Small Late Food Plot

[wolc123]

Someone asked about what to do for one of these in the "General Chit-Chat" section.   While out brush-hogging today, I opened up a "hidden 1/4 acre" by a ladder stand, near the front of our farm, so I gave it a go.  It took about an hour to find the 2-bottom plow, hook it up to my Ford 8N, get the sod turned over, and return the plow to its winter storage condition (greased the three fittings and coated the blades with used motor oil).   In a few weeks, I will get that plot disked and ready to plant with a mix of wheat, soybeans, and white clover, at the same time that I plant another 1 acre spot that is way out back.   A side benefit is that this gives me an excuse to use a small (6.5 ft 3-point) disk that I had not used yet this year and make sure that it is properly prepared for winter storage (that will take a full tube of grease).   It fits perfect on the 8n.    I used my wider, pull-type disk on the larger plot, but that one don't work so well on small plots, plus it is already greased up and ready for winter.               

Edited July 31, 2019 by wolc123

[wolc123]

19 hours ago, wolc123 said:

This is the best time to start one.   Get the ground tilled now (I prefer that over using chemicals to kill the weeds because I like to keep the meat as "organic" as possible).   Till it again a few more times, until late August.   Prior to your last tilling, broadcast 5-10-5 or other low-nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of about 50 pounds/acre, then till it into the soil.   Next, broadcast wheat at a rate of about 50 pounds per acre, and soybeans at about 25 pounds per acre.   Use a cultipacker, drag a log, or use your ATV tires to push that wheat and soybean seed into the tilled ground.   Next, broadcast white clover at about 5 pounds per acre, then cultipack again (at about a 90 degree angle from your first packing direction).    

The soybeans will draw deer to that plot like candy as soon as they start to sprout.  The first good frost will kill what remains of those soybeans before they make pods, but that may not occur until well after October 1st.  In the mean time, nothing is more attractive to deer than green, sprouting soybeans, which are also very high in protein.   Next, the wheat will kick in and hold the deer on the plot thru fall and winter (Frost don't kill wheat).  Wheat is considerably more attractive to deer than cerial rye, besides being cheaper and easier to find (cost is about $ 8 for 50 pounds).  

Next spring, mow off the wheat before it goes to seed.  It serves the dual purpose of attracting deer thru late season, and providing a "nurse" crop for the clover, keeping the weeds under control.  As long as your soil is not too acidic (a soil test would be a good idea, and add lime if needed), you will find a lush crop of white clover after the wheat is mowed off in the late spring.   That white clover will give you several more years of prime deer attraction with nothing more than a couple annual mowings for maintenance.       

 

[TACC]

Pictures of the smaller disc would be great please

Someone asked about what to do for one of these in the "General Chit-Chat" section.   While out brush-hogging today, I opened up a "hidden 1/4 acre" by a ladder stand, near the front of our farm, so I gave it a go.  It took about an hour to find the 2-bottom plow, hook it up to my Ford 8N, get the sod turned over, and return the plow to its winter storage condition (greased the three fittings and coated the blades with used motor oil).   In a few weeks, I will get that plot disked and ready to plant with a mix of wheat, soybeans, and white clover, at the same time that I plant another 1 acre spot that is way out back.   A side benefit is that this gives me an excuse to use a small (6.5 ft 3-point) disk that I had not used yet this year and make sure that it is properly prepared for winter storage (that will take a full tube of grease).   It fits perfect on the 8n.    I used my wider, pull-type disk on the larger plot, but that one don't work so well on small plots, plus it is already greased up and ready for winter.               

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[Otto]

On 7/31/2019 at 11:31 PM, TACC said:

Pictures of the smaller disc would be great please

 

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I have a 6 foot disc that I use to start my plots too.  I’d like to see how yours is set up too.   Sometimes mine grabs clumps of grass and clogs up the back discs.   I might have it set to aggressive . 

[wolc123]

48 minutes ago, Otto said:

I have a 6 foot disc that I use to start my plots too.  I’d like to see how yours is set up too.   Sometimes mine grabs clumps of grass and clogs up the back discs.   I might have it set to aggressive . 

