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As Pointer said, a lot of recommendations depend on what kind of equipment you have access to. IMO, 3.5 acres is a very big field to work all at once with ATV class equipment, especially the first time doing it.

In any case, first thing you need to do is get a soil sample. Depending on the results, the price tag might surprise you. For example, a 3.5 acre field in my area will on average need 10.5 tons of lime, 1,300lbs of 10-20-20 and 100lbs of urea just to get started.

In my case with ATV class equipment, the first thing I'd do is mow it (or burn it) and see what needs to be done to clean it up (remove rocks, debris, etc.), then chunk it up into smaller sections I could work easier. Heck - 3.5 acres you could have a dozen different really nice small plots going in a few years.

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rlott, Point taken.
The total area is 3.5 acres. which includes some timber and a small creek. The main open area that I am thinking of trying to do something with is maybe a little more than 1/2 acre. so that would be my goal to get that spot going not the entire lot.
this smaller spot would allow me to give it a try anyway.
In a post above you mentioned Hancock...is that a good place to get seed? Any other sources?
I live in farm country so lime and fertilizer can be acquired locally can possibly get my hands on some equipt. if needed, but hoping I can get by with my "smaller" tractor and stuff.

As far as doing a soil sample...what am I looking for? and is there a chart or guide to determine what/how much I need to get to what? levels?

I appreciate the help...thanks for your time

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Originally Posted by nick
rlott, Point taken.
The total area is 3.5 acres. which includes some timber and a small creek. The main open area that I am thinking of trying to do something with is maybe a little more than 1/2 acre. so that would be my goal to get that spot going not the entire lot.
this smaller spot would allow me to give it a try anyway.
In a post above you mentioned Hancock...is that a good place to get seed? Any other sources?
I live in farm country so lime and fertilizer can be acquired locally can possibly get my hands on some equipt. if needed, but hoping I can get by with my "smaller" tractor and stuff.

As far as doing a soil sample...what am I looking for? and is there a chart or guide to determine what/how much I need to get to what? levels?



I appreciate the help...thanks for your time


Go to the website of the local Ag Extension Office. It's easy. Don't overthink the sampling.


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Originally Posted by nick
rlott, Point taken.
The total area is 3.5 acres. which includes some timber and a small creek. The main open area that I am thinking of trying to do something with is maybe a little more than 1/2 acre. so that would be my goal to get that spot going not the entire lot.
this smaller spot would allow me to give it a try anyway.
In a post above you mentioned Hancock...is that a good place to get seed? Any other sources?
I live in farm country so lime and fertilizer can be acquired locally can possibly get my hands on some equipt. if needed, but hoping I can get by with my "smaller" tractor and stuff.

As far as doing a soil sample...what am I looking for? and is there a chart or guide to determine what/how much I need to get to what? levels?

I appreciate the help...thanks for your time
It's not rocket science. A one-pound coffee can about one-half to two-thirds full is plenty unless there are noticeable soil differences in the area you will be planting. Fill your can with about a cup full from several different places. Take it to your local agricultural extension office. They will be listed both under both state agencies and county agencies in most telephone directories.


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I agree that you don't have to "overthink" it, but there is a fair amount of thought required to get it right and make sure your aren't wasting your money. Fertilizer and seed isn't cheap these days.

In VA we get soil sample boxes and the associated forms at any public library or cooperative ext office. Wildlife food plots are considered commercial crops so the soil test is free. You just have to pay shipping. A few days after Virginia Tech receives the samples they email you a PDF with the results and recommended lime and fertilizer amounts. Being an agricultural state, I'm sure IL has an identical system.

Soil Test

The field in the above soil test is about 1/2 acre, so we needed 2.4 tons of agricultural lime and four 50lb bags of 10-20-20 to get to their recommended levels. That put us a tad short on nitrogen so we hit it with 1/4 bag of 34-0-0. We put the lime down back in March, and fertilized and seeded last weekend. IMO, the lime is the most important step because if the soil PH is too low, the plants can't use the nutrients efficiently and you are just wasting your money on seed and fertilizer.

For the fertilizer amounts, you can either do the math, or use the very good and easy to use online fertilizer calculator on the Texas A&M website.

Fertilizer Calculator

A 50lb bag of 10-20-20 contains 10% nitrogen, 20% phosphorous and 20% potassium, OR 5lbs nitrogen, 10lbs phosphorous and 10lbs potassium. In other words, half the bag is actual fertilizer and the other half is inert filler, yet somehow they can still justify charging you $18.00 per bag for it......

