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Before you
spray your first drop of Round-Up® or put that plow in the ground, stop
and make sure you know what you want the plot to accomplish. Do you want
to simply attract deer to the plot? Or maybe you would like to concentrate
on increasing antler size and body weight. When it gets right down to it,
most managers want the best of both worlds, bigger healthier deer that are
spending lots of time out in the open on food plots during the fall
hunting season. If you find yourself in the latter category, following a
few simple steps will ensure your plots perform better that ever this
season.
The first
step to a high quality food plot is to determine the soil pH and fertility
level. Admittedly, it’s tempting to skip pulling soil samples and just
throw some lime and fertilizer down prior to planting. One important and
undisputed fact still rings true, plants will only grow as well as the
soil they are planted in. Don’t expect to plant premium deer forage seed
and have good results unless your soil is fertile.
Soil
analysis labs only require about a 1-½ cups of dirt to effectively
determine the soil fertility and pH level of your ground. For those of you
that don’t spend much time in the kitchen, fill a sandwich bag about ¾
full, and mail it to a testing lab. Tell the lab what types of plants you
plan on planting and they will tell you exactly how much lime and what
type fertilizer to use per acre. Soil analysis labs take the guesswork out
of lime and fertilizer. Some seed manufactures now offer the ability to
test the soil for individual blends of seeds. Mossy Oak BioLogic® offers
blend specific recommendations at www.mossyoakbiologic.com.
Check with your local seed dealer for more information.
Generally,
I am most concerned with the pH level of the soil. Soil pH is a measure of
the acidity of soil. What’s the big deal about pH you may ask? What it
all boils down to is, soil pH will determine the ability for your plants
to feed on the nutrients found within the soil. As most of you may know
7.0 represents neutral soil. Most plant varieties feed and grow at about
95% of their capacity at 7.0. As the soil becomes more acidic plants start
to struggle. Soil with a pH level of 6.0 will allow plants to grow about
80% of their capacity, 5.5 about 60%, 5.0 15% of capacity. Bottom line,
when you have acidic soil it’s hard to produce good quality plots; the
plants just can’t absorb enough food to handle heavy grazing pressure or
weather related stresses. The same scale holds true when soils are above
7.0. Understanding soil pH is an important factor in the success of plots.
For those
of you that just don’t have the time to use a soil lab for analysis,
there still is hope for successful plot establishment. Native forages are
typically affected by high and low soil pH levels. While seeking quality
soils on your land, look to areas where native grass and weed growth is
dense and tall. If Mother Natures’ plants can grow, it’s a safe bet
that your food plots have a better than average chance to perform well.
After you
have selected areas with quality soil, it’s time to take a look at the
second factor that determines the success of food plots, daylight. Most
plant varieties that are widely planted for deer need a minimum of three
to four hours of sunlight to grow. Logging roads and landing decks are
some of the most productive deep woods areas to plant. If you aren’t
ready to stand on your favorite logging road with a stopwatch and measure
the daylight, no problem. Look for roadways that are twelve or more feet
wide. Typically these roads will let more than enough light through the
tree canopy to grow quality plots. Still not sure if you have enough
daylight? If dense grass, brambles and briars are growing then you will
have more than enough light to go ahead with the planting.
A common
theme should be forming. If native grasses and weeds can grow, your food
plots will grow well in the same area. Always plant in areas where native
forage grows well, once the weeds are killed, your lime and fertilizer
bill will be lower.
The final
consideration for plot site selection is soil moisture. I can’t stress
enough how important soil moisture is to the quality of food plots. Lots
of factors determine the level of soil moisture loss in fields and logging
roads. First, consider the aspect of the sun to the planting location.
Direct sunlight and air temperature work together to evaporate moisture
from the soil, that’s no secret.
While
selecting planting sites, remember that four in the afternoon typically is
the hottest time of the day. In most areas in the country the sun can be
found low in the western sky at four in the afternoon. Planting in areas
where the afternoon sun is blocked by a tall tree line can conserve soil
moisture. A safe bet for most deer managers is to concentrate spring and
summer plantings on the western edges of fields. If a tree line is
present, it will block the harsh afternoon sun and help to conserve soil
moisture within the plot. Ground slope also plays a big part in
determining the moisture level within the plot.
Use caution
while planting fields that have a southern or western slope. For most of
us in the northern hemisphere the sun’s arc will be in the southern sky.
If your land faces south, sunlight will hit the field at a more direct
angle, heating the ground and evaporating moisture at a faster rate than
northern or eastern slopes. If your ground is sloping to the west, the sun
will focus direct rays at the hottest time of the day drying the soil and
stressing even the hardiest plants. Western slopes across the country are
the most difficult locations to plant spring and summer plots. Believe it
or not, the soil temperature can be five degrees higher on western slopes.
Without getting bogged down in the technicalities of temperature gradients
on land slopes there are some basic rules that will help you get the most
out of your food plots.
For those
of you that have western facing plots don’t give up, there’s hope.
Work with the slope, not against it. Western slopes will have warmer soil
temperatures and less moisture than northern slopes. Use the soil
temperature to your advantage by planting fall hunting plots. If the soil
temperature is warmer in the summer, it will be warmer in the fall.
Southern and western sloping plots will often produce more tonnage of late
season forage due to the increased soil temperature later in the hunting
season. Southern and western exposures grow later in the season often
pulling deer from summer fields that have cooled down and become dormant.
Using the
same theory, northern facing slopes will be cool and moist. Northern
slopes are excellent places to plant summer food plots ensuring your deer
have quality forage while they are developing antlers and does are
lactating. Understanding soil slope and how it relates to |
