dbltree
Super Moderator
Food plots for new landowners
The following is a list and threads to help new landowners with little or no farming or habitat improvement knowledge, avoid confusing terms and jargon many of us take for granted.
Cover is more important than planted food sources so I urge you to learn how to manage and improve your timber resources and add cover and screening thru planting native prairie grass, trees and shrubs. The following link contains a plethora of information on nearly all facets of habitat improvement.
Dbltree’s Corner
Planning ahead is crucial and portions of this thread covers that subject.
Getting Started
Equipment is covered here
Equipment
This list explains how to start from scratch and begin the crop rotation
1) Soil test Waters Ag
2) Apply lime Learn about lime
3) Apply P&K Learn about fertilizers
4) Mow if sod or burn
5) Allow to regrow 3-6”
6) Spray 2 quarts 41% glyphosate Keystone Pest
7) Till soil late April Cereal Grains
8) Broadcast 50# oats Seeders & Spreaders
9) Seed sourceWelter Seed
10) Cultipack/lightly harrow/pack with ATV tires Cultipacker
11) Broadcast berseem and/or crimson clover 10# each Clover seed source
Planting info
12) Cultipack/lightly harrow/pack with ATV tires
13) Clip oats when they head out (late June)
14) July 10th mow clovers close to ground 45% of plot-optional
15) Mid July plant brassicas 45% of plot…spread fertilizer, NPK , till under, cultipack, spread seed, cultipack again. Planting brassicas for whitetails
16) August 20th mow remaining 55% of annual clovers close to ground
17) August 25th plant cereal grain mix and red clover on 45% and mix and white clover on remaining 10%. Till in fertilizer, broadcast large seeds, cultipack, spread small seeds and cultipack again. Planting cereal grains for whitetails
18) Early April 2nd year, soil test areas planted to rye mix only
19) Late April till under dead brassicas and repeat oat/annual clover mix noted above.
20) Late May spray rye clover strips with 12 ounces clethodim, 2 ounces glyphosate and 1 qt crop oil per acre. Clethodim source, All about herbicides
21) Late June mow/shred rye straw and red clover and oats/annual clovers
22) Mid July plant brassicas where rye strips were
23) Late August plant the rye mix where the brassica strips were (oats and annual clovers now)
24) Clip clover strips
25) Year 3
26) Spray white clover strips when spraying rye in late May, same herbicide mix
27) Clip flowers/weeds (clover strips) in late June and late August.
Planting clover for whitetails
White clover strips should last 5-6 years, so they are not rotated year to year. When they start to wear out plant ½ to brassicas then re-establish white clover with rye mix, then repeat for 2nd ½
Hopefully the timeline and accompanying links will make the rotation process a little easier to understand. Every day new people discover these forums and threads and find the information a bit overwhelming to say the least. Please take time to read thru the threads where many questions have been asked and answered, then if you still have questions don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll do my best to answer asap.
I have a fatal spinal disease so my replies may at times be short and I appreciate your patience and understanding in that regard…
Dbltree’s Story
The following is a list and threads to help new landowners with little or no farming or habitat improvement knowledge, avoid confusing terms and jargon many of us take for granted.
Cover is more important than planted food sources so I urge you to learn how to manage and improve your timber resources and add cover and screening thru planting native prairie grass, trees and shrubs. The following link contains a plethora of information on nearly all facets of habitat improvement.
Dbltree’s Corner
Planning ahead is crucial and portions of this thread covers that subject.
Getting Started
Equipment is covered here
Equipment
This list explains how to start from scratch and begin the crop rotation
1) Soil test Waters Ag
2) Apply lime Learn about lime
3) Apply P&K Learn about fertilizers
4) Mow if sod or burn
5) Allow to regrow 3-6”
6) Spray 2 quarts 41% glyphosate Keystone Pest
7) Till soil late April Cereal Grains
8) Broadcast 50# oats Seeders & Spreaders
9) Seed sourceWelter Seed
10) Cultipack/lightly harrow/pack with ATV tires Cultipacker
11) Broadcast berseem and/or crimson clover 10# each Clover seed source
Planting info
12) Cultipack/lightly harrow/pack with ATV tires
13) Clip oats when they head out (late June)
14) July 10th mow clovers close to ground 45% of plot-optional
15) Mid July plant brassicas 45% of plot…spread fertilizer, NPK , till under, cultipack, spread seed, cultipack again. Planting brassicas for whitetails
16) August 20th mow remaining 55% of annual clovers close to ground
17) August 25th plant cereal grain mix and red clover on 45% and mix and white clover on remaining 10%. Till in fertilizer, broadcast large seeds, cultipack, spread small seeds and cultipack again. Planting cereal grains for whitetails
18) Early April 2nd year, soil test areas planted to rye mix only
19) Late April till under dead brassicas and repeat oat/annual clover mix noted above.