I had really good luck this summer with Hancock's Spring and Summer mix on that powerline even though the soil PH was low. I didn't want to wait for the lime to work so I limed, fertilized and seeded all at the same time and it worked out OK. This weekend I'm going to re-seed it with Hancock's Fall and Winter Mix. I also get my buckwheat from Hancock Seed, mostly because they have free shipping for the 25lb bags.

This past weekend our club planted 6 fields we've been prepping since the spring, so I can't make any seed recommendations yet, but we used the following seeds: Deer Creek Seed Wildlife Clover Food Plot Mix, Wildlife Perfect Wildlife Brassica Mix and Wildlife Perfect Wildlife Grazing Mix. We picked those specific mixes because they had a lower PH tolerance than most of the others. We also mixed 10% brown top millet from Hancock Seed into them - 1) as a nurse crop and 2) to maybe bring in some turkey and dove later in the year.

I'm also prepping a small plot in the woods by one of my stands and I'm going to try the Deer Creek Seed Logger's Trail Mix. I'll be using 2 bags of Pennington Fast Acting lime to hopefully bring the PH up quickly. The fast acting lime is 4X the cost of regular lime and doesn't last as long, but it works a lot faster

Last edited by rlott; 08/30/16.
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Originally Posted by rlott
I planted buckwheat in a spot that I was having a lot of trouble with washouts. The plan was to wait till the buckwheat came in good, then broadcast and cultipack a clover mix into it.

It almost worked. The buckwheat came in fast and grew like crazy. Then the deer found it and wiped it out almost overnight.


NE Minnesota here. For giggles, I planted all the annuals that I had on hand, together in the same plot. "My" deer have never seen most of these crops. I usually just plant clover fields. I mixed everything for this new plot, but with swales of MOSTLY single species in the 2 acres, encumbered by boulders and gravels as "soils." Field corn, sweet corn, sunflowers, buckwheat, oats, cabbages, kale, collards, squash, pole, runner, and bush beans, beets, forage turnips, daikon radishes, fava beans, Swiss chard, Brussel sprouts, spinach, peas, and a few other things that I'm sure I've forgotten. All went in. It was all planted far too thickly.

Long story short: Deer took the buckwheat first; topped every one. Sunflowers went next. The daikon radishes (new to me) outgrew everything (chest high), even the corn, and they shielded shorter species from browsing very well. The radishes have fairly robust seed pods at their terminus smile on their tops. The deer love the pods. The BEARS love them too! Bears are tough on a food plot. Deer and bears wade through the thick radish plants and mow a path through, eating the pods and stems. Most of the undergrowth of cole crops and setch are still intact, but its only the end of August. Hoping a few leaves will be left during late fall. I have not checked for radish roots yet (the Daikon radish is called "groundhog" because its self-tilling: dies during winter and leaves a hole in the earth. I can't plow the rocky ground and only use a drag, so...maybe?). I figure the deer will dig for roots into the winter, if the deer like 'em. They go for other roots like dandelions and beets, so maybe.

Anyway, the radishes apparently make a good "bear plot" and deer love young buckwheat.

I think I'm in love with my tractor. shocked


Bill





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to take a good soil sample you should dig into 3 locations in the field to be planted and mix the soil into a 5 gall bucket and then fill the coffee can as described above. There is also a product called Post which is a weed killer but wont harm broad leaf . Spray it wait a week and then turn it under. Them come over it in the summer with buckwheat. Buckwheat will reach full maturity in 45 days if not clipped . Clip it once , and then let it go all the way. Don't cut it so short that it burns up from the hot summer sun. Till the buckwheat in as I stated in my earlier post around labor day and put your fall crop in.

If you truly want to build your deer up you have to feed them when they are growing their horns and putting on weight not just during hunting season. They need the proteins for weight and fat and the minerals for horn growth during the summer months.


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I appreciate all the info. Thanks guys

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I plant oats every fall. When it come up I fertilize it. Seems to work OK

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I see lots of mention of buckwheat here. I know nothing about it, and need to. It is highly recommended for beekeepers to raise and if game animals like it too, I need some. Spring plant or fall plant in the South? How much seed to the acre? Plant deep or shallow? All help appreciated. miles


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I'd like to know about Buckwheat myself.

