No till food plot help

[Charles]

I have not done a real soil test, but have taken samples to where I work and have used lab equipment to test the PH which is without a doubt 4.5.

This will be a small plot in the woods, cleared for full daylight. This was cleared with a chainsaw and no heavy equipment so there are still stumps and a huge root system so no till. (Maybe a disk in the future, but not for awhile) I'm not looking to spend a ton of money or completly break my back but I'm also not in a hurry as this is a back yard project plot and not my main hunting land.

My other land used for hunting is 260 acres and it's 100% for deer habitat and not food plots. We selective cut it and don't disturb it. Bunch of good ol' Maine swamp bucks on it. My father in law and I both pulled out 190lb deer last year out of the same stand 2 days apart looking over a swamp/bedding area. What I'm getting at is I'm good at habitat that's already there, not food plots!

Soil is clay/loam and stays moist but is never muddy or watered down. Just want to find out whether this is even possible as in getting the PH from 4.5 to 6.8 and getting it deep enough for good growth. The clearing size is exactly 1/4 acre and I have a ton of deer around my home property that would probably mow it hard. My plan is to start it this winter with about 1,500 lbs lime and another 1,500 in the spring. After adding the first lime this fall I was planning on just planting winter rye because it's hardy and might live at 4.5ph (maybe?) And by next spring pH should jump a bit for it to really take. Hoping with enough winter rye I can increase my organic matter and continue to improve the soil. This is a many year plan and I have no overnight expectations.

So, final question! Possible, or am I wasting my time?

 

[cutman]

I think it sounds like a sensible plan. Make sure to get the real soil test done. If Maine soil is anything like SC you will need a lot more than 3000 lb of lime to raise it up from 4.5.

You could also get some buckwheat on it now to get something growing.

 

[MarkDarvin]

Be sure your next test gets you a buffer pH reading. I wouldn't be considering "tons" of lime without knowing that.

 

[Jason Broom]

You're smart to realize that increasing a pH of 4.5 in a loamy clay soil will not happen quickly, especially without any kind of cultivation. You're also onto the fact that food plots are not necessarily habitat.

Without an actual soil test, (pH is NOT everything) there is no way I'd apply 1,500 pounds of lime to a quarter of an acre. That's 3 tons/acre and more than you would want to do in one application, anyway. With all the stumps, you aren't getting a lime truck in there, so it's either pelletized or some back-breaking shovel work. Without knowing your Ca and Mg quantities and ratio, it's hard to give any advice, really, but the very most I would suggest is 500lbs of pelletized calcitic lime, which is like applying a full ton, on 1/4 acre. If you're motivated, and can get 15lbs of buckwheat delivered, I would plant that ASAP. Let it grow for 6-8 weeks and then plant 12lbs of winter rye, 12lbs of oats, 1/2lb of chicory and 1lb of alsike clover.

By that time you'll have a real soil sample to work off of, so you'll know what amendments to make. What you do is broadcast the lime, fertilizer and all of those seeds into your plot, THEN mow the buckwheat down on top of it. How you're going to mow this plot, with the stumps present, is your biggest challenge.

 

[Mennoniteman]

You're smart to realize that increasing a pH of 4.5 in a loamy clay soil will not happen quickly, especially without any kind of cultivation. You're also onto the fact that food plots are not necessarily habitat.

Without an actual soil test, (pH is NOT everything) there is no way I'd apply 1,500 pounds of lime to a quarter of an acre. That's 3 tons/acre and more than you would want to do in one application, anyway. With all the stumps, you aren't getting a lime truck in there, so it's either pelletized or some back-breaking shovel work. Without knowing your Ca and Mg quantities and ratio, it's hard to give any advice, really, but the very most I would suggest is 500lbs of pelletized calcitic lime, which is like applying a full ton, on 1/4 acre. If you're motivated, and can get 15lbs of buckwheat delivered, I would plant that ASAP. Let it grow for 6-8 weeks and then plant 12lbs of winter rye, 12lbs of oats, 1/2lb of chicory and 1lb of alsike clover.

