Proper equipment

[dgibson]

I'm new to the food plot thing. I've got some small plots that I want to plant for wildlife and a 4-wheeler to use for the work. The soil is somewhat rocky & sandy and currently has something similar to switchgrass growing on it (head high). Will a disk be enough to do my thing, or do I need a plow too? I've been checking out implements for my 4-wheeler and they're awful expensive, so if I can get it done with just one or the other I'd prefer it. The location is such that a regular farm tractor & attachments are pretty much out of the question. Thanks for the help!<img src=icon_smile_blush.gif border=0 align=middle>

[Multidigits]

I don't know what size ATV you have, but if it's a 350 4X4 or bigger, you can do a fair job with it. You'll need to buy a spring tooth harrow and/or a pull disk fro a farmer or an auction. Pull disk are getting hard to find, but the're some out there if you can find them.

Your ATV will probably not pull the whole disk. Just use the front half and use rocks from the food plot site to weight it down to get it to cut. Without plowing, it won't go very deep, but you can still get it good enough for rye grassand clover or wheat and clover.

They do make a plow and also a tiller. You can find them at TSC or Quality Farm and Fleet. A walk behind tiller will also work too, but it's a lot more labor than riding around.

[GSP]

DG. I don't know what area of the state you are doing this in, but
there are a lot of conservation orgs. out there that have equipment
they will loan and/or help you. Also, check with your area F&W
Biologist. He can help you with selections of seed that will do good in your area. He may also know where you can get equipment. Locate
your local NWTF chapter, they may help too. Most chapters have seed
and some have equipment.
If you are doing this in the eastern part of the state drop me a line.
Good luck.



Life is too short to hunt with an ugly dog!

[imported_admin]

Depending on what you want to plant, you might want to consider no-till drilling. You can get a spray rig for your ATV and use a pesticide like Roundup Ultra to kill the vegetation, and then drill the seed in the ground. The downside is you'd have to borrow a tractor to pull the drill (you need something with at least 1 hydraulic control). The drill you can borrow from F&W or rent from local NRCS offices.

[dgibson]

Thanks for the thoughts, guys. To clarify, the ATV is a Kawasaki Mule 550 that can supposedly tow up to 900 lbs. They don't give an HP rating in their specs, but it would seem to have the mojo to do what I need it to do. I'll ask around about the loaners you were talking about. I had been looking at these "garden tractor" attachments you can buy; they're made by a company called Brinly-Hardy ( http://www.brinly.com ). They make small disks, moldboard plows, harrows, and the like. If you can find 'em at Lowes or wherever they run in the $150-$200 range, or you can get them with the Craftsman name on them from Sears for about $300. Like I said, I was trying to keep from having to buy both the disk and the plow 'cause they're not cheap!

As for seed, I hadn't really gotten that far yet, but was thinking about alfalfa or clover just because it seems that that's what everybody is using. I'm open to suggestions for that, too! I just want to give the deer and turkeys something to munch on so they'll stick around.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

[GSP]

Something that I have used and really have good luck
with is a Quail Unlimited mix (milo/sorgum/ buckwheat,
sunflower and soybean). I know this sounds crazy for a
deer food plot. But use it the first year if sowing in
the spring or use winter wheat if sowing in the fall.
Whichever you use, sow it thick and let it grow the
entire year. This will eradicate almost all fescue and
other grass. After the first year your ground will be clean,
easier to work and you can sow what you please. I know
you can sray with roundup or such, but it ain't cheap.
This will do just as good and it is cheap AND a food
source.
One other thing to consider is if your fields are
covered with grasses now. You should burn them before you start work if possible (Feb/March). This will make clean up easier.

As for those $150 disk at lowes??? I think you will be
getting what you pay for. I don't think they will handle
many rocks.

Edited by - gsp on 12/22/2001 2:14:16 PM

[rlb165]

dgibson, I've got one of the Brinly plows I pull behind my 4-wheeler. I rigged it up to a thing called a "Weekend Warrior" I ordered from Cabela's. It does ok. One problem is the Brinly implements are made to be used with a "sleeve hitch", though it shouldn't be too hard to rig up something.

The Weekend Warrior started off with chisel points, but they didn't cut through fescue sod very well, so I replaced them with the moldboard plow. I also bought an old team (horsedrawn) disc that I for $100. I usually spray Roundup Ultra to kill everything, then burn it off before plowing/discing.

Something you may want to try (that I haven't) for clover is to scatter your seed in what you think may be the last snow of the winter. As the snow melts and the ground freezes/thaws, the clover seeds work themselves into the ground. Clover seed doesn't to be very deep in the ground-I think 1/8 of an inch is recommended.

In the spring, if the grass starts taking over, there are herbicides you can get that kill grass but not clover/alfalfa. One of them is called Fusilade 2000. It's the only one I've tried, and it works.

Good Luck,

Richard

[dgibson]

Thanks for the help, guys. I'll give it a whirl and let you know how things go!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>