No Till Food Plots - So Easy

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Running Vitalize is a true blessing - the reason?! The friends we had made along the way. Mr. Tim has been a customer from day 1. He is a massive supporter and friend as well. I couldn’t be more thankful to have him as a customer but more so, as a friend. Congratulations on an absolute Ohio slammer!!

 

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Merry Christmas!

A life without grief would produce love without meaning. Hug, kiss, and tell your loved ones you truly love them.

Please enjoy this Christmas with your friends and families. Food plots, cover crops, gardens, and fields will be ready for us again this spring. For the next few days, truly focus on what matters most. Family, faith, good food, and plenty of laughter.

Wishing you peace, joy, and a very Merry Christmas.

 

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Grandpap was 87 here and still is a fantastic memory for me. And every bit of the man I still try to live up to today.

Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to donate several acres worth of Vitalize Seed to an organization out of Missouri that helps elderly individuals who can no longer easily enjoy the outdoors.

With full support from my partner Jared Michael, we provided the seed, covered the shipping, and asked for nothing in return other than to be kept in the loop.

Recently, they shared this podcast episode with me and spent time explaining what the program truly is and what it means to the people they serve.

What came back has been a blessing.

Hearing that several folks were able to harvest what may very well have been their last whitetail deer over a Vitalize Seed food plot hit me in a way I did not expect. I have found myself holding back emotion just typing this, especially this time of year.

I cannot help but picture the old man in this photo, my Grandpap, looking down and smiling. Thinking about how proud he would be. We were blessed to get him on several hunts toward the end. We never brought home venison, but we brought home something far more important: memories, time, and moments that last forever.

Thank you to Rod and the entire team for what you do. And thank you for the opportunity for us to give back.

This group does not house people as a place to die; they house them as a place to continue living.

Thank you for reading. God bless, and enjoy the start to this new year.

Link to podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-the-dream-outdoors/id1547204718?i=1000742567152

 

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This was a really fun project I did this past year and it absolutely blew me away!

 

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At Vitalize Seed, we’re big believers in frost seeding and diversity. One of my favorite strategies is frost seeding our Annual Clover into heavily browsed or hammered Carbon Load plots. I also love using Premium Clover+ as a frost seed option over already established clover and chicory stands.

Annual clovers bring a lot to the table: rapid establishment, aggressive early growth, strong and fibrous root systems, excellent browseability, weed suppression, and nitrogen fixation. That fast growth helps protect soil and compete with weeds while slower-establishing perennials get their footing. As the annuals naturally fade out, you’re often left with a cleaner, healthier perennial clover stand underneath.

In diverse systems, clovers can also benefit neighboring crops by sharing nitrogen that was biologically fixed. This transfer happens after browsing, clipping, root turnover, and through microbial and fungal pathways in the soil. That nitrogen is primarily in organic forms, meaning soil biology has to do the work of converting it into plant-available nutrition.

When soil biology is active, this process can significantly reduce the need for additional fertilizer while supporting a lush, resilient food plot or cover crop.

 

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There is always a risk of leaving gaps in a clover stand.

I frost seed our Annual Clover mix to fill gaps in annual plantings like Carbon Load (I only do this on the most poor soils and or when Carbon Load has been browsed extremely hard due to proximity to bedding). It keeps coverage tight and growth moving forward after winter and browse pressure.

I use Premium Clover+ in orchards, bee and pollinator patches, and clover and chicory food plots to keep perennial clover flourishing year after year.

Same concept. Different tools. Always filling the gaps.

 

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Why biology beats blanket NPK

Many traditional fertilizers like 13-13-13 rely on highly soluble nutrient salts. When we say salt, we are not talking about table salt. In chemistry, a salt is a nutrient made of positively and negatively charged ions. The key difference is solubility. Fertilizer salts dissolve quickly into the soil solution, creating high ionic concentrations that can interfere with water and nutrient uptake at the root surface and, in some cases, disrupt normal root exchange and exudation with the surrounding biology.

This is very different from materials like lime (even though lime is technically a salt by chemistry definition), which dissolve slowly and help buffer the soil rather than force nutrient uptake.

No Till Nurture works differently. It supplies nutrients in organic and biological forms, includes humic compounds that help stimulate microbial activity, improve nutrient retention, and support soil structure and water holding capacity. As microbes mineralize nutrients, plants access what they need without relying on high salt concentrations.

