Prelude8626
Member
All. Just had my first plot opened up on our property with an excavator. The dirt is still very fluffy and soft in areas. I know I need to pick up the roots and sticks but what should be the next step.
New food plot help
- Thread starter Prelude8626
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Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Depending on how well the excavator leveled it you may need to smooth things out some more. A soil test and some lime and fertilizer will be in order, but on newly cleared land on soft and fluffy soils I like to get some seed in the ground asap to scavenge up nutrients before they get lost to the elements, even if i don't have time for a soil test. If it were mine I'd try to plant something before the next rain compacts the soil. Seed new plots on the heavy side, with a multiseed mix, that way if one seed type doesn't like your soil something else will. Buckwheat releases nutrients in newly cleared land. Rye oat and clover grows well in marginal soil. Brassicas loosen the dirt. In your area it's probably about the right time to get fall plots seeded. Good luck with this plot!
Prelude8626
Member
already have done a soil sample and have been feeding lime to it for a while now. what would your seed recommendation be? what would be the best machine or attachment to level it some more?
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Do you have any pictures? The best machine is the one that you have available. A disc with a drag on behind is a good soil prep implement that's readily available. Since you are in Maine the seeds that I would plant in PA might not be what the locals are planting, I'd suggest asking around locally what people put out for fall plots and when they plant, that being said, I'd do a mix of what I mentioned above. Buckwheat, rye, oats, brassicas, and clover.
