Deep Woods Food Plots

[jwhite_13]

Anyone ever done them? I am thinking of putting a couple in, but have read mixed reviews. Want to make sure all the work will be worth it. Any thoughts?

[HAWG MAFIA]

We started this before last deer season. Still not sure about it. we're gonna give it a couple more years to see if it worth the effort to put more in

[PharmacistHog]

What kind of timber?

[pigture perfect]

Very effective every other year. White Oak acorns seem to go on a 2 year cycle.

[lahawg1]

We plant wheat, oats, and turnip greens in our plots. I have a 300 pound spreader for my tractor and I put 50# of wheat, oats, 100# of 8-8-8, and 5# of turnip greens each time we fill it up.

We do hunt in pine thickets of company timber lands here.

[woodrow hog call]

If you can get enough sun light on it, is a big factor I think. I have tried it in small plots and that's always been an issue for me. If you can top some of the trees or locate it in a place where the sun hits the ground for a few hours a day, you should be fine.

[PharmacistHog]

If its surrounded by hardwood the leaves may cause problems when they fall. Every time we've planted in hardwoods after the leaves fell they pretty much covered the plot and it wouldnt grow anymore.

[jwhite_13]

We have already cleared about a 25 yard long by 15 yard spot in the woods so sunlight should not be an issue. (Cut out trees and all)  Hoping to go out and spray it this week and plant it by 1st week of September. Right now I am thinking some blend of clover and something else. Not sure what that something else should be. Its basically just pine trees in the area immediately around the plot.

[twistitup]

We have good luck with edge plots . Planting strips of turnips worked great at a place I hunted last year. The deer loved em and they won't die with frost - turnips are hardy.

The turnip greens were growing just far enough away from the edge to draw deer out of the woods for and open shot

[woodrow hog call]

I wonder if you will need some lime, to offset the acidity of the pine needles, might want to google what grows good in high acidit soil.

On another note; has anyone tried fertilizing one or two oak trees pretty heavily to increase acorn yield?
I'm wanting to try it this year, the trees in our parking lot get fertilized from what they put on the grass, and they have had tremendous amount of acorns.

[jwhite_13]

I am actually about to do a soil test to see how much lime I am going to need. About the only thing I have not decided thus far is what exactly I want to plant. I know some form of clover but not sure what else yet.

[PharmacistHog]

I wonder if you will need some lime, to offset the acidity of the pine needles, might want to google what grows good in high acidit soil.

On another note; has anyone tried fertilizing one or two oak trees pretty heavily to increase acorn yield?
I'm wanting to try it this year, the trees in our parking lot get fertilized from what they put on the grass, and they have had tremendous amount of acorns.

I think you need to fertilize them either in late winter or early spring to get much additional mast production (but I could be mistaken)