Yearly food plot maintenance

[Thinkin Rut]

I was thinking of this the other day while getting a depleted acre, food plot ready. Once you get your soil dialed in, what fertilizers are needed for yearly upkeep? I know brassicas love Nitrogen, clover..p&K but if you are just keeping up with yearly growth and wildlife consumption, what would that look like per acre? 4 bags 6-24-24 and 4 bags pellime...a couple bags of Urea for brassicas? TIA

 

[Hawk32]

Great topic. Area I'd like to learn a lot more about.

 

[Iowa]

This should give you a good ballpark, in a way you aren’t totally removing all that grain since some of it is passing through an animal that’s putting it back in your plot. But splitting hairs there probably.

 

[deerdown]

Download the Agphd app to your phone and it'll tell you what nutrients your annual crop is removing

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

I test my plots every few years. I then take my worst P and my worst K number across all plots and apply that to all plots on a single farm. P&K is money in the bank, so most plots get "over" fertilized (more than they need) but applying a custom blend to every plot isn't practical and I'm just putting more nutrients in reserve anyway.

Not saying this is the "right" method for everyone, but its pretty darn efficient. One mix. One fert cart per farm.

(I'm basically talking permanent plots like clover, not corn & beans)

 

[Bassattackr]

My $.02..

1) All starts with a soil test. Without that, you're flying blind. A good one from Midwest Labs is an incredible tool. Test multiple locations, at least 6-8 along the highest point(s) in your planting area. This gives you the worst case scenario, as typically nutrients run downhill.

2) From the test results, address your macronutrients first. Calcium (Lime), Magnesium, N, P, K and Sulfur. Add full dose first year, half dose second year. Retest after 2 years.

3) Address micronutrients, and soil organic matter (where possible). You can get a micronutrient blend or individuals from the co-op, but honestly a great source if micros is also manure. Manure is also a cheat code to boost organic matter. Organic matter allows your field to be more forgiving with soil moisture retention, healthy biological life and nitrogen credits.

3) From there, you should be nutrient cycling in a food plot scenario, for anything except high N/K input required grains like corn, and potentially milo - As IBH1983 pointed out above.

Good luck!

 

[Sligh1]

Perfection above!!! & reminder for the #’s, N-P-K… the is the % per 100 lbs of that element going down in actual lbs per acre.
So u put down 100 lbs of 6-24-24… u put down 4 lbs of Nitrogen, 24 lbs of phosphorus & 24 lbs of potassium. Soil test & show results to coop & have em make u a blend is another tip I’d give you. Last- get your micros tested too!! Boron, zinc, etc.

 

[Rjack]

Fix the 4 or the 6 above.

 

[Thinkin Rut]

I test my plots every few years.

Do you then only fertilize every few years?

 

[deerdown]

How many of you fool with Micronutrients?

If you do, where do you buy? How do you apply (as I understand some to be mostly foliar applied)? Which ones move in the soil, where timing of application is critical? Micros are something I'm not that familiar with from a buy and apply perspective......