Because nutrients are held in organic and biological forms, there is also a heavily reduced risk of volatilization and erosion losses compared to surface applied, highly soluble synthetic fertilizers.

Salt fertilizers rely on concentration to drive uptake. Biological systems rely on exchange.

Small amounts feeding the soil system outperform high salt rates fighting the soil.

Healthier soil supports stronger roots and better performance all season long.

 

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Successional planting works because balance, timing, and continuity matter.

1. Nitro Boost starts the system.
Fast-growing legumes and companion species establish quickly, fix nitrogen, and release root exudates that activate soil biology.

2. Carbon Load follows to balance the system.
Diverse fall species add carbon, protect the soil surface, and create the carbon-to-nitrogen ratios microbes need to function efficiently through fall and winter.

That stored carbon fuels microbial activity, improves residue breakdown, and supports the next Nitro Boost planting.

As this system repeats year after year, soils shift.
Carbon inputs and living roots increasingly favor fungal relationships, improving nutrient solubility, nutrient uptake, soil aggregation, and drought resistance.

Succession and soil building aren’t a single planting.

They’re a long-term strategy to increase fertility and create resilient, high-performing, high-quality soils.

This approach scales across row crops, food plots, gardens, and pastures by aligning species selection, fertility management, and residue management with long-term goals.

 

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I often get asked:

“If legumes fix nitrogen, what do grains fix?”

It’s a fair question.

But it’s not really how soil systems work.

Legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Grasses and brassicas scavenge nitrogen already in the soil.

But all plants do much more than that.

Every plant releases root exudates that feed microbes. Those microbes mineralize nutrients, build soil structure, and make N, P, K, and micronutrients available to plants.

So legumes aren’t just “nitrogen plants.”

Grains aren’t just “carbon plants.”

Brassicas aren’t just “scavengers.”

Soils are ecosystems.

Plants act as biological catalysts, triggering reactions in the soil that are far more powerful than any single nutrient pathway.

That’s why diversity matters.

Not what one plant fixes, but what the system creates.

 

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Soil Chemistry 101

Across a wide range of soils, we often start with pH. That matters, but it is only a small piece of the puzzle. Once pH is understood, we can make informed decisions about lime sources and, when appropriate, gypsum if calcium is needed without adding carbonate. These amendments influence the chemical side of the soil, which then drives how the soil functions in the field.

As calcium levels and ratios improve, soil structure begins to change. Porosity increases, water movement improves, and roots are better able to explore the soil profile. These improvements are a direct result of getting the chemistry right.

I like to picture soil as layers of paper. When we stack basketballs, representing calcium, between those layers, we create larger pore spaces and better aggregation. Magnesium also plays an important role and is necessary for plant and soil function. In some cases, especially on lighter or sandier soils, additional magnesium may be needed. However, when magnesium becomes excessive relative to calcium, it behaves more like filling those layers with marbles. The soil packs tightly together, reducing pore space. In these situations, the soil can look fine on a soil test, but it often feels tight, dense, and poorly structured in the field.

This is where pH, base saturation, and CEC all come together. pH sets the chemical environment, base saturations influence structure and function, and CEC defines how much the soil can hold and exchange. The goal is not to chase a single number, nor is this a direct promise of higher yield. Instead, proper balance acts as an insurance policy for good soil structure.

Well-structured soil supports better biological transfer, improved nutrient movement, healthier root systems, and greater resilience to stress, including drought. When these pieces are understood together, soil performance starts to make sense both on paper and in the field.

 

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We often debate which food plot species deer prefer.

Beans. Corn. Brassicas. Peas. Clover.

But the plant itself is only a vessel.

What deer are responding to is not the species name on the seed bag, but the nutritional expression of that plant. That includes amino acids, peptides, proteins, and trace mineral balance. All of those are heavily influenced by soil health.

This is also why these debates can become so polarizing. One person may say they planted a certain bean variety and deer destroyed it. Another may say they planted the same beans and watched deer ignore them in favor of native browse.

Both observations can be true.

The difference is rarely the seed alone. It is the soil, the biology, and the system supporting that plant. Deer density and the amount of available forage on the landscape also play a major role in what gets browsed and how intensely.

This is where diversity matters. Diverse plantings help spread browse pressure, improve resilience under heavy grazing, and maintain forage availability longer through the season. In high density areas, monocultures can be overwhelmed quickly, while diverse systems continue to function.

