No plow food plot

[Cody Gruchow]

i just did 2 small plots in the woods(more secure), both are quite small...testing it out again this year, did plant it last year, and a few deer hit it, but not enough to make me plant a bigger plot. this year im trying the imperial(sp) version, seems to have more clover and other seeds in it than the rye grass. i killed all the weeds in the one area(potlatch all pine trees, major bedding ground) and planted a 10x10 plot on friday the 6th. and i racked all dead leaves and broke up the ground at the other area and made it roughly 20x8(major travel corridor) last year i used a different no plow seed and it came up rather fast, but it was more rye grass than anything. it was almost a inch long after 10 days,with rather dry weather. this time it has rained 3 out of the past 4 days so i hope it takes off. pics to come this weekend(friday)


Anyone else have any eperience with the imperial no plow? i know i asked last year but that was a different brand.

[HUNTER2]

I know one thing for sure Cody, I will never buy anything with rye grass in it again. That stuff takes over the plot and is realy hard to get rid of. I tried a little trial bag of that Imperial in my woods and it came up a little. I added a bag of fertilizer and some lime also. I wasn't real impressed for the money they want for it.

[Cody Gruchow]

well the stuff i planted last year i planted that area again with this stuff. there wasnt a trace of what i planted last year left at all. well i bought a 20lb bag i think the weight was at gander for 24 dollars. im going to check on it tommorow, sure has gotten plenty of rain for it though

[thunderpout]

I used the imperial a few times up where we hunt on public land when they did some clearcutting... planted it along some well traveled deer trails that run between our stands.... it took pretty well and didnt have to do much prep at all.  But yeah, Hunter is right... the stuff is really spendy.... I looked into making my own mix of seed and did that one year then found that alot of feed co-op's have a wildlife mix of their own, the cheapest I found was at the Elk River Co-op (in Elk River )  it had more types of clover in it... and less rye grass, which is basically a filler seed, and only comes up for one year.... had to rake it in and do a little more prep work to get it to take as well, but was almost half the price and had better seed in it.

[Cody Gruchow]

well this stuff grows fast, wow i went out there yesterday and today and its about a inch long. and it looks completly different than the one i planted last year, and they hitting it instead of the mineral block sitting right next to it

[pikechaser]

Do you remember how much the stuff was at the Elk River Co-op....How do you like it??

[thunderpout]

Its been a few years since I've planted up there, but I thought it was $17-20 for a ten lb bag?   But I know it was like half the price of the Imperial for the same #'s... the thistle and clover is still growing there where I planted it, at least where trees havent been re-growing...(they are growing like weeds! )

[LandDr]

"No Plow" is no more than simply putting down three or more times as much seed in an area as you would if you did some tillage.

In other words...anything on the market is "no plow" if you triple the seeding rate or even more.

If you throw enough seed down, something is bound to grow.  For the price you pay for seed for the amount of seed you are getting, I would recommend buying a more cost effective seed source and then just increase your seeding rate.

However, my highest recommendation if you don't want to or can't do tillage is to broadcast your seed in the very early spring when there is still a little snow on the ground...or at least there are freezing nights and thawing days.  The "freeze-thaw" action will work the seed down into the ground and you will get some pretty good results.  Works even better if you can spray the area the fall before so there is less competition in the spring when the seeds are coming up.

"no plow" is a marketing gimic.  Just read the label to see what the seeding rate is and you will understand what I mean.  Just buy a more cost effective and premium seed and increase the rate.

Land Dr

[Cody Gruchow]

well the one spot they have mowed over completly, to me this stuff has passed the test and i will be planting a way bigger plot now with that in it. i have to go to gander and buy some more to replant. i had a decent sized buck and some fat does destroy it. had 128 photos from last friday until this friday.  here is the picture of the buck....

[attachment deleted by admin]

[HD]

JMO, but, I haven't had much luck with the freeze thaw thing...seems I feed the birds more than what gets into the soil.

I'd rather do the work and get it in there, then fatt'in up a sparrow.

[deadeye]

I've heard and read about throwing the seed on the snow in spring.  No doubt it workds, I just  never tried it.  I have had good success with no plow/no till seeding by spraying Roundup (can't spell Glypsopate) a couple times.  Once around Memorial day and then again two weeks later.  Mix the seed and fertilizer and then broadcast in the dead and dying vegitation.

[Mayfly]

We did a frost seed last November. I checked on it this summer and it looks amazing!!

You can see it on this video, its the last segment!

http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/gallery/76/media/1922/midwest-whitetails-latest-show.html

[ovation62]

I did a food plot with throw down seed mix and its going nuts, i have to mow it yet. We saw a big doe out there on the trail I put it down. Iv got 2 more places I want to put it down.
Its still not to late to do it.
Happy hunting all

[deadeye]

It's always interesting and funt to grow something.  It must be the farmer in us. 

[ovation62]

 
I put down no till, and it grow like scrazy, Im thinking about laying it down for my grass in my yard, it dosent grow all that tall and its thicker them what you want to call grass in my yard, it dosent let the weeds grow up and Im liking that and its a nice green think plush feeling.
Good grass seed. I belive it comes up every year.

[Cody Gruchow]

doesnt come up every year, i planted over the plot last spring because nothing grew where i had it in the first place, but it does grow thick and green, i had to plant it twice because the deer mowed it down right away.

[MTCOMMER]

I will be planting some stuff this spring - not sure what yet.... we just cleared out some trees around my stand I have alot of open space that I might fill with some simple food, clover or something to get the deer interested in the area.  There is alot of corn around the area and thats about all the deer eat (some beans).
I was told that deer will pretty much ditch the corn if there is a better food supply in the area?!

I am not sure the sunlight where I will be planting, since its still in the woods, just open - any suggestions?  All I would need is a small bag since it not much of an area but I dont want to spend $50 on a 5lb bag.

[Cody Gruchow]

i got the imperial no plow 20lb bag i think it was 24 bucks. it comes up very fast and the deer loved it so much i had to plant it again about a month and a half later because they mowed it over..