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Food plot fertilizer questions

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7.5K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  Early Ice  
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#1 ·
All,
I finished my first food plots of the year and there has been more success than failure which is good. Now that things are settling down, I have a few questions about fertilizer. This year was the first time I food plotted the two fields near my house. They both required no lime but did require 19-19-19 at about 500lbs per acre for the forages I wanted to grow (oats, rye, brassica, wheat). FYI, I live in NY. Here are my questions:

1. Do I need to soil test every year or will the soil pH (my pH was 6.8) and fertilizer needs stay about what they were this year and I will have to continue using 19-19-19 at about 500lbs per acre assuming I am growing the same stuff?

2. I know clovers can add nitrogen to the soil. Which would be more cost effective for my brassica plots. Grow clover in the spring and till it up for my fall planting of brassica and in theory need much less nitrogen or grow something else there in the spring and then broadcast fertilizer for my brassica which includes nitrogen? Should I do something else all together?
 
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#4 ·
I don't know why brassicas would need 500 lbs per acre, that's twice what it would typically call for. I plant brassicas all the time, I use triple 19, never tested the soil for PH...never limed. I just simply knew that the soil looked decent. it's a black sandy loam where golden rod and cold grasses where growing. I know i'm not giving you the answer you're looking for, but with the dead matter in the brassicas and using triple 19, you really should be fine.

One thing I don't agree with would be planting clover to till it up in spring. Clover is king. Let it grow for 4-5 years, cut it three times a year.

I really don't like brassicas that much. it's green and that's it. the deer by me don't pull up the radishes. they just eat the greens. I just plant more Winter Rye, they eat that too and you'll have the only green anywhere in Nov. WInter rye is CHEAP, as simple as growing grass...actually easier. that you will have to spray in spring or till up. I'm a huge fan of oats and rye, it really is a poor mans kill plot. Easy and cheap. not glamorous...but it draws deer almost as good as alfalfa. That said, if your neighbor has alfalfa, you're screwed anyway. :)
 
#5 ·
Your soil shouldn't change drastically from year to year however its still wise to get a soil test annually. I would definitely recommend this if this is the first year this plot has been planted. After I dramatic change like going from old field to a food plot there is more potential for a significant change.

Yes growing a legume that fixes its own nitrogen (clover) and tilling it under for green manure will definitely add significant N to the soil for your next crop. I would say you need to do a cost comparison...is the effort and cost of planting clover in the spring less than the cost of the nitrogen fertilizer you will buy? I would say to be safe a green manure will cut your N fertilizer requirement in half.
 
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