That same principle applies at the property level. From a ruminant perspective, the most resilient and effective habitat offers diversity beyond food plots. Strong timber management, native understory, soft mast, hard mast, and strategically placed plots all work together to provide consistent nutrition throughout the year.

That is why one property may see clover lightly touched while another sees it grazed to the ground. The outcome is shaped by soil health, plant diversity, deer density, and total forage availability across the landscape, not just the species in a plot.

Better soil grows better plants.

Better plants support better habitat.

 

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Where do biologicals fit?

Soil biology matters. Healthy soils are living systems. But biology works best when expectations are realistic.

In most cases, biological enhancement in the soil is a response to plants, not the addition of live microbes. Photosynthesis, living roots, and carbon flow are what fuel microbial activity. When plants are thriving, biology follows.


It is also important to recognize that a good response or no visible response does not always indicate whether something is working or not. Plant and soil systems are complex, and responses are influenced by weather, moisture, nutrient availability, and management. This is why we caution relying solely on anecdotal observations.

A visible response also does not always equate to improved plant health. Synthetic nitrogen is a common example. It can create rapid vegetative growth, yet that response does not always translate to better root development, reproductive growth, or long-term plant performance. The same caution applies to biological inputs.

At Vitalize, we often view biologicals as insurance policies, not the engine.

After tillage or herbicide use, fungal and bacterial networks are disrupted. These relationships will typically re-establish over time. The question is not if they return, but how long it takes. Targeted inoculation can help shorten that recovery window.

We also distinguish between biological stimulation and simply adding microbes. Supporting native biology through carbon, organic inputs, plant diversity, balanced chemistry, and reduced disturbance creates the conditions where biology can thrive.

Build the system first.

Let plants lead.

Use biology strategically.

 

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Tillage isn’t the villain.
But it isn’t free.

Tillage can work. It can temporarily improve seedbed conditions, loosen compacted layers, and increase early infiltration. The problem isn’t whether tillage works — it’s how long those benefits last, and how often we rely on them without a long-term plan.

Every pass disrupts soil aggregates, exposes carbon, and resets microbial systems that take time to rebuild. Over time, this leads to declining aggregate stability, reduced moisture retention, and an increasing need for additional inputs just to maintain performance.

No-till systems focus on durability. Stable aggregates, protected carbon, and functioning microbial networks — including mycorrhizal fungi — improve water infiltration, moisture holding, and nutrient cycling over time.

There are situations where tillage deserves consideration.
But frequency matters.
And planning matters more.

Soil health isn’t about absolutes.
It’s about using the right tool, at the right time, with a sound plan for what comes next.

Better structure.
Better moisture management.
Better long-term outcomes.

 

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How does lime actually raise soil pH?

Soil acidity isn’t just a number on a soil test. It’s driven by hydrogen (H⁺) occupying exchange sites on soil colloids.

When we apply traditional ag lime, whether high-calcium lime or dolomitic lime, the pH change does not come from calcium or magnesium alone. The real work is done by the carbonate portion of the material.

Carbonate reacts with acidity in the soil:

CO₃²⁻ + 2H⁺ → H₂O + CO₂

This reaction removes hydrogen from the system, reducing acidity and shifting pH toward neutral. Calcium and magnesium then occupy those exchange sites, increasing base saturation.

Calcium helps build aggregation and pore space. Magnesium also plays a structural role, but only when it remains in balance with calcium. Too much of either can create physical and nutritional challenges, which is why pH and base saturation should always be considered together.

Understanding this chemistry helps sort through product claims. If a product does not contain carbonate (or similar neutralizing chemistry), it cannot meaningfully raise soil pH. Gypsum is a great example. It supplies calcium and sulfur and can improve structure, but it does not neutralize acidity.

It’s also worth noting that some fast-reacting lime materials can create challenges if applied aggressively or without regard to soil buffering. Rapid pH shifts can promote precipitation reactions with micronutrients like iron and aluminum, temporarily reducing availability and, in some cases, contributing to surface sealing or structural issues. Rate, particle size, and overall soil balance matter.

In certain situations, a strategic blend of faster-reacting materials with slower, traditional lime sources can make sense. This can help address short-term pH limitations while supporting longer-term stability as less reactive materials continue to work. As with all soil decisions, this approach should be guided by testing, buffering capacity, and a clear plan.

Managing soil pH isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about understanding the chemistry, respecting the system, and choosing the right material, at the right rate, for the right soil.