Best Food Plot Seed for Sandy Florida Panhandle old Pine Tree Farm

Deadeye

Well-Known Member
Last year I put down WIT Clover on several patches. Grew decent then all just died off over the summer.

Have tried Beets n Greens, Throw n Grow mix, and some other Clover. Nothing seems to take in this poor soil.

Thinking of trying Iron Clay Peas or something of that sort.

Any suggestions for things you might of heard that will grow in crappy dirt.

I did put down 400-500 lbs of pellet lime and general purpose Fertilizer last year and this past year.


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Iron and clay pleas and sunn hemp can grow pretty much anywhere, but the deer will destroy them immediately if the plot is small and/or unprotected. Make sure to inoculate them both.
 
Spring oats, Hutchison Beans, Sunn Hemp, Buckwheat.... One of the plots on my lease is sandy and we planted everything other than the Sunn Hemp and it did great until the deer figured out what it was. We have since been doing a fall plot(RC, WW, WO, WR, AWP, PTT) and it has gotten a lot better in the last 3 years. We let it die with the clover underneath and repeat the following fall. Always something green and we are also mining/keeping nutrients and leaving roots in the soil.


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You might need to get something to grow first, and worry about growing deer food later. Here comes the broken record...

Barley may give you a nice starter mat of straw before the summer heat kills it. Keep that sun off your sand, and you'll hold moisture longer. Then keep looking for low water users that broadcast germinate easily.
 
Barley is not suited for the South. It is not sold here because it does not grow here. Do not waste your time or money trying to grow barley in Florida.
 
Arrowleaf and crimson clover do well in my sandy soil as annuals planted in the fall

I know of no clover variety that succeeds as a perennial here

east Texas summers are harsh,torrid and dry

bill
 
FL is tough to give advice on as the growing season is so much different. But have you tried a fall planting vs. spring, usually food plots do better if planted early fall. In the north here i shoot for 2nd week of august as a guideline, not sure what would be down by you maybe early September.

I would try getting some buckwheat plantings going. Whenever i have plots that need some refresh i give them a buckwheat planting over the summer and then will work them into soil for fall planting. Great fertilizer and is very soil intolerant. Keep in mind its more a nurse crop vs highly sought after deer plot.

soil test results? That would be my first go to, you could be putting down 10-10-10 general purpose and soil doesn't even need it.

Also a great soil conditioner hidden secret of my lawn...milorganite if you can get your hands on it down there. I know some family down in FL where i recommended this fert to them and their grass has never looked better, possible it could apply to you as well.
 
Even more good thoughts.

I've talked with the Guy that owns on 3 sides of us, he has long term knowledge as it was his Grandfather's Place then his Mom & Dad lived on it. According to him for as long as he can remember our 80 Acres has been a Pine Tree Farm. So the soil hasn't been given much attention.

There are large areas where nothing is growing. Others have Bunch Grasses and small Shrubbery and then sections have briars and brush so thick you can't get through it. There are two what appear to be Log Landings that I am working with.

One was the Cloverfield that I started the first Fall by Disking and Planting followed by a Drag and looked good come Spring. Deer were using it and my SIL took two off of it. Then there was a Severe Drought and it got wiped out and all that was there was Dog Fennel. I tried the Throw n Mow method talked of in here and almost nothing grew. Did the seeds get eaten by Birds or are they still there I have no idea.

The Other Landing the SIL claimed as his spot early then did nothing with it. I did Throw and Mow this Fall but again nothing really showing.

This year we both have decided that we need to find something that will hold the deer on or near our place, so are looking for advise on what to try planting. I have found a seed Company located in North Florida called Hancock Seed and they offer several Blends for Wildlife. Their reviews are very good from what I can find.

Florida is so unique in that it's soil can change drastically from county to county and from almost anywhere else in the Country. I have been watching vey close what Fl Plotter is doing with his Property that is about 20 miles from us. He has had good success with ICP's and Sun Hemp although the Sun Hemp he had issue with trying to cut it down. Also Bahia is the Natural Grass here in Fl and there is a Pensacola Strain that would grow well in our area.
 
Former pine forest is going to be extremely acidic. Expect a pH of 4.5 or so. Then factor in the sandy soil that doesn’t hold water well and has no organic matter - you are fighting an uphill battle.

Here’s what I would do - soil sample your areas and send to a reputable lab. I send mine to Clemson. Then find a way to get lime to your plots and plan on putting out 2 tons per acre to start. Your soil test will most likely call for more, but I think more than 2 tons per acre at a time is too much. I would then fertilize with something generic like 10-10-10 unless the soil test says you already have sufficient P or K.

