Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Shade Tolerant Food Plot

I'm planning my next year's deer habitat improvement and want to plant some food plots in the woods. We have good luck with the green fields, but I want to improve the wooded hunting stand habitat for low acorn years.

What do you guys recommend for planting in wooded plots that has good shade tolerance?

What type of soil and where are you located ??????

The land is in Chambers Co. Alabama, central Ala. on Ga line. Soil is fairly rich under mixed, but mostly hardwoods.

a few places to get seed from with lots of info
http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/
http://www.huntland.com/
http://www.plotspike.com/
http://www.hamannfarms.com/index.htm
http://www.wildlifefoodplots-made-ez.com/
http://www.mossyoakbiologic.com/
http://www.whitetailhabitat.com/


not sure what to tell ya on what grows best but many plants need 3 to 4 hours of fairly direct sun a day to grow good

Do you till this area or do you just want to over seed ? Here I would try field rye first for several reasons. It is easy to get, inexpensive, adds nitrogen to the soil and growns darn near any place. I would avoid all of the high cost food mixes in a area like this. If they fail it is a expensive mistake. In the last few years a lot of regional companys have popped up that produce seed mixes that are more area specefic. This can be really beneficial in results and cost. I would try to find a elevator or grain store or even a Tack and feed shop that carries seed. Theese people will know your area and soil/lime/fertilizer needs better than others who are not local to you. Do you intend to lime the area and how do you intend to pack the seed ? Important questions to a succesfull food plot.

The Chambers Co. Agricultural Extension Agent might be able to help. Might be a good way to get some use out of your tax dollars. A lot of them are very helpful and very knowledgeable. Typically they have a degree in either animal or crop science, so they should be knowledgeable about either ruminants or crops, or both. Your local agent might even be a hunter. While your question probably isn't the type of question they get everyday, they get some unusual questions from people, and the extension agent might be able to help you. In fact, he might enjoy the challenge of finding an answer for you.

At one time the extension agents in Arkansas would send off soil samples for free soil testing to determine what kind of treatment a person's garden plot needed (i.e., whether it needed lime, what kind of fertilizer would be best, etc.). Don't know if they still do, but if you're concerned about the pH or nutritional needs of the soil under the trees, that might be a service that the extension agent could provide even if he couldn't answer your question.