No-Till food plots

[Bucksaw]

I know there are hundreds of "no-till" plot mixes on the market, but I am wanting to plant about an acre and a half are using a no-till method, and was wondering if anyone had any good luck with a particular plant combination or prep method that does not involve tilling the soil. Im afraid that if I break up the ground its gonna dry out too much (very sandy iron/clay).

Thought about seeding oats and clover, then mowing the cover, but I am not sure if that will work for the clover or not.

Anyone have a regiment or crop suggestion for this type of situation? Hunting in Cherokee county.

[Anvilheadtexas]

I am in Polk County. A couple years ago I started to move away from disking every food plot that I had on my place . It seems counterproductive to take a 2 acre patch of grass and turn it under right before hunting season in the hopes of attracting deer. What I do is cut the plot a fee times each year . As time went by the grasses took hold . I now cut and try to remove as much grass clippings as possible (Which is the biggest challenge). I’ve then over seed with whatever I want to plant and run it over with a four wheeler drag (metal drag sold at TSC). I then put some triple 13 on top of that . I have had good luck but I don’t get too crazy I typically throw oats and then clover on top .

I did a small plot last weekend in this manner but used a combination of seeds that I bought at the local feed store mix. I’ll be curious to see how this turns out. Most of the mix however was oats.

On my 2 acre patch I have not cut it this summer as it looks like there are some grasses in it for bailing. I’m going to have the plot cut and bailed hopefully when the rest of my place is cut. It will be interesting to see how well the seeds do with all the grass trimmings raked and bailed off of the field. This won’t happen until mid October . I figure it’s better to have some grass then churned up dirt.

[unclefish]

I did this for many years with good success and documented it pretty well in my food plot thread. It was trial and error on the type of seeds that worked best. Small seeded cereal grains, legumes, and brassicas had the most success. Also the more thatch you have the better it worked....throwing it on bare hardpan ground was a recipe for failure.

Things that worked extremely well:
Clover.... I always used a good perennial white clover.

Chicory....I used the tecomate brand and the deer loved it and it grew well.
Other brassicas like turnips and radishes came up and grew very well but the deer didn't care for them.

Cereals grains: Elbon Rye worked the best between it and oats. Oats worked just fair because it was a bigger seed than the elbon rye it didn't get the germination that the rye did.

My best method was to grow your cover crop in the spring/summer then leave standing. When you were ready to plant your fall plots just broadcast the see into the standing cover crop. Then mow over the top and it will cover the seeds.

You can also broadcast directly into the fallen thatch and the small seeds will work their way down to the dirt. The thatch over the tops acts like a mini incubator conserving moister around the see and in the soil. Also you will need to at least double your normal seeding rate.

[barnag]

I did this for many years with good success and documented it pretty well in my food plot thread. It was trial and error on the type of seeds that worked best. Small seeded cereal grains, legumes, and brassicas had the most success. Also the more thatch you have the better it worked....throwing it on bare hardpan ground was a recipe for failure.

Things that worked extremely well:
Clover.... I always used a good perennial white clover.

Chicory....I used the tecomate brand and the deer loved it and it grew well.
Other brassicas like turnips and radishes came up and grew very well but the deer didn't care for them.

Cereals grains: Elbon Rye worked the best between it and oats. Oats worked just fair because it was a bigger seed than the elbon rye it didn't get the germination that the rye did.

My best method was to grow your cover crop in the spring/summer then leave standing. When you were ready to plant your fall plots just broadcast the see into the standing cover crop. Then mow over the top and it will cover the seeds.

You can also broadcast directly into the fallen thatch and the small seeds will work their way down to the dirt. The thatch over the tops acts like a mini incubator conserving moister around the see and in the soil. Also you will need to at least double your normal seeding rate.

No need to spray gly?
Just broadcast and mow?

[unclefish]

No need to spray gly?
Just broadcast and mow?

Yep I always sprayed gly

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[BigDraw]

What’s gly?

[retrieverman]

I’ve got a Land Pride “overseeder” and have used it the last 3 years to plant ryegrass and wheat over my grass for my cows, and it’s worked great. I just got back from planting a ton of wheat and 50# of food plot blend in OK. Now just waiting on rain up there.

I’m going to start planting here when the army worms go away.

[LilHoss]

Basically Round Up... I believe roundup glyphosate to kill the grass/weeds etc.

[Killer]

Unclefish pretty well spelled it out.

I have had good luck with rye grass and white clover without tilling. We mow out our shooting lanes around the blinds and sling out the seed around the 1st or 2nd week of October. Use a little more seed than normal and use small seed for no till. Vetch works good too and deer love it.

[muddyz]

Gly = glyphosate, basically kills the native vegetation and gives the seeds a chance to compete. If you just mow the native stuff will likely spring back up and crowd out the new seed you are planting before they really have a chance.

[stingerslinger]

food plot

I am broadcasting cereal rye and winter wheat on all my plots this week. Then I'll bush hog the plots and wait for rain. Vegetation in the plots is about 10 to 12 " tall. Google "throw and mow" food plots.

[Bucksaw]

I am broadcasting cereal rye and winter wheat on all my plots this week. Then I'll bush hog the plots and wait for rain. Vegetation in the plots is about 10 to 12 " tall. Google "throw and mow" food plots.

I had. That’s what brought me here. Wondering if anyone is my area or similar soil type had any luck with it.

[Drycreek3189]

You might, but I can't. I tried it once and the hogs ate all the seed before it had a chance to germinate.

[lovemylegacy]

What’s gly?

Glyphosate....Round Up

[Mountaineer]

I’m trying a small side by side comparison plot with clover and horse forage oats. ~1/3 ac on far right was standing wheat/weeds I broadcasted into and mowed and left side was tilled. Put it in today and raining now. Hopefully some of these cheap oats germinate.







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