PA Food Plot dates
01-17-2005, 11:37 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 36
PA Food Plot dates
Im going to be planting some food plots this spring in the same area i turkey hunt...when should i plant? Middle of April or May?I know this isnt the management forum but i figured there would some PA people here.
01-17-2005, 11:57 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location:
Posts: 377
RE: PA Food Plot dates
unless they were limed last fall you'll be in a hard way to produce anything other than rye grass,etc.
I suggest you turn it over as soon as the grounds thaws an dries enough by early April south of I80 and late April north of I80, spread 1 ton min. per acre of lime ( more won't hurt), harrow it in good, spray for weeds,grass,etc. soon as you start seeing shoots popping up, then plant a good nitrogen producing crop such as purple top turnip with buckwheat mixed in, then fert. well. if you have any deer the buckwheat will be gone by late summer and the turnip tops will regrow once they are eating off. In the fall when the turnip bulbs are mature turn the ground over an the deer will eat them (t hey will dig them up if you don't turn the ground, but turn it anyway so you can add more lime later in the fall)
I like to plant chufa for turkeys after I have the PH brought up and the ground loose from planting for a year or two.
It is alot of work to have good plots not as easy as some seed companies try to tell you it is.
I never had much luck with the NO-Plow varieties...there really is no shortcuts in planting
1 more thing...clover is a pain to get going an costly and requires alot of sun no matter what variety of seed you buy. MossyOaks Biologic is good deer love it but you'd better be prepared to do alot of pre planting ground work to have a nice crop. Unc Uly
I suggest you turn it over as soon as the grounds thaws an dries enough by early April south of I80 and late April north of I80, spread 1 ton min. per acre of lime ( more won't hurt), harrow it in good, spray for weeds,grass,etc. soon as you start seeing shoots popping up, then plant a good nitrogen producing crop such as purple top turnip with buckwheat mixed in, then fert. well. if you have any deer the buckwheat will be gone by late summer and the turnip tops will regrow once they are eating off. In the fall when the turnip bulbs are mature turn the ground over an the deer will eat them (t hey will dig them up if you don't turn the ground, but turn it anyway so you can add more lime later in the fall)
I like to plant chufa for turkeys after I have the PH brought up and the ground loose from planting for a year or two.
It is alot of work to have good plots not as easy as some seed companies try to tell you it is.
I never had much luck with the NO-Plow varieties...there really is no shortcuts in planting
1 more thing...clover is a pain to get going an costly and requires alot of sun no matter what variety of seed you buy. MossyOaks Biologic is good deer love it but you'd better be prepared to do alot of pre planting ground work to have a nice crop. Unc Uly
01-17-2005, 01:41 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 1,149
RE: PA Food Plot dates
Some other options,
Put the lime on soon because it takes 6 months to take affect.When the green up occurs which is the weeds growing nail them with round up.After they turn brown disc the soil and add fertilizer.The type of fertilizer you use will depend on the crops.You seem interested in turkey.Clover and rye are a good bet in PA for turkey and deer.For clover use 10-20-20.
Plent the seed after the last frost,may1-may 10 depending on what part of the state you're from.Then in early to mid sept give it another feeding.
Rye should be planted in late summer.
Put the lime on soon because it takes 6 months to take affect.When the green up occurs which is the weeds growing nail them with round up.After they turn brown disc the soil and add fertilizer.The type of fertilizer you use will depend on the crops.You seem interested in turkey.Clover and rye are a good bet in PA for turkey and deer.For clover use 10-20-20.
Plent the seed after the last frost,may1-may 10 depending on what part of the state you're from.Then in early to mid sept give it another feeding.
Rye should be planted in late summer.
01-17-2005, 02:17 PM
#5
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 205
RE: PA Food Plot dates
food plots are really just a pain in the a$$! unless you have enough acerage to plant a good clover crop or row crop it will not do the game animals much good, though it will give you a place to hunt around.
Either go buy 300# of shelled corn and 300# wheat and spread it with a broadcast at a rate of 50# a week and stop spreading it 30 days before you hunt the area. OR try this:
Spray the area you want to seed with Round Up or a good generic then run a disk over the area really really well when the weeds are burnt and dying. Now top seed at a rate of 35 # of clover mix and 10 # of buckwheat seed per acre and lightly disk it in. now apply some fertilizer 10-20-20 or 10-10-10 the critters will eat some of the seed mix but some will sprout. come August lime the area really heavy and disk it in lightly, it won't kill the clover, next spring turn the soil and prepare a good seed bed.
clover MUST be covered 1/4" deep to germinate and then roll it in or drive over it alot. All seeds like a firm seed bed.
Like I said it's much easier to just buy some corn and wheat and spread it for the animals, perfectly legal as long as you don't attract a bear or hunt over it for 30 dyas.
