Not much time? No Problem. Not much land? No Problem.
Micro plots seem to be the new rage these days and rightfully so because not all of us have access to grain drills, large tracts of land and heavy equipment. The thing about micro food plots is this; like most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. Yes, some seed is better designed for minimum till and minimum sunlight scenarios, but I don’t necessarily mean the seed in this case. For a food plot to be successful you really need to plan. You don’t have to have heavy equipment to do it properly either. Generally for a plot 1/4 acre in size you can get away with a few hand tools such as gloves, a rake, loppers, sprayer and maybe a saw. Of course hand tools equate to a little more sweat equity, but this is very manageable for all ages with a little planning and forethought. To make it manageable you can break the work effort into chunks.
STEP #1
The first step in successful food plotting is finding a good location. Good location is relative to the area of course. For example have you been out scouting or shed hunting and found a small opening in the woods? Hopefully this opening is close to the resident herd’s natural travel patterns. Ideally you would want it between a bedding area and a destination food source or maybe in a destination food source like an acorn flat.
STEP #2
The next step is to get a soil sample and this can be done with Antler King’s Instant pH Test Kit. While a small step this step is very important and should not be skipped. It’s important for a few reasons. In some cases the soil can initially be very acidic and this in turn will not allow the plants to take in the necessary nutrients to grow and may lead to poor plot yield and less nutritious plants. The pH of the soil also will impact the health of the plant itself. When properly balanced it helps to ensure the plant can recover from browsing and grow to its potential.
STEP #3
Once you have found a suitable location the next step is clearing the area. Before doing this you need to consider a few things. The primary thing is how will it impact the movement of deer. To limit the disturbance I generally wait until the late winter to go to the area and work on removing material such as small undergrowth, dead branches and opening the canopy enough to allow sufficient sunlight to the plot. Additionally you can rake the area that you want to plant to expose the soil. If it’s close to the start of season, do what you can to quickly clear enough branches, under growth, etc. to allow sunlight to hit the seed bed and rake away any existing debris to ensure seed to soil contact. After clearing the area you can put down a seed blend like Antler King’s No Sweat or Game Changer Clover. No Sweat has oats, rye and clover which will germinate quickly and provide some initial forage and attraction. Once the seed is down also broadcast in some lime and fertilizer and then rake it all into the soil. If you are alright with bare minimum or this is last minute and you don’t have the time you can stop here and get some really good results! To get optimal attraction and value out of your micro plot there are a few more steps to complete.
STEP #4
To be clear none of Antler King’s seeds are “Round-Up Ready” so Roundup/Glyphosate can ONLY be sprayed prior to planting your plots. After the area has been cleared and has adequate sunlight exposure, the next step is to kill off weeds which will compete for nutrients. When this is done will depend on the timing of when you want your plots available. For example for a spring plot you would wait for the initial spring green up to complete. Once this occurs, if possible, mow the area as short as possible and rake away the debris. For Fall plots you will typically find less weed competition and the plot can be sprayed with glyphosate a week before planting. Once the debris has been cleared spray the area with glyphosate 41%. This is a contact killer and will kill all plants it is sprayed on.
After spraying to kill off the weeds come back in 6-10 days and rake and clear the area again. Once cleared apply the appropriate amount of lime and fertilizer indicated by the soil sample. Now rake the lime and fertilizer into the soil. Granular lime and fertilizer is easy to apply by hand if need be and ironically breaks down faster into the soil.
Now that the soil is ready the next thing to do is sow the seed. My choice is Antler King Trophy Clover or Lights Out. With proper maintenance and upkeep the Trophy Clover will last for years while Lights Out is a fantastic Fall attractant, but will only last one season. It is important to remember though that just like larger plots crops should be rotated when the chance arises to minimize leeching or micro nutrients and pests.
Once the seed has germinated and is about 3 inches tall another application of fertilizer should be applied. Antler King Jolt Foliar Fertilizer is appropriate for this as it minimizes the risk of burning your plot. The extra nutrients help to ensure that the plants will continue to grow and thrive.
Now lets talk about seed choice. Does it matter? The answer is of course. For example I plant Antler King Honey Hole to provide a Fall and Winter food source for deer. It’s beneficial to me to keep deer on the property and provides a continuous food source. My preferred hunt over micro plot mixes are currently Trophy Clover, Lights Out, Game Changer Clover and No Sweat.
So as you can see anyone can establish a successful micro plot with patience, planning and some sweat equity. By breaking the work effort over time it also makes the task less daunting and very manageable. In fact it provides an excellent opportunity to get your entire family involved and can be quite fun with a little creativity sprinkled in. Imagine the pride that your child will feel when they take their first deer over a food plot that they helped create…there is no feeling like it!
If you’re scrambling to get your plot in last minute before season starts micro plots can be done in a day, as sometimes for an early Fall planting you can avoid spraying glyphosate and get right to clearing, raking, liming, fertilizing and broadcasting your seed. If you have any questions the staff at Antler King is always eager to help…just email antlerking@antlerking.com.
Thanks again and happy planting!
Craig Harvey – Antler King Pro Staff (North Carolina)