Most smaller disks lack "cleaners",  which are small flat bars between the disks which remove the clumps and keep that space from clogging up.  My 6.5 foot three-point disk does not have any, and I only use it when the soil is good and dry.   My larger pull-type disk has the cleaners and it works ok even if the dirt is a little muddy.    There is also no adjustment for "aggressiveness" on my small disk, but I can make it cut deeper by bolting one or two 200 pound steel plates on the back.  My little Ford 8n can only only lift it with one of those.       

[Otto]

Thanks, no cleaners on mine.  There is one plate on the back of it, not sure of the weight of it though.  It worked ok and I got the seed down.   This is a new plot and the grass and weeds were so thick there that the dead clumps were clogging it up all the time.  I ended up scraping off a lot of it with the bucket and left the piles of clumps along the edge of the plot.  

Ive got another section that I tilled last year where I am going to put down winter rye again this year.  I may cut a 6’ section of a 16” log and strap that on the back just to see if that helps. 

[wolc123]

Disks work a lot better if you turn the ground over with a plow first.   They are not really intended for primary tillage.   I checked out a couple of the plot areas that I am working on yesterday.   The one that I planted 1/4 of with turnips (4) weeks ago is looking real good.  I had plowed that one in the late spring, disked it a week later, and again a few weeks after, then dragged it a few times prior to planting.  The turnips are up more than 6" and you got to look real hard to find any weeds in them.   

The other much smaller plot, which I planted 1/4 of with turnips (2) weeks ago, is not looking so hot.  The turnips are only up about a half inch and you got to look hard to find them in all the weeds.  Unlike the larger, nice-looking plot, I plowed this one on one day and disked, planted, and cultipacked the next.  There was not enough time and cultivation to kill off all the weeds.   I never use herbicide on late summer plots, mostly because I like to keep my family's venison as "organic" as possible. 

In another week or three (when it dries up again after the next good rain), I am going to plant the large remaining sections of each of those plots with a mix of winter wheat, soybeans, and white clover.    I will also go over them both with a drag prior to the next rain to further set back the weeds.   Early fall / late summer planted wheat and soybeans will usually out-grow any weeds, especially if they have been adequately supressed, with weeks of repeated cultivation, prior. 

If you have not picked up your seed yet, I would recommend wheat over rye in many situations.  The primary reason is that the deer seem to prefer it (there have been a few years where I have had both in the same areas and they always hit the wheat a lot harder).  It is also cheaper and easier to find than rye.  If you have acidic soil, or want to follow up the following season with a heavy nitrogen using planting (like turnips or corn), then rye does have two positive advantages.  It grows better in acidic soil and takes out less nitrogen.   I always follow with white clover (actually planted at the same time), which fixes its own nitrogen, so that second advantage is not needed.  Also, my soil ph is good, so that, coupled with the deer's clear preference for wheat and the lower cost, makes the rye/wheat choice a real "no-brainer" for me.      

Edited August 24, 2019 by wolc123

[Otto]

Thanks again Wolc.  I don’t have a plow, always on the lookout for one though, just need to find time to go get one off craigslist or at an auction.  I did kill off everything with Roundup. (Not too concerned with 100% organic, the local deer are eating roundup ready alfalfa and corn pretty much all day long!).  Disking got the soil loose down to about 4 or 5 inches, it will have to do.  

 I am using rye because my cousin uses it on our farm and I get what I need for free. I have about 5 pounds of white clover I may mix in with the rye too.  Plus, this section is planted next to a 38 acre plot of wheat that I lease to a local farmer.  I like to add a little variety to the local herd’s diet.

[wolc123]

In that situation, I would surely go with the free rye.   When you plant, I would broadcast the wheat over the tilled ground, then cultipack, then broadcast the clover, then cultipack again.  If you do not have a cultipacker, and the plot is small, many passes with ATV or tractor tires (no implement needed) will do the same thing.   

