best food plot plantingtechnique

docjon · Mar 12, 2009

Ok soil testing is done.... have prepared my 10 acres of food plots in past with disc , drag harrow, broadcast, redrag than used roller to firm the soil afterward, Than the large tiller came along last week, (wish I got one last year) was thinking of just broadcasting over the fine soil than going over it with 8foot cultipacker i also just purchased since roller less than 5 foot wide, Have had decent results with previous technique, most of my seed recommends no more than 1/4 depth, curious if I should drag this after broadcasting if it would help enough to use the fuel this year

rdln · Mar 12, 2009

Sounds good to me

theboman · Mar 12, 2009

We had an ol' ore digging filled and leveled, I'm guessing it was not over 25X50 . Took a bag of wildlife plot seed, lots of wheat/rye grasses I believe. I used a Scotts hand spreader and covered it up and down, then back and forth. Got on the B7500 and drove over it until it looked like it was all run'd over. 2-3 weeks it was green and the turkeys and birds lovin' it. The deer kept it trimmed. Figured the next spring it would be gone, but something comes up every year and it's always got critters.
I think what works, works. Luck and rain do play a part.

Western · Mar 13, 2009

Hey DOC, I would just run the cultipacker for seed that shallow, that is usually the recommended way for those little seed, ( if you don't use a planter).

On larger seed like oats, I use a home made offset tire drag after i broadcast, that seems to work well. I wish I had a cultipacker but they aren't to common around my parts.

docjon · Mar 13, 2009

Im sure that a cultipacker with spikes wound work better but pretty tuff ot find around here mine has wheels but lacks the knobs or spikes, I do plant forage oats in fall old technique worked well, should I possibly drag this for seed like that than pack it? Pretty tough to say if my technique or total lack of rain in our parts hindered my food plots in fall but most likely rain issue, grew great turnips though

BayouMan · Mar 14, 2009

Hey Doc,
I would think that if your ground is tilled well, you should do just fine with running your cultipacker over the food plot, after you broadcast your seed. I see a lot of farmers in this area do just that and they have great looking green fields.

Mike