By that time you'll have a real soil sample to work off of, so you'll know what amendments to make. What you do is broadcast the lime, fertilizer and all of those seeds into your plot, THEN mow the buckwheat down on top of it. How you're going to mow this plot, with the stumps present, is your biggest challenge.

Good ideas here. If you can't mow the plot, spray gly and roll it down on your new seed.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I have not done a real soil test, but have taken samples to where I work and have used lab equipment to test the PH which is without a doubt 4.5.

This will be a small plot in the woods, cleared for full daylight. This was cleared with a chainsaw and no heavy equipment so there are still stumps and a huge root system so no till. (Maybe a disk in the future, but not for awhile) I'm not looking to spend a ton of money or completly break my back but I'm also not in a hurry as this is a back yard project plot and not my main hunting land.

My other land used for hunting is 260 acres and it's 100% for deer habitat and not food plots. We selective cut it and don't disturb it. Bunch of good ol' Maine swamp bucks on it. My father in law and I both pulled out 190lb deer last year out of the same stand 2 days apart looking over a swamp/bedding area. What I'm getting at is I'm good at habitat that's already there, not food plots!

Soil is clay/loam and stays moist but is never muddy or watered down. Just want to find out whether this is even possible as in getting the PH from 4.5 to 6.8 and getting it deep enough for good growth. The clearing size is exactly 1/4 acre and I have a ton of deer around my home property that would probably mow it hard. My plan is to start it this winter with about 1,500 lbs lime and another 1,500 in the spring. After adding the first lime this fall I was planning on just planting winter rye because it's hardy and might live at 4.5ph (maybe?) And by next spring pH should jump a bit for it to really take. Hoping with enough winter rye I can increase my organic matter and continue to improve the soil. This is a many year plan and I have no overnight expectations.

So, final question! Possible, or am I wasting my time?

You are on the right track here. You will have a nice food plot there some day.

 

[Marksman72]

We have a small 13 acre, wooded parcel in Southern MI. On this parcel we have two, 1/4-1/3 acre plots that we cut-out from the timber that had Pines growing on it. We took it from the lower 5's to 6.5 in a few years. We used the bagged pelletized lime from TSI and a heavy duty rotary spreader. Our first planting in the Fall was all Winter Rye and some Rape. It was cheap but it vastly improved the pH and over all health of the soil in a short time. Every Fall Planting, we added 10 bags of pelletized lime per plot and tilled it into the soil before seeding. We lived 2 hours away and didn't have big equipment either. It can be done, but may take a little longer. It's good exercise as well. We have a riding mower, pull-behind tiller, heavy duty rotary spreader, chain link fencing and rakes. As long as it gets the job done. Good luck!

 

[Mennoniteman]

We have a small 13 acre, wooded parcel in Southern MI. On this parcel we have two, 1/4-1/3 acre plots that we cut-out from the timber that had Pines growing on it. We took it from the lower 5's to 6.5 in a few years. We used the bagged pelletized lime from TSI and a heavy duty rotary spreader. Our first planting in the Fall was all Winter Rye and some Rape. It was cheap but it vastly improved the pH and over all health of the soil in a short time. Every Fall Planting, we added 10 bags of pelletized lime per plot and tilled it into the soil before seeding. We lived 2 hours away and didn't have big equipment either. It can be done, but may take a little longer. It's good exercise as well. We have a riding mower, pull-behind tiller, heavy duty rotary spreader, chain link fencing and rakes. As long as it gets the job done. Good luck!

I enjoy reading about these little plots. The main reason most of us go deer hunting is because we enjoy it, and doing some food plots is a lot of the fun too. And I think I enjoy doing the small plots the most, like the ones you just described, simple little equipment and a little bit of seed and fertilizer and watching your plantings pop out of the ground is like a new miracle every time. And those little plots make for way better hunting opportunities than a big field.

 

[Marksman72]

When doing food plots, it's more than just hunting. It's about giving something back to the deer. We're giving back Nutrition and Cover so they have a better chance to survive. I enjoy food plotting almost as much as hunting.