fall plots?

[mrbb]

OK anyone planning to do any fall food plots?
and if so what and when do you plan to start and plant

I am going to burning down about 4 acres of 6 yr old clover soon, as soon as the weather allows, then doing a good disc over it, and then waiting a week to re spray, then 2 days later planting
I will be planting a mix of things. from some Brassicia's, turnips, and chicory, and even some oats, and then tossing several clover types, just allow for some better greens in the spring
with luck, I am hoping to have it all done by the tmiddle of Aug.
if weather again allows

the lands I hunt will be getting timbered , starting in Late Aug, so trying to build up some plots as far away from the timbering as I can, going to be a odd early season for me with them there for sure, and they claim they will be there till Nov, 3 months of disruption
But hey, it really needs to be done, just wish they would have done it in Jan/feb./march, and not like planned!

[00buck]

gonna try the roll out food plot i keep seeing really dont have equipment to do food plots so this looks like best option

[mrbb]

well I guess that stuff can work, but seems to me like a lot would be needed to make a plot that would last from browsing
food plots can be done with some simple tools, with just some harder work
I started doing them with just a rake and a shovel
and then a walk behind tiller, and then the ATv , and now a tractor
but a small sprayer can be had for like 10 bucks, , might have to fill it a few times, but getting started isn't a ton of cash, or tools needed
just will power and some hrs of work
but even big plots, take time and work, But a good take, is always such a welcome sight come hunting season

[00buck]

well i was wondering i dont want to cut down any trees right now but have small field in your opinion how big should first plot be and when should i start it i have a feeder in woods and feeder on field edge around a quarter ac. woods

[mrbb]

well a 1/4 acre is a nice sized food plot
a food plot can be any size, the smaller , well , you have to worry about them eating it faster than it can grow, but it will still work to draw deer to it, just like a pile of corn,
when corn is gone they still look for it there,
what and how big , is really up to you, and your soil
and what will grow best there as is
best plans are to look NOW that leaves are full on tree's and see how much sun light that field gets
next would be to go and take some sil in a bunch of spots in the field
and mix it all together and have a soil test done on it(cost about 10 bucks for a soil test)
this is one of the most important parts of a food plot
as it will tell you what your soil type is and what the PH is
pending WHO does the testing, many places will even recommend a seed for your soil type
IF not NOT
the soil PH will for sure tell you what/how big you can afford to go
90% of all food plot seeds will grow SOME in poor soil
but to get a good long lasting plot, you really want to get the Ph up to 6-6.5 or so
so a soil test will tell you how much or little lime it needs to get there, plus it if you tell them what seed you want to plant, how much fertilizer is needed
sounds a little confusing, but its really simple
your budget will then tell you how big, based on the soils needs
for a cheaper first plot, you can skip brand name seeds
most country feed stores in rural area's sell seeds by the Lb, like clover, rape, chicory, turnips, and the likes
for feed plots, summer time food, and spring, Clover is a great plot, it will last for 6-7 yrs or more if taken care of, but it looses its draw as frosts come, so its not the best hunting plot
feeds like Brasicia's, turnips, Rape, winter hardy oats, make for better hunting plots, as they come into there prime as frosts hits, and stand taller once snow falls, making easier and more attractive plants in hunting season till there gonein Jan feb or ?? pending how much you plant

the honest rule of thumb is this, plant a plot the size your budget allows, and do it right, add corect lime, and correct fertilizer, and seed amounts
a smaller plot planted well, will out grow a half assed one
something to think about
if you have any farmers in your area, right now is a slower time of yr, and many will for a reasonable fee, come and spray your site with round up, disc it, and even plant it
old rule , you never know till you ask
a farmer with a tractor can do a 1/4 acre site pretty fast, couple hrs to disc and plant at most
need a week or so after applying the round up
Cheap Forage rape seeds would be a good fall planting, need about 5 lbs, which at my local Agway would be avout 15 bucks in seed cost, ( a 50 lb bag is 60 bucks and will plant about 7 acres)
add in say 150 lbs of 10-10-10(about 45 bucks) and thats maybe high, on average its about 300 lbs an acre, so at just a 1/4 acre, you can maybe get away with less, again your soil sample will tell you this info!
a half a gallon of round up, about 10 bucks, and what ever is needed in lime, if you have a bulk delevery guy about, and the field is open to be driven on, its about 40 bucks a ton spread, ON average a ton of lime will raise your PH one point(many claim a 1,000 lbs will, but not in my experience, lime really needs time to work in to change PH, and most bulk spread lime is of lower quality in lime)
that's about a 100 bucks in seed/fert/lime
minus getting somone to spray it down and then turn it over /Disc it, price on thsi will depend on your local farmers, and how grown up the field is(does it need to be brush hogged or just disked)
add in another 150 bucks, and your at about 250 bucks for a good hunting fall plot! a ballpark figure
again your budget will say if this is high or not, can you can cut back as needed
exactly when you plant
this will be decided on two things, one, all seeds have a growth rate, like a 90 day seed or a 45 day seed, and so on
meaning you want to plant the seed so it will reach mature size before your normal frost dates in the area it will be planted
I have seen Brassicia's with as low as 38 days, and as high as 90 + days
so when you plant is by seed timing, and well when you actually have the time to plant!
trust me, over the yrs I missed my window to plant due to getting busy in life, and planted weeks later than planned
still worked out OK, not as great as it maybe should have been, but still worked to draw deer all hunting season!

[00buck]

well field is actually mowed to like a lawn length right now and the farmer is next door getting ready to turn up field since he just harvested the winter wheat maybe i should talk to him but here is the real question the property that i have has will and already have corn planted and soy beans and the farmer is going to plant the field they just harvested with beans or wheat again when i talked to him earlier in the year will the food plot be beneficial to me during the season or not i have 2 fulltime feeders running year round and minerals year round also and 15 apple trees on property that are mature and deer eat them till they are gone