack:
The bag of elite that i put out did not have the radishes,,,,i stopped in to marshall co-op on wed. afternoon and the guy in there was still all wound up about these radishes and they will be on the shelf monday morning! They are selling the "Trophy" radish brand,,and im going to buy some and plant them in that area where my truck was sitting in the previous pics. Call me a sucker,,lol,,,but anybody that excited about a product catches my attention and im willing to go all out to give it a try,,,i just wish that i had better equip. for ground prep. I have a two bottom old john deere plow sitting up in Pa. on the family farm and im gonna go up and get it next weekend,,,what would be the latest i can plant these radishes and still hope for a good crop?

Late Aug - mid September is the recommended planting date for the radishes in our area. They sprout and grow very fast, the seed is about 3x the size of turnips and easier to plant IMO. They need about 60 lbs. of actual nitrogen per acre for best growth also.

Nothing wrong with growing the Trophy radishes, I'd grow those before going to much trouble looking for the cheaper options.

Honestly Mike, not much ground prep is needed with the radish. If you could spread the fertilize and disk that in followed by spreading the seed and packing is all that's needed. I know where a small 3 point hitch disk is located if you might be interested. I haven't looked at it close and don't know what the man wants for it, but I'm sure it would be less than you paid to fix that tiller :D

Haystack:
Im lookin to buy a better disc! as a matter of fact i tried to buy one off the side of the road yesterday but the man wanted to sell an old ford 8n and implements together 1st before he parted them out,,,,if i knew that this lease was ours for a few years to come i would have bought all three from him but theres nothing written in stone. If you get a chance to talk to the guy and can get a phone# i will probably buy that disc from him,,,and thank you for the info!

It's raining here this morning so i took off work to go to the property and pull the card from the camera,,see whats been hitting the food barrel,,,and just sit in the blind until about 9am just to see whats moving,,,,on a side note have you taken notice to the acorn crop in your area? This property is some kinda loaded with them this year and as big around as a .50 cent piece on two of the big oaks!
Thanks again
Mike

Mike - it will be friday before I can meet with the guy about the disk. I'll get the info and take a few pics. Will shoot you a PM asap! And yep, there's a HUGE acorn crop here also this year. I haven't seen white oaks this loaded for 10 years! Should be some fat deer around, but may be a little harder to kill, at least early season any way. I'm getting anxious to do some hunting, that's for sure!

Here are a few pics of the turnips. The Rack Master Elite is still not showing much sign of growth. Thanks for the help with the disk, I will watch my inbox.
Thanks, Mike

http://richmond.craigslist.org/grd/1855383832.html

Take a look at that. Might be of some help.

Thats a dandy right there! If this other thing does'nt work out i'll be callin,,,thanks alot

Haystack:
I tried to message you back but i dont think it went thru for some reason? I got the pics of the disc and im interested,,,i'kll try to give you a call this weekend,,Im pretty sick about my turnip plots,,,,they look horrible! Im not sure if the deer are eating them or the drought has just burnt em up,,,,they have not grown at all in 2 weeks,,,the rackmaster elite is very thin to say the least,,so thin that i think im gonna disk that again and replant something else in there like winter oats or wheat,,,,i have made 2 trips to the plots with 500 gals of water per trip and i think i would have been further ahead to just have taken a case of beer out there and drank it and then p'd the plots wet,,,500 gals does'nt even make it from one end of the plot to the other,,,and then the ground just soaked it right up,,,,im kinda lost and not sure which way to turn this late in the season!
thanks again for all your help and effort with the disk,,,,i really appreciate it especially knowing how busy you are right now with the corn!
Mike