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Food plots seeded.....rain please rain

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
Planted 3 food plots today. One is 3/4 of an acre and the other two are both a little over a 1/2.

I two bottom plowed these and disked these up a week or so ago. Then today spread lime, 46-0-0 urea and some

I used the Dbtree brassica mix of:

Purple Top Turnips 3#
Dwarf Essex Rape 2#
GroundHog Forage radish 5#

Plant in mid to late July in most Midwest states, or 60-90 days before your first killing frost, Use 200#'s of 46-0-0 urea and 400#'s of 6-28-28 per acre. Seed at 5 lbs and acre.

It was a lot of work and I hope them come out good. I tried to do it by the book this year. If they don't come up and have good sized turnips I may never food plot agin......:)

Few pics

A week ago


Local co-op was out of radish so I had to order it.....ordered Monday and on my door step Wednesday!


Make shift cultipacker


Disk and drag



Final product
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Looks good. Hope it works out well for you. Sometimes you do everything right and they just don't turn out. Never have figured that one out. Doing something is better than nothing regardless of your results.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
looks great!! Thatll come up fine im sure!

Biggest issue with brassicas ive found it DONT OVERSEED! Big mistake most plotters make, I know youve done them before, but just an observation I have noticed.
 

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
Nice slow steady rain for most of the day today in y area.......should do the trick to get them to germinate
 

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
Just got home from vacation today and took a look at my plots. It appears the bag seeder was only broadcasting out of one side of the spreader. I have a lot of bare spots and am pretty disappointed. I spot re-seeded today ,by hand, over the bare spots with purple top and rape seed. Hope it takes and fills in but not sure if the seed to soil contact will be good enough. All in all they don't look terrible but I sure was hoping for better plots this year.

Plot 1 called Hidden Meadow is a bottom/low field approx 3/4 acre. I put 200 46-0-0 and 100# 6-28-28. This plot looks good but has some bare spots and a lot of fine grass. I did some spot re-seeding today but not sure if it will take. Should do pretty good though.

Plot 2 called the gas well plot is just under 1/2 acre. Same soil prep. It got #100 of 46-0-0 and 50# 6-28-28 and 25# triple 12


Plot 3- Called North plot is just at 1/2 acre. Got the same soil prep and fertilizer as plot 2. This plot looks the best with bare spots but still good even coverage. It did get spot seeded today as well.
 

themedic

Junior Member
755
0
OHIO
Next week I will be starting my cereal grain plots with the following mix:

Winter rye 50-80#'s per acre (56#'s = a bushel)
Spring oats 50-120#'s per acre (32#'s = a bushel)
Frostmaster Winter Peas or 4010/6040 Forage peas 20-80#'s per acre

Red Clover 8-12#'s per acre or white clover at 6#'s per acre (or 20-40 pounds hairy vetch and 20-30#'s crimson clover on sandy soils)
Groundhog Forage Radish 5#'s per acre

Plant in late August to early September, if following well fertilized brassicas use 100 - 200#'s of urea, if starting a new plot add 400#'s of 6-28-28 but for best results soil test and add only what is necessary.


I sprayed the 4 areas with Buccaneer select all herbicide today. One of the plots will be a "death row" alley way that connected two of my plots along the crop field edge. This area needed a lot of chainsaw work today.

I'm going to buy seed Monday or Tuesday and plant next week hopefully.
After dropping the trees.

After "death row" got picked up and sprayed with herbicide.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Good stuff. I sprayed one last plot today as well. Hoping for a good kill. Would have liked to have worked the ground once already and let it sit but time has been a precious commodity lately. Got to pay the bills before I spend time on plots.
 
Looking good!! I've found with my hand spreader that it does the same thing so you really have to watch where the seed falls and then at the end go in a zig zag back over it all to help minimize those bare spots. Also helps to have someone spot your last pass so you don't start wandering away from the last seed you put down. Can't wait to see it in a few weeks!!