Recently I have talked with several people who have expressed their frustration with unsuccessful attempts at planting food plots for wildlife. Almost all have stated that the wildlife eats it as fast as it comes up.
Upon asking more questions: 1) these folks failed to test their soil, 2) if they added any lime or fertilizer before planting, it was pure guesswork, 3) they chose a place to plant that was marginal, at best, for sunlight, 4) they didn't plant enough area to prevent overgrazing, and 5) they didn't prepare the seedbed sufficiently before planting. I didn't ask them about the use of herbicides... there was no need. They never gave the effort a chance to succeed.
If the soil is not properly amended before the seeds are planted, you are wasting your time and money trying to plant anything at all. You would be better off just lightly discing the area a couple of times a year to regenerate the existing seed bank and forget about planting a bunch of high priced seeds.
Mama used to say, "Anything worth doing, is worth doing right." That old saying applies very aptly in this situation.
1 comment:
I get info from the Whitetail Institute for planting deer food plots. They concur, you need proper soil preparation to get a strong plant stand with nutritional value.
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