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I am beginning to think that raising buckwheat is akin to snipe hunting. miles


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Originally Posted by milespatton
I am beginning to think that raising buckwheat is akin to snipe hunting. miles




I think you're right Miles. frown


I seeded a small 50x50 or so plot in a corner of my place today.

This is a spot that is surrounded by fairly thick brush that I cleared over the spring and then sprayed with Glyphosate several times through the summer to get rid of the weeds and vines.

I've limed it and spread barn stall clean outs over it and planted a mix of Dutch clover,peas,beans,Radishes,beets and a bag of Whitetail Imperial mix that was given to me. This stuff- No plow mix

Now if we'd just get some rain to get this stuff going...

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Buckwheat
Buckwheat PDF file

Note: A longer Buckwheat Cover Crop Handbook for the Northeast is also available.

Buckwheat is a short season annual with a delicate, fibrous root system. Since it establishes quickly, it is useful for weed suppression. It also mellows the soil while improving aggregate stability. Classic uses include: ground cover after early vegetables, cover before planting strawberry beds, and bringing idle land into production. Buckwheat does well in low-fertility soils. It is a scavenger of phosphorus and calcium and mineralizes rock phosphate, making these nutrients available for later crops. Residue from the succulent buckwheat plants decomposes quickly. Buckwheat uses the shortest window of opportunity of any cover crop.

Land preparation
A well-prepared seedbed is necessary to ensure a quick start for the crop. Avoid wet spots; buckwheat will not recover from flooding. Use minimal fertilizer. On established vegetable ground, residual nutrients are sufficient.

Seeding rate
50 lb/ac drilled, 1/2 to 1 in. depth.
70 lb/ac broadcast, $15-25/ac.

Seeding date
June-July. It can be planted as early as May 20 or as late as August 15 but will give less growth.

Seed sources
Birkett Mills, Lakeshore Organic Grain, Agriculver, Ernst Conservation Seed.

Maintenance
No pesticides are needed; a good crop for organic rotations. Heavy rain reduces emergence; reseed if necessary. A well-established buckwheat canopy completely covers the ground. Plants often wilt during hot days but quickly recover.

Control
Mow 35-40 days after seeding or incorporate 35-45 days after seeding to avoid volunteers. The right time is when the field has just turned white with flowers.

Tips
Do not plant into hard soil. Buckwheat will not break up hard pan.
Flooding stops growth permanently.
Weeds will grow in any gaps over 10 inches.
Parasitic wasps, ladybugs, and hoverflies are beneficial insects that are attracted to buckwheat. Harmful insects, such as tarnished plant bugs and aphids, are also attracted. However, aphids can serve as a food source for the beneficials.

Buckwheat is discussed in the article on Mid and late summer cover crops.


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Thanks, I need to find seed for next year. miles


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Originally Posted by milespatton
Thanks, I need to find seed for next year. miles


Hancock Seed is showing free shipping on all sizes up to 25lbs on their site now.

Here's one I finished last weekend - Deer Creek Seed Loggers Trail, Buckwheat, and Antler King Honey Hole:

[Linked Image]

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Ok, how do you get a food plot to grow under trees?


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[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

wheat and winter peas in the first and rape, turnips, and radishes in the second


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Quote
rape, turnips, and radishes in the second


Just planted my greens last week. Started out too wet and hot, and now cooler and dry. I do have them up barely and put the sprinkler on the ones in my garden. The food plots will have to wait for a rain. miles


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been bone-ass dry on my farm, although i've got the plots scalped & ready to break ground, the soil is about as hard as a parking lot, so still waiting for some moisture to soften things a bit...supposed to get some over the next few days.

i have 10 plots on my farm ranging from 1/2 acre to 4 acres, and we usually plant a mix of wheat/rye with a bit of winter peas & some assorted greens mixed in. better soil gets a 60/40 wheat-rye mix, in dry/rocky soil i'll reverse that & seed the rye heavy.

about February, i'll overseed all plots with an annual clover which then pops up pretty well with spring warmup; we usually mow the tall wintergrains down in mid-march and the clover keeps on going through early summer.

By doing so, i only have to break ground once, but the plots feed the deer for 6-8 months out of the year. (i dont maintain them in summer).

we always plant some of our access trails to funnel deer movement & use them as shooting lanes...no issues with growth under the canopy, if the soil is good.

trails in the woods:
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

some of the plots....first one from the eye in the sky, just after i broke ground:
[Linked Image]

the same one, from the deer's point of view...
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]












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