Advice on tilling food plots? disc vs. plow vs. cultivator

[HCJ]

I planted food plots for years around the Union, Lockhart area and will tell you that that soil is rough on equipment. We, alot of times spent more time working on the equipment that planting. What we found that worked best was bush hog the week before then use a cultivator (old type with springed spikes installed) to break up the soil. We would cris-cross the field with the cultivator then hit it with the disc with extra weight added to it. Then we would brodcast the seed and let the 4 wheelers pull chain link fence over the field to cover up the seed. Where I now hunt and plant foodplots is aroung Wagener, SC and there just a good bushogging and a disc will do the job. But if it is wet you can sink a tractor, ask me how I know, LOL I still mostly hunt the Woods Ferry Public area and just hunt around white oaks.

Sounds like a good idea to break up the soil first. I thought about buying a Fred Cain field cultivator (sounds like what you are describing). I am also going to try to angle my box blade forward to dig the scarfiers in when I install my hydraulic top link. I also need to add weight to the disc. It's funny that I plant all of these plots but never hunt over them. I agree with you, that hunting the oaks (or clear cuts) is much more fun and rewarding than sitting over a green field. We hunt near Princeton and Fork Shoals which is just south of Greenville.

 

[giacomo]

We bush hog first, then run over it with a rock rake. Then spray it with roundup or something similar. Leave it a month. If you have a plough, give it a light ploughing then disc it. Then seed, and either run a grass harrow or a chain over it.