20) Late May spray rye clover strips with 12 ounces clethodim, 2 ounces glyphosate and 1 qt crop oil per acre. Clethodim source, All about herbicides
21) Late June mow/shred rye straw and red clover and oats/annual clovers
22) Mid July plant brassicas where rye strips were
23) Late August plant the rye mix where the brassica strips were (oats and annual clovers now)
24) Clip clover strips
25) Year 3
26) Spray white clover strips when spraying rye in late May, same herbicide mix
27) Clip flowers/weeds (clover strips) in late June and late August.
Planting clover for whitetails
White clover strips should last 5-6 years, so they are not rotated year to year. When they start to wear out plant ½ to brassicas then re-establish white clover with rye mix, then repeat for 2nd ½
Hopefully the timeline and accompanying links will make the rotation process a little easier to understand. Every day new people discover these forums and threads and find the information a bit overwhelming to say the least. Please take time to read thru the threads where many questions have been asked and answered, then if you still have questions don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll do my best to answer asap.
I have a fatal spinal disease so my replies may at times be short and I appreciate your patience and understanding in that regard…
Dbltree’s Story
Paul,
On your equipment thread on the outreach outdoors page, you used a brillion seeder. Did you have good luck planting the oats and the rye? I read on the brillion website that oats are not suggested to be planted because the seed doesnt get planted deep enough. Ideally i would like to get a great plains drill but they sure are hard to find used.
On your equipment thread on the outreach outdoors page, you used a brillion seeder. Did you have good luck planting the oats and the rye? I read on the brillion website that oats are not suggested to be planted because the seed doesnt get planted deep enough. Ideally i would like to get a great plains drill but they sure are hard to find used.
turkeyriver
PMA Member
My Great Plains 10 ft. is worth more now than it was 10 years ago. I've seen used ones at auction bring 10 grand, and they needed a lot of work before they were ready to use. If I was looking for a food plot drill, I would look for a 8200-8300 JD drill with single disk openers and grass seed attachment. I had one years ago and I'm pretty sure you could use it as a no-till drill in MOST but not all conditions. If you have too much straw, or it hasn't rained for six weeks, you would have trouble getting seeds in the ground with it. But, if you watched for that window after a rain when the ground was softer, or if you do tillage
, it would work great and be much much cheaper than a Great Plains. I've stood and watched them sell at auction and wondered if some guy on IW was looking for one. There are auctions coming up in a few weeks that usually have one or two if someone wants me to watch for one, pm me how much you would spend, your cell number, and if you can do any repair work on one. No guarantees, but I would love to help a guy get going on food plots if I could.
, it would work great and be much much cheaper than a Great Plains. I've stood and watched them sell at auction and wondered if some guy on IW was looking for one. There are auctions coming up in a few weeks that usually have one or two if someone wants me to watch for one, pm me how much you would spend, your cell number, and if you can do any repair work on one. No guarantees, but I would love to help a guy get going on food plots if I could.turkeyriver
PMA Member
Upcoming auction. www.everitttractors.com
dbltree
Super Moderator
That is true about the brillion so the GP/LP drills are a better, more versatile option and no-till is an even better option ....
Turkeyriver and dbltree,
Thanks for your comments. I've been planting food plots for 6 years, but started following dbltree 's expertise this past spring. Wish I would have found your threads earlier! I have a very old van brunt drill, it works great for oats and rye but the small seed box doesnt work that well for planting the smaller seeds. The setting are getting worn out and it doesn't plant evenly side to side. Also the acre meter doesnt work any more. I'd like to get more efficient with my plots. My dad goes in with me on farm purchases so I'm gonna see what he thinks about a new great plains. I'll definitely keep you in mind turkeyriver, I really appreciate your offer. I see you're from Clayton county, I use to do a decent amount of shed hunting in the Elkader area a few years ago on my friends relatives property. Always found a lot of antlers but nothing huge
Thanks for your comments. I've been planting food plots for 6 years, but started following dbltree 's expertise this past spring. Wish I would have found your threads earlier! I have a very old van brunt drill, it works great for oats and rye but the small seed box doesnt work that well for planting the smaller seeds. The setting are getting worn out and it doesn't plant evenly side to side. Also the acre meter doesnt work any more. I'd like to get more efficient with my plots. My dad goes in with me on farm purchases so I'm gonna see what he thinks about a new great plains. I'll definitely keep you in mind turkeyriver, I really appreciate your offer. I see you're from Clayton county, I use to do a decent amount of shed hunting in the Elkader area a few years ago on my friends relatives property. Always found a lot of antlers but nothing huge
There's a few pieces of farm equipment I'd only buy new now, a drill is one of them. Drill rebuilds can cost a fortune, the labor involved is insane. I've now put $22,000 in repairs on one of my drills, the last being a 10k repair. It is a bigger drill though. Because drills have so many rows, it adds up fast and the pressures of especially no till and that it's one solid unit create a lot of stress on drills & all the parts. Buy new if you can is all I'm saying.
