We need a food plot forum!

[Agrantina]

Now thats a grain drill right there!! Been looking at the smaller brillion ssp5 but WOW they are high dollar even used... I may have to stick with my broadcasting method for the time being... Besides it takes longer than a drill and my seat time is play time!! Hopef fully I will have some spouting pics after I go check everything out this weekend..

AndyG

 

[flusher]

Now thats a grain drill right there!! Been looking at the smaller brillion ssp5 but WOW they are high dollar even used... I may have to stick with my broadcasting method for the time being... Besides it takes longer than a drill and my seat time is play time!! Hopef fully I will have some spouting pics after I go check everything out this weekend..

AndyG

You're right--Brillion cultipacker-seeders are the high price spread, new or used. Broadcasting is not a bad way to go if you have a single axle cultipacker. Disc the plot, level and groove it with the cultipacker, broadcast the seed, press it in with the cultipacker. Four passes and plenty of play time for you:laughing:.

 

[schoolsout]

Now thats a grain drill right there!! Been looking at the smaller brillion ssp5 but WOW they are high dollar even used... I may have to stick with my broadcasting method for the time being... Besides it takes longer than a drill and my seat time is play time!! Hopef fully I will have some spouting pics after I go check everything out this weekend..

AndyG

I'm with ya on the broadcasting thing..not optimal, but what I can afford at the time.

Hoping to get turnips and some other items in the ground in about a month. Putting out some lime this weekend.

 

[Bartcephus]

I vote for a dedicated forum as well.

This last weekend I put in my food plots. Tandem Disked, spread the fertilizer/lime, broadcast the seed and then covered by running a drag. About as low tech and cheap as I could get. That fertilizer is getting high. I used a "no till" seed mix, but hopefully will get germination if we ever see any rain here in NE Texas.

 

[hrcarver]

Thanks!

Not a thing wrong with discing/broadcasting/cultipacking. I still do it on all of my first year plots to incorporate lime and phosphorus.

I need to run twice as many guys (OK another one, but that is twice as many!) and twice as many trucks/tractors/trailers to plant with conventional tillage. Gets expensive quick with twice the equipment running, and its hard to charge enough to make any money with that much involved. With that drill, I can spray/fertilize all of them one week and drill the next. That lets me cover some ground and turn a pretty good profit.

 

[schoolsout]

Thanks!

Not a thing wrong with discing/broadcasting/cultipacking. I still do it on all of my first year plots to incorporate lime and phosphorus.

I need to run twice as many guys (OK another one, but that is twice as many!) and twice as many trucks/tractors/trailers to plant with conventional tillage. Gets expensive quick with twice the equipment running, and its hard to charge enough to make any money with that much involved. With that drill, I can spray/fertilize all of them one week and drill the next. That lets me cover some ground and turn a pretty good profit.

You put fertilizer down before you plant?

Appreciate and and all insight from you

 

[hrcarver]

Yes, but you shouldn't use urea as a nitrogen (N) source unless its going to rain soon, but you can use calcium coated ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate for N in a spot where you need it but there is no rain in the forecast.

Most food plots are legumes anyway(clovers/peas/beans/alfalfa/vetch/trefoil), so N really isn't applied that often. Brassicas, cereal grains, and chicory do need a good amount of N.

Potash will wash in with no problem on the sandy soil here. I will broadcast small amounts of phosphorus or lime, but if you need a lot it really needs to be tilled in.

 

[Smallplot]

Yes a food plot forum would benefit many. Looking at getting a smaller tractor to put in plots myself as our current tractor is just too big. Has anyone used the RTV1100 to put in food plots. Curious as to if the tranny would hold up to the abuse?

 

[schoolsout]

hrcarver, I'm planning on putting out turnips, chicory. Our soil is pretty sandy. I'm going to put some lime out this weekend. Should I also put out some fertilizer? I'm assuming the 12-12-12 stuff we bought from TSC will work for this? I sure hope so...

 

[Jmidjr]

Limed and disked our plots 3-4 weeks ago. Today our local fertilizer plant had mis-marked 50lb bags of 19-19-19 for $6/bag (vs $18 or so). At 400 lbs/acre we just saved a bundle! Word got out quick and that deal didnt last long.

