Forest food plots

butch · Post by **butch** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:43 pm

Hello all. I was wondering if anybody has cleared any forested areas and set up a food plot. I started working on a area last summer cutting down some cedears and poplars. The area is 50m wide and 100m long. Im thinking of spraying the area with round up to kill the remaining greenery then burn as much as I can. I won't be able to pull up the stumps but I figure I can work around them. It is in fairly dence brush and located near a pond that I intend to water the plot with. I guess my question is, what is the best crop to grow, should I get the soil tested, should I use fert/lime?? Im planning on doing this in 64b any tried and tested formulas? Thank you in advance. Butch

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:48 pm

the only way to know about fert and line is to do a ph test.. without a doubt, its gonna need some fertilizer on whatever you grow.

check out these
http://www.tecomate.com/products.cfm

this seems like it would be the easiert to plant and grow in a wooded area though
http://www.tecomate.com/DetailedInfo.cfm?Product_ID=2

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:40 pm

I'd get a soil test to see what needs to be done. Keep us posted on how it works out.

OwnerITO · Post by **OwnerITO** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:26 pm

I used Fall Field of Dreams brand. (Actually, that is the crop you put in in the fall to give your existing site a boost with new plants) I forget the original name but if you type in Fall Field of Dreams, the name will come up and it is also made for the Canadian climate. I don't think that Tecomate is. Not 100% on that though. I was told by lots of people to just rough up the area and then broadcast the seeds trying to get only eight seeds in a 1 foot square area. I left it quite alone; not going back to rewater as we had gotten a good amount of rain the whole year. When I did go back there wasn't a single plant growing but the whole area was trampled badly. I took this as a sign that they were onto the tiny shoots as soon as they cleared the ground. I had heard that if you put up some chicken wire, about a foot off the ground, covering the entire site then the plants would have a chance to grow and get stable in the area you are planting. Otherwise, like my crop, they will be on the shoots before they can really start growing. I used Miraclegro as a fertilizer as well. With the water right there it will make your job loads easier. OH! Plant as early as you can. I left it until late May and got absolutely eaten alive by deer flies, horse flies, mosquitos and blackflies. I am sure I lost two pints of blood that day. NOT FUN at all man. Also, I planted in the exact same kinda place you just described. Luck with that and let me know how it turns out. Owner

LV2HNT · Post by **LV2HNT** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:23 am

I have cleared a section of forest for a food plot before. It's a lot of work without the proper equipment and your results can be less than desirable.

I started by clearing all the trees. I had to leave most of the stumps which was ok because most were small. They either dissapeared after a year or two or were rotted enough for me to pluck them out of the ground by then and I just worked around the big ones.

Next I blew all of the leaves and sticks into a pile and burned them and removed all of the exposed rocks. Then I planted seed on top of the bare earth. I picked clover because it seemed the easiest to grow compared to my other alternatives. Unfortunately it didn't work well at all. Some seed came up in clumps here and there but that was it.

I ended up realizing there was a layer of something on the top of the soil. It was about 3'' thick, very light and airy, filled with roots, small sticks, leaf matter and such. looking at it you would think that it was perfect top soil but it wasn't. I guess the mass of tangled roots and the fact that it dried pretty quickly hurt the chances of my seed coming up because all of the clumps of clover grew where the stuff had been packed down by a log or where there was a rock that I removed exposing the real soil. I didn't have any equipment to help me remove this top layer so I left it alone and it went away after about a year.

Next spring, I cut out all of the new growth from trees, removed leaves, and limed and fertilized before laying new seed which produced better results but not great. The next year and a half was trial and error. I didn't know how to get a soil test done so I went with experience that I have had in other areas which told me to lime very heavily. Luckily it worked and I saw improvement.

The two biggest lessons I have learned from this is to get your soil tested because it will spare you a lot of time and money, and get a tiller or something to break up the ground. I don't have anything yet so I just throw the seed out on top of the ground over and over again untill the field is full of fresh growth. It works with the clover but it is expensive with all of the reseeding. Plus a big rain can wipe out most of the seed before it has a chance to sprout, so I watch the weather and try to seed just before a light rain comes through. In your case I would recomend a very light watering right after seeding since you have a pond. There are other plants I would like to grow besides clover that the deer would enjoy more but they require the seed to be burried which I can't do. I have tried some of them on top, but turkeys and other birds usualy eat it all or it will sprout and die off soon afterwards because it can't support it's own weight as it grows due to the roots being on top of the soil instead of underneath. Good luck, I hope this helps. I am still learning but that is what I have found so far.

rutman · Post by **rutman** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:35 am

They all need alot of sun so make sure you have lots of room.

butch · Post by **butch** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:07 am

Thanks all for the ideas. Im going out there this weekend to slash and burn. Im going to build a number of small fires to burn all the loose material on the surface down to the earth. I think im going to roto till and then test the soil at the local feed store. Again thanks for the advice. I will keep uou all updated. Butch

Friggs · Post by **Friggs** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:26 pm

Try Bishop Seeds they have all types of wildforage for deer and turkey food plots. Their Canadian and I think their in the Belleville area and sell their products in some hunting stores.
A friend tried Canadian Shield Mix which worked real well in the Haliburton area where it's real sandy.
You have to make certain that your PH level is in reasonable levels.

http://www.bishopseeds.ca/wildforage.php

Friggs

rutman · Post by **rutman** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:20 am

I like the bishops products and prices as well.

Friggs · Post by **Friggs** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:03 pm

I guess I was wrong Bishop Seeds is located in Harriston, Ontario which is north-west of Kitchener/Waterloo, not Bellville.

I heading up to the hunt camp this weekend with my kids and I'm going to do some target pratice from a tree stand. Getting sick of shooting in the basement, first time my Phoenix will see daylight since I bought it on Boxing day.

Friggs

A.W · Post by **A.W** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:12 am

Friggs wrote:I guess I was wrong Bishop Seeds is located in Harriston, Ontario which is north-west of Kitchener/Waterloo, not Bellville.

I heading up to the hunt camp this weekend with my kids and I'm going to do some target pratice from a tree stand. Getting sick of shooting in the basement, first time my Phoenix will see daylight since I bought it on Boxing day.

Friggs

You may want to check the weather forecast.

knobby · Post by **knobby** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 2:00 pm

you will want to get the soil tested and you will most likely need lime and fertilizer

I am new myself but am told your plot width needs to be atleast 1/2 the height of surrounding trees to get enuf light

get two books 'Quality Food Plots' and 'Ultimate Deer Food Plots'

the first gives alot of info on which plants deer like most and how to grow them...suggestions on making your own seed mix etc

the second gives specific instructions on how to create woodland foodplots...step by step

if ya want a 3rd book about improving deer habitat get 'Grow'em Right'

all available from the QDMA website

theyre all very good reads

Tigerpaw · Post by **Tigerpaw** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:19 pm

Simple put do NOT waste your money on "wildlife food plot mixes." I have done them all including Bishops and the deer have one thing in mind CLOVER I use double cut red because I also use that for my cattle pastures but you can pick your own. P is not a bad idea but, if you have any amount of grasses in the plot currently, DO NOT use any nitrate! You will make the grasses out grow anything that you plant. Water is always good just do not go to your plot so much that the big boys avoid it. Fert is wonderful but it is hard to do so without to much Nit. You will kick yourself over and over if you spend the money it cost for a wild life mix when you can go to your local Co-op and get a 55lb bag of what the deer really want for less then 1/3 the price.
Send me a pm if you need clarification I could be close to your area.
Good Luck!!