The only time I use Roundup (actually cheaper knock-off stuff) is for spraying on the rows of corn.  I use a cultivator to take out most of the weds between rows.  I did not get any corn in on this wet spring, so there was none used on my plots this year.    The 2.5 gallon jug of "Crop-Smart" that I have now is about 3 years old, and still about half full.   Spraying it on the rows of corn is a very cheap way (compared to heavy nitrogen application) to increase the corn yield.   

[Otto]

I use generic roundup too, either from Tractor Supply or Home Depot. I don't have a cultipacker, but I do have a drag harrow that I pull with my ATV. I flip it over onto the smooth side and that mixes the heavier seed like rye into the soil. I usually broadcast small seed like clover just before rain. It has worked well for me.
This is the plot with rye. It was a trolley track many years ago, and has a very thin layer of soil. The rye grew well there last year.

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[LET EM GROW]

On 8/24/2019 at 7:48 PM, Otto said:

I use generic roundup too, either from Tractor Supply or Home Depot. I don't have a cultipacker, but I do have a drag harrow that I pull with my ATV. I flip it over onto the smooth side and that mixes the heavier seed like rye into the soil. I usually broadcast small seed like clover just before rain. It has worked well for me.
This is the plot with rye. It was a trolley track many years ago, and has a very thin layer of soil. The rye grew well there last year.

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Whats your plans with this plot for next spring? If you wanna build up your top soils here, Next spring right before the RYE matures, roll it over a few times with a lawn roller or atv tires. Rye is high in carbon and will create a great duff that will slowly break down into your soil creating a nice composted soil. 

Seed clovers now and Frost seed in march and you'll have a beauty of a plot. You can still just roll the plot to terminate the rye as well. 

Just a thought if you were interested. 

[Otto]

Thanks LEG, I had rye on it last year and I mowed it down before seed early this summer.  Unfortunately swallow-wort took over part of the plot so I decided to terminate that area and start over.  I have some white clover left over from the spring that I can put down now and again at frost seeding.  

I’ve seen how the tubular plants are terminated by rolling them.  (Growingdeer.com). If I find a lawn roller, I will give that a try.  Thanks again for the tips!

[moog5050]

13 minutes ago, Otto said:

Thanks LEG, I had rye on it last year and I mowed it down before seed early this summer.  Unfortunately swallow-wort took over part of the plot so I decided to terminate that area and start over.  I have some white clover left over from the spring that I can put down now and again at frost seeding.  

I’ve seen how the tubular plants are terminated by rolling them.  (Growingdeer.com). If I find a lawn roller, I will give that a try.  Thanks again for the tips!

Swallow wort is brutal.  Takes over everywhere and holds ticks.   

[Otto]

1 hour ago, moog5050 said:

Swallow wort is brutal.  Takes over everywhere and holds ticks.   

I've been at war with it in various parts of the property for 6 years!

[moog5050]

33 minutes ago, Otto said:

I've been at war with it in various parts of the property for 6 years!

If you mow trails through it, the deer will use them to avoid that nasty mess.  We have both the black and pale variety that took over much of one of the properties I hunt.  Doesn't seem to really bother the deer though, but I stay on trails or will be tick infested.

[Otto]

I did not know about the tick attraction, thanks for that info. I spray round up (generic) when i fist see it in the spring. Then again with Triclor before seed pods form, usually around July 4th. That will usually knock out that section for good, but it seems to pop up everywhere, and it likes to vine and climb, and I can't be killing everything around here. Thankfully I don't have Japanese knotweed or bamboo!

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[Otto]

Wolc, hopefully not stealing your thread, i can move these if you like.

 

Progress on plots:

This is a plot I put in last year. I seeded it with chicory and winter rye. This spring I added white and red clover and mowed down the rye and clover flowers. It is doing well in most places and I plan to hunt over it this fall.

 

This is the plot I had rye in last year and got the swallow wort, so I essentially started over. Thanks to Let Em Grows advice, today I added 4 lbs of red clover to the plot. some of it had good clover, so I left that alone.

 

 

 

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[Otto]

Updated photos. I looked in several locations, but it doesn't look like they are browsing on it yet. Hopefully soon!





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