[Hunter10]

Just curious as to those of you who plant food plots what are the steps that you take? Do any of you plow the area first or do u just run over it with a tiller until the ground is broken up. What are the steps that you take after your first year of planting? any insight would help along with pics and such.

 

[Darron B]

Obviously working the soil is best....however, you can have a great food plot without working the soil.......it's call the no till over seeding method. if I am working on areas where I cannot get a tractor into I do this....

spray 3-4x over the summer with gly

Once everything is dead broadcast several hundred pds of pellet lime and fertilizer

Overseed (broadcast onto bare dirt) rye, oats, winter wheat and clover before a rain (rye, wheat and clover do best)

You can also do this with brassicas

Some of my overseeding plots turn out just as good or better than the plots I till. One advantage you have by not working the soil are weeds. You don't bring up new weed seed.

Plant winter rye and clover from mid-august to Sept 1.

Attached is a pic of an overseed plot I did on a gasline on the Northern end of my property. This was before I amended the soil with lime and fert. Notice the green carpet. I get even better results now. That's the one thing about rye I love....the deer love it and it grows about anywhere. This particular plot is tough to get to with a tractor so I use this method every year.

 

[Hunter10]

thanks for the info this is a technique that should come in hand for me in the near future the plot looks great. The area that I am looking at using for a food plot is easily accessible with a tractor. I planted a very small plot there once so far a couple years back and since then had not planted again so Im in a bit of a funk as to whether to plow the area first then till it then throw down my seed or just till the area up. I am planning on making it much much bigger than how i had it so im pretty much break up new ground.