turkeyriver
PMA Member
Good point Sligh. I put new disc openers on my 10 ft GP a couple years ago. Right at $1000 for the discs if I remember right. I put them on myself and it's a fair job. As you replace them you will probably find a few bearings that need replaced in hubs and you will want to repack all the hubs at that time. However, those disc openers are the heart and soul of the no-till system and with new ones you will be set for alot of acres of food plots. Even with the row units a little worn in the joints, if the drivers and chains are alright, it will last a long time doing plots. Of course, I'm assuming a guy does just a few acres and isn't doing custom work for a living.
turkeyriver
PMA Member
A lot of drills showing up on the upcoming everitt auction if anyone is interested. Looks like it will be a long time before you can use it, with the weather next week driving the frost down further, if that is possible. On the other hand, a lot of time to do repairs if needed. The newer C-IH drills are pretty similar to JD drills.
On the other hand, a lot of time to do repairs if needed. The newer C-IH drills are pretty similar to JD drills.I was on that website and saw there were some drills on there. Would they work fairly well for food plots, I know its impossible to guess what kind of price they might bring? I'm looking for something that I won't have to work on and wont be really expensive for used. Otherwise I'll just buy new.
turkeyriver
PMA Member
It's an auction, so hard to predict price for sure. Everyone expects prices on machinery to soften a bit with corn prices down. Seems to be a lot of drills, but the surge in cover crops might make them hot. If you don't want to repair, and have the coin, new is definitely the best way to go.
dbltree
Super Moderator
March 1st, 2014
Temps are way below normal but eventually it warm and winter rye will be the first to green up and provide a very palatable source of food for winter weary whitetails. These are mid winter pics, deer feeding in both brassica and rye strips
Brassicas can last nearly until March
Rye is the gift that keeps on giving...
All winter and early spring, long after crops like corn and soybeans are long gone
Providing food sources year around is critical to sound whitetail management and should include not only a combination of crops but a diverse array of natural browse, hard and soft mast as well....
Temps are way below normal but eventually it warm and winter rye will be the first to green up and provide a very palatable source of food for winter weary whitetails. These are mid winter pics, deer feeding in both brassica and rye strips
Brassicas can last nearly until March
Rye is the gift that keeps on giving...
All winter and early spring, long after crops like corn and soybeans are long gone
Providing food sources year around is critical to sound whitetail management and should include not only a combination of crops but a diverse array of natural browse, hard and soft mast as well....
Best Time to Burn CRP to Kill Small Trees
I have a small crp field that I want to put into a food plot.
It has small locust and sumac in it.
I just hacked and swirted all the locust trees.
I was going to burn the crp and then have a skid loader with brush mower come in to shred down the trees.
When is the best time to burn to kill small trees (when sap is flowing or when tree is dormant?)
Do I need to spray the sumac trees too or will the burn and brush mower kill them?
Thanks alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a small crp field that I want to put into a food plot.
It has small locust and sumac in it.
I just hacked and swirted all the locust trees.
I was going to burn the crp and then have a skid loader with brush mower come in to shred down the trees.
When is the best time to burn to kill small trees (when sap is flowing or when tree is dormant?)
Do I need to spray the sumac trees too or will the burn and brush mower kill them?
Thanks alot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dbltree
Super Moderator
Sumac aren't that tough so mowing/tilling will probably take care of them, however you can basal bark spray them while dormant.
Use Remedy and dsl mix, search the forum for specific's
dbltree
Super Moderator
Yes do not use Oust anywhere you don't things to grow!
It's safe only on oaks, cedars and established NWSG
dbltree
Super Moderator
April 7th, 2014
Scott sent a note and pics....
These are plots we planted in north central MO...
Note the grazed winter rye and the clover seedlings
All other crops are long gone and then ........ so are the deer
We can't manage for big deer if we force to travel to someone else's property
The rye strips will be going to brassicas so this is a great time to get soil samples sent in and lime, P&K put on as needed, they need time to work when time allows you apply well in advance of planting.
Scott sent a note and pics....
These are plots we planted in north central MO...
Note the grazed winter rye and the clover seedlings
All other crops are long gone and then ........ so are the deer
We can't manage for big deer if we force to travel to someone else's property
The rye strips will be going to brassicas so this is a great time to get soil samples sent in and lime, P&K put on as needed, they need time to work when time allows you apply well in advance of planting.
