Food Plot Struggles
Filed under: Ask Grant, Food Plots
Dr. Woods, I hunt an area very similar to The Proving Grounds. It’s located between Saddlebrook and Branson. I have tried several different food plots over the past couple of years and have really struggled getting them to grow. I would appreciate any help you could offer. Derek
Derek,
There are gads of reasons that food plots fail. The best I can do with the information you provided is ask you some questions that might help you diagnose the problem.
- Have you been submitting a soil test and adding the appropriate amounts of lime and fertilizer?
- Are you using a utilization cage to monitor the amount of crop production versus crop consumption?
- Do you have a good weed control program?
- Are you planting at the appropriate conditions (soil temperature, moisture, etc,) for the specific crop you desire to grow?
- Are you planting enough acreage so deer don’t over browse the crop or are you protecting the crop with a Gallagher electric fence until it matures?
We’ve had great success with the combination of Antler Dirt and Eagle Seed beans. Since we live so close, that combination should work very well at your place also. You may wish to attend one of our Field Days and see firsthand the techniques, crops, fertilizer, etc., we use.
Growing Deer together,
Grant
