Missilelock Posted August 22, 2013 Report Share Posted August 22, 2013 I have cleared about 2-3 acres behind my house to make a bigger yard for my wife, and a food plot for me to sit and watch the deer and turkeys. right now, the stumps are removed, and the dozer is doing rough grading. I have a small Ford tractor with a lift, and I just built a drag out of an old skidder chain. That's all the equipment I have access to. Ive never built a food plot. any suggestions would be appreciated. Lane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoytshooter09 Posted August 22, 2013 Report Share Posted August 22, 2013 Depending on what plot seed u use some like the cheaper throw in grow u don't have to do to much but most seed u can broad cast it then use that dragger to cover it all u need and hope for rain. U might get a cheap soil test kit also to seen if your dirt is lacking in something so u can fertilize it properly for best results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 Would go with a perennial clover blend if it were me. Should not really require a great deal of prep work from where you are at now, seeing as how the ground is being bladed with a dozer it should be fresh clean ground, dunno how packed it will be though. If you have any green coming up hit it with glyphosate. A soil test would help you know what you need for fertilizer and ph adjustment. Clover you could ride over the seed to pack it with an atv or lawn tractor, granted the soil is not too hard packed from the dozer. Don't want to bury it too deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultradog Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 You need some kind of a digger to scratch up the surface after the dozer. I would suggest you look for a 3 point cultivator - Like a Dearborn or Ferguson. It will do all your tillage jobs and do them well. Scratch up the surface then just hand broadcast some seed. I just go to my local feed/seed store and buy their Big Rack mix. Comes premixed - clover, rape, alfalfa, timothy and turnip. Then drag a board or small log behind it (sideways of course) to slightly cover the seed. I use an old bedspring to cover mine. Cultivator will run you anywhere from $150-$300 but is readily resellable anytime. Look on craigslist. First photo is a Dearborn/Ford cultivator. Second photo is one of my plots. The turnip will come up hard and fast the first year and deer love the stuff. The second and third years there wont be any turnip - it's an annual - but the alfalfa, etc will come back for a couple of years. I usually get two or three years out of a planting. What model Ford do you have? I've had 8Ns and 9Ns and Hundreds but now only have the three cylinder Thousands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 yea--hard to beat clover for both deer and turkey. they both love it. being such a small seed, like William said, you can just broadcast it on the ground. If you do it on wet soil then the seed will suck right down in the mud. make sure you get a perenial clover such a Ladino. good luck todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 yea--hard to beat clover for both deer and turkey. they both love it. being such a small seed, like William said, you can just broadcast it on the ground. If you do it on wet soil then the seed will suck right down in the mud. make sure you get a perenial clover such a Ladino. good luck todd I agree...would only require cutting it for some years after that too after the seed pods dry out each year. Last year our neighbor in MO had ~20 ac. by his house planted in a mix of Ladino & Red clover. It was a deer magnet throughout the entire season. We did the same thing this year with the fields W & S of the house on our property up there planting ~9 ac. in the same mix. Seen over 20 deer in the afternoons feeding there so far this summer and that's with competing with the tillable acreage on our place planted in soybeans around that area. We have 2 food plots that are difficult to get to. Next year they will be planted in the same clover mix so all we'll have to do is cut them after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missilelock Posted August 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 Thanks for the help guys. I have a small 1320 tractor, and the drag I made is working pretty good. the dozer finished this morning. Its mighty dry right now. the top is loose down at least a couple inches everywhere. so if I can get the rocks and roots out and some dragging done, I should be ready to put some seed down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 the top is loose down at least a couple inches everywhere. Should be good for clovers once you get it dragged off if you decide to go that route. You can broadcast clover seed before a rain and not even cover it. A lot of good clover blends on the market. Always had real good luck with pennington stuff, they sell a very good perennial clover blend. They used to have a rackmaker or rackmaster clover and rye supreme, not sure it is still on the market my local feed store who was a pennington dealer closed up. Had pretty good results out of the clover crush too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireStation46 Posted August 27, 2013 Report Share Posted August 27, 2013 Do not forget to lime. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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