Building Soil in Food Plots
Filed under: Ask Grant, Food Plots
Hi Grant, We have 424 acres in the mountains of southwest Virginia. It is fully forested except where the power company was so nice to provide us with a power line. In one spot that is great for a foodplot they leveled a ridge to create a flat area of about 1 acre. The problem is they scraped all the dirt off and have left only clay. We had it tested and the county agent said it was the worst sample he had ever seen, 1% organic! We have been having better luck growing by planting winter rye and plowing it under each spring, but it has been slow. The soil is still not very good. Do you have any recommendations to improve the soil faster without bringing in all new soil and without costing an arm and a leg! Thanks, Bill
Bill,
B horizon soils (what’s left when the top soil has been removed) are usually limited in organic matter and life in the soil (bacteria that break down organic matter and allow plants to use the minerals that currently exist in the soil). Plowing in crops each year will add some organic matter, but the process is slow, very slow. The soil conditions at my place are very rough also. However, they improved significantly as a result of the humified compost I’ve used for fertilizer. This adds nutrients, organic matter, and life to the soil. Nutrients and organic matter are frequently discussed. However, rarely is “life in the soil” discussed. Quality compost will include a full complement of the bacteria that allows plants to better utilize the existing nutrients in the soil, and utilize nutrients in the atmosphere also.
If quality compost is not available in your area, the cost of shipping may be prohibitive. However, TEA (a liquid made from compost that includes the beneficial bacteria) can be shipped and applied reasonably. TEA won’t provide the benefits of adding organic matter to your sites, but the bacteria in TEA will help break down any organic matter available and make the associated benefits available to your food plot crops. It’s a very good alternative.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
