Planting food plots for wildlife is the single-most effective way to attract, hold and grow deer on your property and providing food on a year round basis is critical. One of the most common times to plant food plots is in the late Summer or Fall of the year. This is a great time to plant for a variety of reasons; less weeds for your plots to compete with, allows Fall plots to mature at the perfect time for hunting, predictable weather patterns, etc. In the Northern U.S., typically the best time to plant a Fall food plot (Honey Hole, Slam Dunk, Lights Out, Fall/Winter/Spring, Trophy Clover or No Sweat) would be during the months of July, August and the first half of September. In the Middle U.S. and South the best time to plant is August, September and October. This ensures that the plants can become established and achieve their full potential before a killing frost. Trophy Clover, Red Zone and No Sweat are often planted in the Spring as well, but can also be very successful if planted in the Summer or early Fall and provide excellent Fall nutrition sources and hunting plots.
A couple of things to keep in mind when planting in the Fall:
LIMING
- Test your soil’s pH and take the proper steps to neutralize your soil to create an optimum growing environment
- Spreading the necessary amount of lime prior to tilling will not only benefit your Fall Food Plot but it is also very beneficial to your Spring plot as well
- Raising your pH is not an overnight process, lime takes a variant amount of time to break down and react in the soil
- The amount of time depends on how much rain you receive and the type of lime you use
- Pelletized lime will break down faster but you will have to lime more often
- Pulverized Ag lime takes longer to break down but lasts much longer (6-10 years)
PLANTING
- It is usually pretty dry during this time, keep an eye on the weather and try to time planting right before a rain
- If you plan to hunt over this food plot, be sure you are planting food sources that are coveted by deer during the time you will hunt it. In the early season deer will seek high protein sources such as Red Zone, Trophy Clover, Mini Max and No Sweat and as the weather turns colder deer will seek higher energy sources like Honey Hole, Slam Dunk, Lights Out and Fall/Winter/Spring
- It is best to lightly cover seeds, in case it does not rain immediately after planting, as the soil will protect the seeds from the heat of the Summer sun and they will wait to germinate until it rains
- Test your pH and take the proper steps to neutralize your soil to create an optimum growing environment
- A great way to help your plants survive a dry spell is to spray Antler King® Plot Max. It raises the pH, creates organic matter and unlocks nutrients in the soil. It will also help your soil retain more moisture and ease stress on your plants
ROUNDUP
- If you are NOT planning on putting in a fall food plot but have an area picked out for next season (Spring or Fall) it would be beneficial to spray with roundup this Fall
- This will kill all of the plants and allow these plants to break down into usable organic material over the winter
- Next Spring your soil will be easier to till and much more fertile!
Good luck this Fall and Happy Planting!!
Todd Stittleburg – Antler King Trophy Products, Inc.