Trying something new this year!!

[hunt4570]

I'm in north central South Carolina and our "dirt/soil" is sand.. not sandy dirt but just sand.. like on the beach! Been here 5 years now and cant grow a food plot to save my soul! I'll get everything disked up, add nutrients as needed plant, tractor-pack (cultipack) , try to get all that done before some rain.. All goes good, everything sprouts, but then no rain, and this sand WILL NOT hold moisture so all of a sudden what I plant dies and I have a field of the same weeds every year!!!
So this year, after I went through all this again this past spring.. I decided to mow it, get it knocked down before it goes to seed and cover this ground with thatch/biomatter (from the mowing) trying to help this sand retain some of its moisture. This fall (end of September ish) I plan to drag these fields lightly with my spike harrow just to scratch the surface a bit to allow some soil contact, then I will over seed these areas with a mix of clover and some cool season grasses to keep some green going throughout the winter.

Tired of fighting these foodplots every year.. If I can get this established I can quit the disc/plant/die rotunda I've been going through. Half of my open areas I planted years ago with a warm season native prairie mix that is doing quit well, if I can get the other half going good for the winter I can just keep it mowed... that's the plan anyway!!

Whatca think?

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I'm no help, just getting into the food plot game myself. But it sounds like a decent plan, wish you the best of luck!

 

[Tony S]

I used some round hay bales that were not any good for feed. I rolled them out then I ran over them with my 3 pt mower. Let sit for the summer then tilled spred some clover and got it to grow. Lot of differance where the hay was and where it wasn't.

 

[hunt4570]

Update..

So I ended up just planting a couple weeks ago, had such a drought this fall nothing would have grown anyway. Did a much smaller area than originally planned, planted a big circle area that was a burn pile with a mix of ladino clover and another white clover and then a couple strips with crimson clover, and a quick overseed of my weed patches with the Crimson clover also.