How To Fertilize Your Food Plots When You Don’t Have a Soil Sample | Ragan & Massey | Ragan & Massey (2024)

FAQs

How To Fertilize Your Food Plots When You Don’t Have a Soil Sample | Ragan & Massey | Ragan & Massey? ›

Luckily, field lime and even pelletized lime are cheaper than commercial fertilizers and are effective at raising soil pH, allowing plants to utilize more of the natural and commercial nutrients in the soils. Some plot plants, including many brassicas, require high nitrogen levels to truly thrive.

Luckily, field lime and even pelletized lime are cheaper than commercial fertilizers and are effective at raising soil pH, allowing plants to utilize more of the natural and commercial nutrients in the soils. Some plot plants, including many brassicas, require high nitrogen levels to truly thrive.

A balanced fertilizer with N (such as 10-10-10) can be used at planting time when establishing the clover, but after it's established I would use zero N. Legumes produce their own nitrogen, if you add nitrogen to legumes you encourage other grasses and unwanted weeds to take root and you “train” your clover to be lazy.

Once your seedbed is prepared, equip your tractor or ATV with a seeder mounted on the unit, or use a pull-behind seeder. These seeders can be used to not only spread seed, but also fertilize the field. Lime, if necessary, and fertilize the plot following the soil test results exactly.

After you've planted and the seeds have germinated—and throughout the growing season—you will need to keep fertilizing the plots, so they remain vigorous and attractive to deer. We recommend applying 150 pounds of 33-0-0 or 34-0-0 per acre every four to six weeks throughout the growing season.

Without soil tests we usually use 300 lbs of 13-13-13 per acre for normal food plots. This year I used a five way with Triticale,Oats,Wheat,Peas and Forage Radish.

But I will straight up say, that NO Miracle-Gro products belong in our gardens, especially that blue crystal stuff you may have added to a watering can in the past.

But the benefits of the fertilizer will far outweigh the few plants you drive over and they generally pop right back up. I also like to do a split application where some is applied at planting and the rest of the recommended amount is applied 30-45 days after germination.

Applying a nitrogen-rich fertilizer can stunt its growth and choke it out. The good news is that you have several natural, organic products to choose from, like manure, earthworm castings or bone meal. You should be able to find any of these fertilizers at your local garden-supply store.

A soil probe or core sampler designed for sampling soil is easy to use; simply insert it into soil and retrieve your core. A simple garden spade or trowel works, too. Well-cleaned stainless steel is ideal. Avoid using a brass, bronze or galvanized utensil, as the copper or zinc can contaminate results.

How do you make a soil tester? ›

You can buy pH kits at home and garden centers or online, but this home test is fun and gives you useful information. Start by putting one spoonful of soil mix into two clean glass jars. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to one of the jars. If it fizzes, you have alkaline soil, with a pH between 7 and 8.

A soil probe (Figure 2) or auger is ideal for taking soil samples. If you don't have a probe, you can use a sharp spade, long knife, or trowel — just be sure you remove the same amount of soil from each sampling area. You should test your soil every three to five years.

While there are pros and cons in terms of soil conservation, when it comes to fertilizer application, tillage is a good option for broadcast and other surface applications. Plant nutrients need time to react with the soil in order to reduce the potential for off-target movement.

One very common mistake in planting food plots is using too much seed. In fact, even though some of you know this, you still do it. The only thing this theory will do is create overcrowded conditions where your crop is starved for nutrients, water or sunlight.

Clover Basics

Clover needs water, sun and lime (in most soil) for good germination. Clover gets its phosphate and potash from the soil and its nitrogen from the air through a bacterium that lives on its roots. Lime is necessary to bring the pH of the soil up to the neutral range (6.0 to 7.0 for the best performance).

Plot size: 90 ft ✕ 90 ft = 8,100 square feet = 8.1 thousand square feet Fertilizer: 385 lb per acre of 13-13-13 fertilizer Desired fertilizer rate (Table 2): 385 lb per acre is between 8.7 and 9 lb per 1,000 square feet, so a rate of 8.8 lb per 1,000 square feet would be close to the desired spreading rate.

To make compost, take all your scraps (like eggshells, fruit peels, and coffee grounds) and put them into a pile with leaves, sticks, and other organic debris. Overtime, the microbes will break the pile down and turn it into fine fertilizer, which you can mix into your soil.

Per-acre rates can likewise be converted to per-1,000 square feet by dividing by 43.5. 10 pounds of 10-10-10 per 1,000 square feet equals 10 x 43.5 = 435 pounds per acre.

After the plants are up and growing, the root systems are much more developed and are able to uptake the initial or additional fertilizer that is applied. Different areas of the country have problems with nitrogen loss when it is applied ahead of planting time.