Then...I would do nothing and let Mother Nature take over. Let the dog fennel grow and let the grasses grow. Fertilize them and mow them down periodically. Don’t disk and don’t waste your money with seed yet because your soil sucks and is not ready to grow a food plot. After a couple of years, start broadcasting peas, sunn hemp, buckwheat, millet, sorghum, and whatever else you feel like and try throw and mow. If you see your soil improving, rent or buy a no till drill and start getting serious about the plots. Don’t ever disk that soil. You are making it worse every time you do that.
 
Even more good thoughts.

I've talked with the Guy that owns on 3 sides of us, he has long term knowledge as it was his Grandfather's Place then his Mom & Dad lived on it. According to him for as long as he can remember our 80 Acres has been a Pine Tree Farm. So the soil hasn't been given much attention.

There are large areas where nothing is growing. Others have Bunch Grasses and small Shrubbery and then sections have briars and brush so thick you can't get through it. There are two what appear to be Log Landings that I am working with.

One was the Cloverfield that I started the first Fall by Disking and Planting followed by a Drag and looked good come Spring. Deer were using it and my SIL took two off of it. Then there was a Severe Drought and it got wiped out and all that was there was Dog Fennel. I tried the Throw n Mow method talked of in here and almost nothing grew. Did the seeds get eaten by Birds or are they still there I have no idea.

The Other Landing the SIL claimed as his spot early then did nothing with it. I did Throw and Mow this Fall but again nothing really showing.

This year we both have decided that we need to find something that will hold the deer on or near our place, so are looking for advise on what to try planting. I have found a seed Company located in North Florida called Hancock Seed and they offer several Blends for Wildlife. Their reviews are very good from what I can find.

Florida is so unique in that it's soil can change drastically from county to county and from almost anywhere else in the Country. I have been watching vey close what Fl Plotter is doing with his Property that is about 20 miles from us. He has had good success with ICP's and Sun Hemp although the Sun Hemp he had issue with trying to cut it down. Also Bahia is the Natural Grass here in Fl and there is a Pensacola Strain that would grow well in our area.
get Lime down asap. like cutman said put 2 tons down and work it in. I would plant sunn hemp in it this spring and buckwheat you might could add some aesychnomene as well, it grows good in Florida. Sunn hemp will grow some in poor soil to give you the benefit. this fall I would broadcast cereal rye and crimson clover and just mow it down on top of what you broadcast.
 
Sample your soil first and that will give you the keys to the kingdom. I use what LickCreek said and it works around I10 just as well as it works farther South. Rye/wheat/oats/chicory/clover in fall. If you get good rains in spring and get the clover to establish, it can persist until August. Dry April = weak stand. We've had such a mild fall that our October/November planted clover has really established and we have a blanket of clover already.

Unless your plots strips are bigger than they appear in the pics, IC Peas and Sunn Hemp won't have a chance, neither will Buckwheat. I did a small strip like that with a full 50# of IC peas and they got wiped out before 4" tall. We can't even get a 3 acre field of IC Peas to grow on our lease anymore due to the deer. On my 20 acres near you, I can get 1 acre fairly well established before the deer start stripping it down to the stems. I'm going into my 3rd year there and the local herd expects food for them, so I think it will be harder to establish. I put Durana clover on my land last fall because I want the clover to feed this summer rather than IC Peas. If it peters out, I will go back with IC Peas in July but I hope I don't have to. Just want to mow this year, not fool with planting until November.

I don't see deer using the 5 acres of Bahia I have at all.

So all that to say that IC Peas, Sunn Hemp, and Eagle Soybeans are about your only option for spring/summer plots in Florida but unless you can put in an acre, I wouldn't even fool with it. With such small plots, even if you got something to grow, it's not going to move the needle on herd nutrition. I would work on hacking and spraying to let more light into the areas you have, and then come Columbus Day this fall, go heavy with rye/wheat/oats/chicory/clover and fertilizer. Having the best food in the fall will concentrate your deer for hunting opportunities and the clover might carry you through most of next summer to do it again.

These are my plots near you:

reduced 25 Jan (2).jpg reduced IMG_0023.jpg
 
get Lime down asap. like cutman said put 2 tons down and work it in. I would plant sunn hemp in it this spring and buckwheat you might could add some aesychnomene as well, it grows good in Florida. Sunn hemp will grow some in poor soil to give you the benefit. this fall I would broadcast cereal rye and crimson clover and just mow it down on top of what you broadcast.
This is a situation where a guy has to get the right lime if he's extremely sandy and extremly acidic. Grade A #1 product for that is dolomitic lime. Dolomitic is gonna produce more neutralizing power per pound and jack up magnesium in the soil to start clamping down on all that pore space that is allowing too much water to evaporate. Should also help with nutrient availability as minerals balance out and pH comes up.

Where do you get it?

