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Started the foodplot!

Fulldrw

Fulldrw

New Member
Well I finally got to getting some lime for my foodplot and put it on yesterday. I think that i'm going to get a spreader for the back rack of my fourwheeler b/c the pull behind one that i had sucks, it was bouncing all over and looked like it was going to tip half the time and i was only going 3 mph roughly. I got a question for those of you with experience in putting in foodplots, the spot where i'm putting it in is standing stalks still, will i be allright just disking the ground in the spring and running a harrow over it before planting or should i chop the stalks too. I just got to thinking that the stalks might still be sticking up pretty good after disking and that might not work too good with planting my clover. I also talked to the landowner yesterday when i was putting on my lime and he said that he is going to get a bobcat with a cutter on the front to mow down a bunch of thorns and small trees. I think that sucks b/c it might scare the deer out of there with the lack of cover? Hopefully it stays too wet to get the bobcat in there without leaving some massive ruts in the ground. I personally think that he is crazy to cut out a bunch of smaller trees, he thinks that the other trees will grow better and i don't know why he wants to cut out all of the thorns. What do you think about the trees and thorn deal?
 
I'd wait for a thaw then hit it with a disk. Freezing and thawing will make it soft and mellow. Working ground in spring makes clods and a rain will make the ground pack real hard when it drys.
 
Cornstalks would be better plowed down in your case, but since that's not an option I would chop them up asap so they can start to breakdown a little bit. When you disc them they should cover a little better.
You want a fine, firm seed bed for clover if possible so the less trash on top, the better. Work it down when it's dry and then firm or smooth it off. You can drag a plank behind ATV, use a lawn roller or a cultipapcker...although in your case dragging something might not work well in those stalks. I have ran an ATV back n forth to pack small plots...seeded it, the ran the ATV back over.
The last thing I would want...is to remove thorns and brush...the very cover that deer love, but if it's someone else's ground I guess that's thier perogative.
Sounds like your rarin to go!
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Thanks for the info. I think that i'm going to see if i can borrow my buddies batwing to chop the stalks, hopefully he'll let me use it b/c i don't think the cub cadet will do as good a job
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I thought that the lawn roller would be a good idea, should i use the lawn roller before i plant or after i plant to press in the seed like a cultipacker? It's too bad that he thinks that he needs to mow down the thorns, he asked me if i wanted him to come through and mow around one of my stands and i said nah the thorns make the deer feel more secure. I really don't know why he wants to mow down the thorns anyhow on the one part of the property b/c he isn't going to do anything after that. Maybe when we go to talk to the conservation people about planting some trees on some of the crop ground they might be able to persuade him not to mow that. He really doesn't know much about wildlife but oh well.
 
His motive is probably if he does not mow them down...they may be too big to tackle in the future.

I wish the guy I hunted on would let me do some similar stuff....you'd think he would let family make the hunting better for themselves...instead, he has me looking elsewhere.
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That might be his motive for that spot shredder. It isn't that big of a spot, maybe 3 acre right by the edge of a corn field. I think that the plans are to put up a little cabin in the area where all of the thorns are. The part where he wants to thin out all of the little trees is a waste of time imo b/c there are constantly going to be new trees starting to grow and mother nature will keep the ones growing that she wants, if you know what i mean. The really small wont get enough light or nutrients b/c of the larger trees. I can't really complain too much b/c i'm getting to do alot of stuff that i wanted to do before to other places that i hunted at, mainly b/c its the future father-in-laws timber.

BTW has anybody ever used a spreader that attaches to the back rack on their fourwheeler? How did it work and also do you know good place to get them?
 
I bought one last fall.....worked great...it was just like this one ebay

I bought it off ebay from the folks that listed this one....fast shipper
 
I have a Bumper Buddy ATV spreader, gay name but it works well. As for the thorns, my experience is that just mowing them will likely make them come back thicker and he will probably have to spray them to totally kill them.
 
Those look like pretty nice spreaders. I too am looking to buy one. I have a HUGE spreader that is PTO driven for my tractor but it is way too big for food plots. Anybody want to trade??
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The best deal I've found was in the Red Head catalog. They had one for around $100 plus shipping.
 
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I thought that the lawn roller would be a good idea, should i use the lawn roller before i plant or after i plant to press in the seed like a cultipacker?

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It's best to roll it before you plant, then broadcast the seed and roll it again to firm the seed into the ground.
If you have every seen a Brillion grass seeder, it's the same principle. It has two rollers and the seed drops in between the rollers. This way you are just "pressing the seed into the soil rather then covering it to deep.
 
I was doing a little more research on those bumper buddy spreaders and it was mentioned that they have bent racks on fourwheelers. Has anybody had any trouble with the weight from the spreader being filled all the way up bending the rack on the fourwheeler?
 
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I myself would mow the stalks..one less thing to worry about and it will look clean.I would then till if you can and wait and till again when you are ready to put your plot in.You may want to hit it with roundup first? I used to spread all my seed by hand and it was a real lot of work.This weekend I picked up a cosmo 500 lb cyclone spreader for my tractor and also got a 3 point sprayer 10 ft boom and a roller pump.
now Im ready to plant...here is my rig.
doug
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Fulldrw, I have not put more than 50# in the BB spreader at one time and I have not had any issues. Easier to refill it than fix it I figure. I think you would be fine as long as you arent jumping any terraces with that thing on there!
 
Thats kinda what i figured, just put in what you need for a moderate amount. The people that said that it was bending their racks were probably loading it to the top and bouncing it around pretty hard i imagine. DId you get your BB from cabelas?
 
Yep, Cabelas. I think its rated for 60lbs, and that much seed would probably fill it. Fertilizer is much more dense though and I suppose it would hold 150+ pounds of that which probably would be pushing it. I mounted mine to the front rack which allows nice visibility of where your material is going. Spreads a 15'-20' path and does it slow enough to allow multiple passes for good coverage. I think it does a pretty fair job for the money.
 
Timberpig, how fast do you usually go with that spreader? Also, how does it wire up to the fourwheeler, it says something about hooking into the tail lights. Does that mean you have to splice into the tail lights or what? Thanks
 
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Needed one today- I cranked almost 5 acres of clover by hand. Back & forth, up & down.

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Whew! That'll tire you out...back n forth...up n down and all that!
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Fulldrw- I dont know what speed exactly, I just move along at a good pace, maybe 6-8mph. I like to make multiple passes for better coverage and to make sure I dont run out of material before I've covered the whole plot. As for wiring it, it comes with two aligator clips for wiring to the battery. I cut those off and spliced in a cigarette lighter plug for convienence, the spreader comes with a switch for on/off. I have heard of people spicing into the headlights which would make a very handy on/off switch method but I figured that would just lead to eventual failures in the headlights by messing with the wires. Tailights are usually constant on, so not sure how that would work. Lots of options for wiring.

I havent tried this yet but I am planning to use the BB for spreading sand on my steep gravel drive also if we ever have a real winter. Another possible advantage to an electric spreader, a pull behind may just slide on ice and not spread.
 
I was just looking at my soil sample to figure out what i needed to put on for fertilizer before i disked my plot. In the soil test it says that the phosphorus is 72 lbs/A and the potassium is 196 lbs/A. Does that mean i need to put down a little potash? Thanks
 
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