I got rid of a tresspasser 1 yr by planting a plot thewn calling the WCO when the guy snuck in there to hunt. WCO tried to tell me it was illegal to plant a plot during bow season. I told him i was not planning to hunt over it till rifle season...he said Ok then an pinched the tresspasser.WB
Either go buy 300# of shelled corn and 300# wheat and spread it with a broadcast at a rate of 50# a week and stop spreading it 30 days before you hunt the area. OR try this:
Spray the area you want to seed with Round Up or a good generic then run a disk over the area really really well when the weeds are burnt and dying. Now top seed at a rate of 35 # of clover mix and 10 # of buckwheat seed per acre and lightly disk it in. now apply some fertilizer 10-20-20 or 10-10-10 the critters will eat some of the seed mix but some will sprout. come August lime the area really heavy and disk it in lightly, it won't kill the clover, next spring turn the soil and prepare a good seed bed.
clover MUST be covered 1/4" deep to germinate and then roll it in or drive over it alot. All seeds like a firm seed bed.
Like I said it's much easier to just buy some corn and wheat and spread it for the animals, perfectly legal as long as you don't attract a bear or hunt over it for 30 dyas.
I got rid of a tresspasser 1 yr by planting a plot thewn calling the WCO when the guy snuck in there to hunt. WCO tried to tell me it was illegal to plant a plot during bow season. I told him i was not planning to hunt over it till rifle season...he said Ok then an pinched the tresspasser.WB
01-17-2005, 04:15 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Indiana PA USA
Posts: 3,656
RE: PA Food Plot dates
ulysses, I thought you were entirely against guys with private property planting food plots? Anyways, you gave some good advice.
The keys to planting food plots are getting the right PH which means that you need to put lime in the ground! Get a PH test done and figure out how much you need and spread it out on the ground then till it in. Put fertilizer out also when you plant. You will want to till it into the ground also.
Of course, all this should be done after you have applied a herbacide and gave it the appropriate amount of time to wear away.
Another thing alot of guys don't realize that soil to seed contact is incredibly important!!!! Just spreading the seed on the ground (alot of guys do this) will allow birds to pick up the seeds, water to wash the seeds away, and when the seeds germinate, the roots won't have good contact with the ground. Make sure to cover the seed with between 1/8" and 1/4" of soil, which can usually be accomplished by driving over the plot with a a.t.v.
Having a firm seed bed is also very important!
The keys to planting food plots are getting the right PH which means that you need to put lime in the ground! Get a PH test done and figure out how much you need and spread it out on the ground then till it in. Put fertilizer out also when you plant. You will want to till it into the ground also.
Of course, all this should be done after you have applied a herbacide and gave it the appropriate amount of time to wear away.
Another thing alot of guys don't realize that soil to seed contact is incredibly important!!!! Just spreading the seed on the ground (alot of guys do this) will allow birds to pick up the seeds, water to wash the seeds away, and when the seeds germinate, the roots won't have good contact with the ground. Make sure to cover the seed with between 1/8" and 1/4" of soil, which can usually be accomplished by driving over the plot with a a.t.v.
Having a firm seed bed is also very important!
01-18-2005, 05:11 AM
#7
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location:
Posts: 377
RE: PA Food Plot dates
I plant about 75 acres of crops just for the deer, BUT DO NOT HUNT OVER THEM nor near them. That is called being a forest steward vs being a taker! Some posters would do well to mature a bit an see what they can give back rather than how much they can take!
01-18-2005, 05:13 PM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Indiana PA USA
Posts: 3,656
RE: PA Food Plot dates
I plant about 75 acres of crops just for the deer, BUT DO NOT HUNT OVER THEM nor near them.
You have also said that guys who plant food plots are the guys who are screwing up public land hunters by bringing the deer into their property! Along with that, you have said that guys who plant food plots are just horn hunters.
You can't possibly think that your 75 acres of food plot for deer isn't bringing deer from others properties and you also can't possibly think that the extra nutrition isn't going to help antler growth.
As far as giving to the sport instead of taking from the sport, what in the world are you talking about? For your imformation, I regularly help other hunters out and try to talk to non-hunters about how hunting is actually beneficial to the enviroment and all the critters that live in it. Heck, last week I spent my days off trying to help my grandfathers friend get a deer as he is a older gentleman who has pretty much lost sight in his left eye and has severe problems with his hearing! He wasn't able to get a deer, but he had a blast out there and that is what it is all about. Also, I regularly help my fellow archers by working with them to improve their shooting skills, along with planting food plots which benefit everyone that hunts that land and the surrounding property! Along with that, I have sent out numerous e-mails to the PGC discussing all the issues that people are having with hunting in PA, and last night I signed a petition that is being sent to the game commission in hopes of having the doe season back to a 3 day season! Keep trying to portray me as some guy who only cares about himself and about shooting a big buck, but you are severly mis-informed and I hope some day that you can meet up with one of the people I have helped out someway with this sport and them I would like to see you tell them that I "would do well to mature a bit an see what they can give back rather than how much they can take"