Easy to spread, little more expensive: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/lawnlime-pelletized-dolomitic-limestone?cm_vc=-10005

Harder to spread, lower cost: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/waukesha-lime-barnlime-50-lb-bag?cm_vc=IOPDP1
 
This is a situation where a guy has to get the right lime if he's extremely sandy and extremly acidic. Grade A #1 product for that is dolomitic lime. Dolomitic is gonna produce more neutralizing power per pound and jack up magnesium in the soil to start clamping down on all that pore space that is allowing too much water to evaporate. Should also help with nutrient availability as minerals balance out and pH comes up.

Where do you get it?

Easy to spread, little more expensive: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/lawnlime-pelletized-dolomitic-limestone?cm_vc=-10005

Harder to spread, lower cost: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/waukesha-lime-barnlime-50-lb-bag?cm_vc=IOPDP1
Well Dang at least I did something right, that 1st Lime is exactly what I put down.
 
Sample your soil first and that will give you the keys to the kingdom. I use what LickCreek said and it works around I10 just as well as it works farther South. Rye/wheat/oats/chicory/clover in fall. If you get good rains in spring and get the clover to establish, it can persist until August. Dry April = weak stand. We've had such a mild fall that our October/November planted clover has really established and we have a blanket of clover already.

Unless your plots strips are bigger than they appear in the pics, IC Peas and Sunn Hemp won't have a chance, neither will Buckwheat. I did a small strip like that with a full 50# of IC peas and they got wiped out before 4" tall. We can't even get a 3 acre field of IC Peas to grow on our lease anymore due to the deer. On my 20 acres near you, I can get 1 acre fairly well established before the deer start stripping it down to the stems. I'm going into my 3rd year there and the local herd expects food for them, so I think it will be harder to establish. I put Durana clover on my land last fall because I want the clover to feed this summer rather than IC Peas. If it peters out, I will go back with IC Peas in July but I hope I don't have to. Just want to mow this year, not fool with planting until November.

I don't see deer using the 5 acres of Bahia I have at all.

So all that to say that IC Peas, Sunn Hemp, and Eagle Soybeans are about your only option for spring/summer plots in Florida but unless you can put in an acre, I wouldn't even fool with it. With such small plots, even if you got something to grow, it's not going to move the needle on herd nutrition. I would work on hacking and spraying to let more light into the areas you have, and then come Columbus Day this fall, go heavy with rye/wheat/oats/chicory/clover and fertilizer. Having the best food in the fall will concentrate your deer for hunting opportunities and the clover might carry you through most of next summer to do it again.

These are my plots near you:

View attachment 18148 View attachment 18149
I think you nailed our biggest issue: Not enough Space to Grow.

Last year on one of my lanes I was getting Pics of Deer eating on it almost every night, yet never could we find much growing. I think they were mowing it down to the ground as fast as it grew. I didn't do a Cage so had nothing to cross-check it against.

We simply can not cut down an acre or 5 of the trees, we are only allowed to clear out "non profit trees". We are looking at renting/borrowing a Tractor with a Brush Hog to clear out several lanes to create a Field of sorts among the pines. I opened up one more lane on one stand site with a lawn mower last year and what a difference it made in being able to see deer approaching instead of In and Out of the lane before you can get on them.
 
This is a situation where a guy has to get the right lime if he's extremely sandy and extremly acidic. Grade A #1 product for that is dolomitic lime. Dolomitic is gonna produce more neutralizing power per pound and jack up magnesium in the soil to start clamping down on all that pore space that is allowing too much water to evaporate. Should also help with nutrient availability as minerals balance out and pH comes up.

Where do you get it?

Easy to spread, little more expensive: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/lawnlime-pelletized-dolomitic-limestone?cm_vc=-10005

Harder to spread, lower cost: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/waukesha-lime-barnlime-50-lb-bag?cm_vc=IOPDP1
those are the two I use the most right now on my lease. My lease is a pine plantation also and I have areas of sand as well. Hopefully I have a contact that will spread bulk for me this year because I am tired of breaking my back to put it by hand 40 or 50 lbs a bag.
 
I bought mine last time On-Line at Tractor Supply for around $3.00 a bag then picked it up on the way. That was the best price I could find on it at the time.

Interesting Story to Lime or Fertilizer Absorption.

While dumping the bag of Fert. into my Over the Shoulder Spreader I accidentally dumped some when the bag opening closed. That was in 2018 around August. There was still Pellets laying in the pile this year as of December. That's over a Year of laying out in the Open gettinf rained directly on and it still was not dissolved.

That got me to thinking, just how long does it take for Pelletized Lime or Fert take to actually break down enough to be absorbed into the Soil System? Can you really expect to see results in a few months on soil that is Crap to begin with?

It would appear the answer is no. I will check it agin while up this month (february) and see if it is still there.
 
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