Guest jkuch Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 I've been reading these food plot forums for years and I gotta tell you I love it. I love the pictures and the info that is provided. I know that I am not the only person that checks this board numerous times a day. Im gonna be able to plant my first food plot next year. My father in law owns 40 acres and has about a 4 acre field. The land is bordered by a few thousand acres of woods. I have to start small so I would like to plant a 1/2 to an acre of Imperial clover. Im gonna do the soil sample, lime it and probably plant buckwheat in the spring and clover in the fall. What do you think I could expect from a 1/2 to an acre clover field. Is an acre enough to help make a difference or do you need a lot more to make a difference. Were not over run with deer where we are at. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 I have to start small so I would like to plant a 1/2 to an acre of Imperial clover. Im gonna do the soil sample, lime it and probably plant buckwheat in the spring and clover in the fall. What do you think I could expect from a 1/2 to an acre clover field. Is an acre enough to help make a difference or do you need a lot more to make a difference. Were not over run with deer where we are at. Sounds like you have a good plan in place. Depending on where you are clovers might be best planted in the fall. Here there is less invasive weed growth and generally more available moisture to establish clovers in the fall. Another consideration would be to use a grain mixed in with your clover if you do opt for a fall planting. A one half to one acre plot of quality clover will be pretty attractive to wildlife in the area. Our first good clover plot here was just about 1/4 acre of penningtons clover and rye supreme planted in the fall of 2003. At one time early season that year our opening afternoon of our muzzleloader I had 15 deer either in or coming to that plot. Had a mature buck come out following a doe making for 17 deer in that field that afternoon, shot that buck that afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 an acre is a nice size food plot for a 40 acre parcel of land--especially since you don't have a high number of deer in your area. The buckwheat will help choke out weeds during the summer and your fall planting of clover should do well. However--if it was me I'd skip the spring planting of buckwheat and concentrate on killing off all the vegetation in your future plot with the use of glyphosate. That way you will have a clean seed bed in the fall. One option is instead of planting buckwheat (which does do a good job on choking out weeds) is to plant roundup ready soybeans. This way you will still provide a great forage for the deer during the antler/fawning months but you can also spray with roundup (glyphosate) during the summer and keep the weeds and grasses under control. best of luck todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildthing Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 clover is a pretty good seed to plant. If the area is relatively cleaned off, the clovers will grow. I planted a clover seed in the spring and have mowed it about 5 times since April. It comes in thicker and greener every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgcorn Posted September 29, 2007 Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 I have a 1/2 acre plot of imperial clover and it works great for me. 1 small bag I think it is 5lbs. will cover a 1/2 acre nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jkuch Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 can you broadcast the soybeans or do you need a drill? I have about 4 acres of field I could plant I just cant afford to. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 can you broadcast the soybeans or do you need a drill? Beans do just fine broadcasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 Imperial Whitetail Clover is a great seed. It will work well in heavier poorer drained soils. If you have drier, well drained soil try the AlfaRack Plus. The Clover has "jumpstart" which will take the place of a cover crop. The Roundup Ready Soybeans is a great idea, and I would put in a 1/2 acre of No Plow as an early fall planting. This will give a good variety to your deer and start controlling your weeds. I have also put regular soybeans with my No Plow and had great results. You should Round Up the plots this fall yet because you get a good kill off of weeds in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 can you broadcast the soybeans or do you need a drill? Beans do just fine broadcasted. We broadcasted some RR beans this summer and then hared them in and they did not do so well... Seemed to me they did not get in the ground deep enough.... We are going to try something different next year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 We broadcasted some RR beans this summer and then hared them in and they did not do so well... Seemed to me they did not get in the ground deep enough.... We are going to try something different next year... Dont know Todd, kind of off topic here and dont want to hijack this thread, but I will tell you that beans do not have to be planted deep. I had a semi loose bed, prepped with my disc, then dragged off. I broadcast, then rolled over the seed with the 4 wheeler to get it in the ground. Had some seed that was visible(not buried). Best as I can tell even with the terrible drought we had this year we had a very high germination rate. Years past planting lablab and cowpeas I had always run the disc and left the furrows open, then came back and dragged off the plot to cover the seed. Dont really think there was much if any difference. Maybe it was not the depth of your planting, might question if the seed was innoculated or possibly question the viability of the seed you used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jkuch Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Is an acre of clover enough to make a difference. Im doing it to help them but also to attract some deer off the other 1000 or so acres. Im hoping to put in something else to help with attracting deer during archery season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Is an acre of clover enough to make a difference. Im doing it to help them but also to attract some deer off the other 1000 or so acres. Im hoping to put in something else to help with attracting deer during archery season. Thought that question was already answered in here. The answer is YES. A one acre clover plot will be a draw for deer and other wildlife in the area, however a one acre plot depending on the setup may be more of a feeding plot than a hunting plot, and might get more focus on the plot during dark. How much of a draw it will be where you are will depend on other factors such as other sources of food still available. I would also suggest at planting to use some wheat or rye grain that will shoot up quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jkuch Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 I've been also thinking an acre of winter wheat just to try and attract during archery season. I've picked out a couple of small spots that im gonna put some hunting plots in. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13littleones Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 If you are going to put lime down, do this fall or winter before you plant next spring or you will be sorry ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gt2003 Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 What will the lime do? I planted a small plot a couple of years ago and threw out lime, fertilizer and the seed all in the span of an hour, raked it all in and waited for the rain that evening. It grew great. On a larger scale, what will the lime do? I hear the correct procedure is to do like you mentioned, lime a few months before planting so it can have the desired effect on the soil. Not being judgmental, just sharing my very limited experience and asking the negatives. Thanks, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 What will the lime do? You lime to adjust the soil ph. Plants have preferences for soil types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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