glew22

I just received the go ahead to plant 10 acres worth of food plots on a 250 acre farm in SE PA. I collected soil to be tested today but I'm wondering how much money I have to set aside for 10 acres worth of weed killer (it's currently pasture). Any other tips or info is welcomed.

wis_bow_huntr

Well first of all be careful what you put down for weed killer. Not sure how much you want to use to be honest. Make sure that after you work the land and plant, wait untill the weeds are at least2-5inches tall then spray. dont mix too hot or youll burn everything and have to start over.

npockat32

Well it depends on what kind you get. Round-up is always more but I myself have tried 3 different kinds this year. The weed and grass killer from Walmart which is about $8.00 and it covers about 10,000 square feet. The higher the Glyphosate level in the chemical the better it will kill the weeds.

Do you have a back pack sprayer or atv sprayer for spraying?

130woodman

For the money part of your question it depends on your soil sample. Lime can be a huge cost in planting. By my place I think I spent $300.00 per acre this year and most of it was in lime. If it is old pasture cut it first, then spray your weed killer, wait the recommended time and then till.

glew22

I set aside $400 for seed (6 acres Imperial Clover, 4 acres Winter Greens). With the cost of lime and weed killer will I be able to keep it under a thousand without cutting corners?

kickin_buck

Have you considered burning off the pasture ground? I had a few plot that were in CRP and we burnt the area first, left it alone for a few weeks, then sprayed it, then turned the soil over and fertilized and planted. It worked really great for us, we need not need nearly as much round-up after burning as we would have if we would not have burned first. If you do decide to burn, becareful. You don't want to end up on the news because you caught 10,000 acres on fire.

GMMAT

Man that's a lot of lime, 130. At $4/bag .......

I think I could get my driveway to 7.0 with that much lime!

130woodman

All my soil is sandy. I think we bought 2.5 tons this year. I almost went out and bought potting soil it would last longer without the yearly investment in lime.

GMMAT

I hear ya, 130. We made the mistake of not checking the soil on a food plot 2 years ago.

You did the right thing.

Kudos.

glew22

Ok so bare with me I'm defintely new at this.....Assuming about 1-2 tons of lime per acre (10 acres) at 10 dollars a ton I need to set aside 100-200 dollars for lime, is that a fair estimation?? More importantly how much will it cose me to spray weed killer on the same 10 acres. PS: The land owner has given me 500-1000 dollars to work with.