i have an area inside of a woods that is a circle with a diameter of 50 yards.......it has no trees in this spot! i have cleared the debris in it.....mainly has grasses growing in the area. I plan on planting clover in it! Here are the steps I plan on taking.

1. killing with roundup.......when should i do it and what do you guys recommend i buy? since its a small area i'm thinking just the pump w/ a spray nozzle from a hardware store.

2. sending in for soil test

3. I plan on then tilling it with a rototiller.....

4. spread lime and fertilizer

5. broadcast seed..........what can i use to increase soil contact.....i read where a guy rides over it with a 4 wheeler?

any advice/recommendations are appreciated........if i appear to not know what i'm talking about.......your pretty accurate!

thanks in advance

Buy a generic 41%glysophate,Buccaneer or some other off brand of weedkiller, it all works the same as long as it is 41%. Don't pay for the Monsanto name. A pump up sprayer will be fine. Running over the seed with a fourwheeler works great, I used to do it all the time in my plots, lawn roller works good to. Biggest problem with a woods plot is in the fall the leaves choke it out. Soil test is a good idea and then figure out what you need. No need to buy clover in a sweet looking bag with a monster buck on it. Read the seedtag on the back of the bag and then buy and mix your own blend. Much cheaper and the deer could care less. Gotta warn you though...all this work might just bring you back down here to Little Bear taxidermy.

Lol....thanks for the info fullrut!

I agree - don't buy the expensive stuff as it has a major mark up. I have a farmer friend where I can buy 1-2 gallons at about 20 bucks or take him out to lunch lol.

What Chris has said is right on. What I have found is the extra effort to make sure you have a good seed bed will be save you money and sweat later. If your seed bed is prepared well all you have to do for a good seed to soil contact is seed it right before a rain and that will work very well. Clover seed is very small and a good rain does the trick. Sometimes people plant it too deep. Also, if you are planting a seed that will regrow every year (perennial) make sure you maintian it by mowing when it get to high. This will keep fresh tender growth and help with weed control.

I would wait until it gets good and green then kill it, wait a bit and till it, wait some more until the seed bed grows again and then kill it again. Remember there will be millions of seed when you turn it over w/ a tiller. Patience at the front end and doing it right will save you money and time later.

Best times to plant clover in my opinion is in the late Summer and early Fall. Most of your Summer warm season grasses have stopped growing and in the Spring the clover will be first to pop up and will choke out some weeds.

I have my best plot in clover and chickory and the deer hammer it.

Good luck.

I have opened areas up in the cedar thickets and woods edgesm Killed every thing with glyphos, and everything that came up by natural succession withthe downed trees every where was all that was needed to draw the deer in either for the new browse or bedding, worked well for me

DP.,

Its a little extra work, but it pays off in the end. Since this is a new plot, you might want to kill it off in the spring after greenup. Till the plot well, and let it set over the summer. The summer rains will break the soil down, and level it out. This will make it really easy to till in the fall. That makes the seedbed easy to prep also. Kill it off again two weeks before tilling and planting, as the others have said, seed in the ground will germinate. If you do it in August, you will have a good stand by hunting season. That will really ehlp keep unwanted weeds out of your patch.

great stuff guys....thanks for all the suggestions....i will put them to work.....just hung a new big game 20 ft ladder on this spot.....looking forward to getting some hunts in on this spot! this is what it looks like right now!

Are you wanting a plot for more warmer temps?? Then go clover or alfalfa based planting. Are you wanting something they will want "post frost" also?? Then go to soybeans or turnips. Post frost attraction to clover and alfalfa wanes considerably compared to soybeans and turnips.

I usually run soybeans and turnips on my plots.....easy to put in longer attraction period, excellent protein content......and a lot less maintenance.

If you do go clover/alfalfa base.....be sure to only mow 1/2 of plot at a time....alternating the 1/2 you mow. The highest protein content in the plant will be as the plant is regenerating from the damage it endured with the mower. By mowing 1/2 of plot at a time....you will ensure highest protein levels off your plot is available 100% of the time to the deer. Some miss this opportunity and advice.

my son and i have been digging up some turnips to eat out of another plot......yum........fun times!

dew,

what time of year do you plant your beans? with this plot being in the woods, will it get enough sunlight for soybeans? what equipment do i need to plant the beans?

thanks

I target the first two weeks in June to plant my beans. I use a no till drill.....but I have also seen very good bean plots using an ATV disc ......then broadcast the seed......and pulling an old mattress spring/light harrow/light roller over the area you just broadcasted. Just establishing good soil to seed contact on a bean can produce great results. A drill that puts them 1/2 to 1 inch deep is the superior method however.

Sun direction obviously will play a part too. If you get less than 4 hours of full sun on that plot, you will have a challenge planting beans......but from your pic.....it doesn't look like dense or tall timber you are up against.

One more thing.....I never plant "food plots".....I plant "protein plots". Putting in what I am trying to produce access to.....high protein access. Some may find this silly too......but I never hunt my plots for Bucks....there are much more efficient ways of killing them than food plots. My plots are designed to feed them what makes their head gear grow......and not to disturb them while they are doing it.

Don't believe the myth that old mature bucks become more difficult to hunt.....they actually become easier. With that being said....use your plot to help them grow what you want......and hunt them in areas they are most vulnerable on a daily basis......away from your plot.

Bottom line..... You'll get a lot of feedback on how to manage a plot based on how hunters like to hunt. Find something that fits YOUR method....and have fun wih it. I'm simply just sharing my method.....may not fit your style.

Have fun with that new dirt!!

Great advise here by Yaz, I would also mention if your plot needs lime to lime it as early as you can so the lime has time to leach into the soil and be beneficial cause it takes lime time to get into the soil.