In about 2 weeks we'll put out a blend of oats, pt turnips, mustard greens, collards, and hopefully rape. Plus, I'm doing rye with the oats in one plot as a test. I'm told deer here won't eat them much, but nothing ventured nothing gained. The rest of the rye will cover my garden and nurse some new road shoulders.

Will have to borrow a spreader, drag will be landscape rake turned backwards w toplink shortened fully. Seems to work well. Wish I had a 3Pt spreader!!!

 

[schoolsout]

Heck of a deal on the fertilizer
I think we paid $11-12 for the 12-12-12...couldn't find anything higher.

 

[hrcarver]

hrcarver, I'm planning on putting out turnips, chicory. Our soil is pretty sandy. I'm going to put some lime out this weekend. Should I also put out some fertilizer? I'm assuming the 12-12-12 stuff we bought from TSC will work for this? I sure hope so...

Yeah, should work. I'm a huge supporter of having a soil test done, but few people bother. I'd guess 450/lbs acre at planting of 12-12-12, then come back in 30-45 days with a little more nitrogen. You need to find somewhere that has a better selection of fertilizer. Find out where the local farmers buy theirs. I guarantee it is not TSC.

 

[schoolsout]

Yeah, should work. I'm a huge supporter of having a soil test done, but few people bother. I'd guess 450/lbs acre at planting of 12-12-12, then come back in 30-45 days with a little more nitrogen. You need to find somewhere that has a better selection of fertilizer. Find out where the local farmers buy theirs. I guarantee it is not TSC.

I hear ya...
We haven't done soil test yet, but plan to do so. This is somewhat of a side project to just feed the deer at the moment while we are messing around on the land. Next year will be "go time."

Luckily, we're not doing more than an acre and it is probably a little less.

 

[Agrantina]

Going in a few mins to work on the final plots.. Hopefully I will have some cool pics to post later!!!! of deer and seed coming up!


AndyG

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm jealous of you guys who are already getting your food plots in. My land is too dry to disk, or even think about doing anything yet. It's been months since I've had a decent rain, and there isn't anything in the forecast either. Texas is DRY!!!!!

Eddie

 

[Archer EV]

I am very interested in a food plot forum too. I've hunted deer for 40 plus years. I love seeing them on my property as well as the turkeys and other wildlife. I had about a half-acre food plot five years ago. I drove a post in the plot and mounted a trail camera on it. The deer loved it. I may try to plant another this year.

 

[hrcarver]

Got these pics last month in a soybean plot.

 

[Jmidjr]

There's a chance of rain here this weekend. If it materializes we'll get our plots planted; they're all limed, disked, packed/bedded, and fertilizer and seed are on hand. Now it's just waiting for that rain so that we can plant. Around here, anytime from now to early (or even mid) October is fine -- if we can just get a wet front through here.

 

[schoolsout]

Got our few areas limed and RoundUp'd last weekend. Saw one turkey hauling butt as I came up to second food plot area...

Will be ordering trees shortly. Looking to get common paw paw, some chestnuts and some pear/apple trees this year.

 

[Bartcephus]

Eddie,

Yes Texas is DRY. My tractor and I were a dusty mess after preping the plots. But my problem is time... seems like the weather and my time don't always line up together. When I disked, the soil seemed to turn to dust. So I didn't till very deep, only 3-4 inches. Then of course riding over that broken up soil with the four wheeler pulling a spreader behind it for the fertilizer was another dust storm. I then used a hand broadcast spreader for the seed. Filled my shoes with dirt, white socks now brown and every bead of sweat turned to mud. Then running a drag over it all to cover the seed. What a mess.

Today, we are getting light sprinkles of rain. I'm praying that the rains will come tomorrow or this weekend.

OK folks.... tell me if I'm doing something wrong. We have always fertilized our gardens and lawns prior to spreading the seed. Should I wait? How do you fertilize after without driving over your sprouted plants?

Thanks for any advise to you food plot gurus.

Bart