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Post by mrbuckfly1 on Aug 10, 2012 13:53:42 GMT -5
Planted a 1/2 acre plot in a creek bottom on July 17th after about 1/4 inch of rain.It was a mixture of clover,alfalfa and chickory.There was no germination during the dry period that follwed so decided to pump water from a nearby stream for irrigation 7 days ago.Also got about 1 1/2 inches of rainfall during this period and it is just begining to germinate.Just spent 2 hours with an Idiot stick in an effort to control weeds which grew quite well during this period.All of this will be worth it if the grandsons are able to see deer there.
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Post by goosepondmonster on Aug 10, 2012 14:25:55 GMT -5
Planted a 1/2 acre plot in a creek bottom on July 17th after about 1/4 inch of rain.It was a mixture of clover,alfalfa and chickory.There was no germination during the dry period that follwed so decided to pump water from a nearby stream for irrigation 7 days ago.Also got about 1 1/2 inches of rainfall during this period and it is just begining to germinate.Just spent 2 hours with an Idiot stick in an effort to control weeds which grew quite well during this period.All of this will be worth it if the grandsons are able to see deer there. Your post brought up a food plot question. I am planning on planting some turnips soon and oats later. I have the spot cleared and ready to plant. I have a tank for water and a soaker hose to water the spot. Do I wait until the seeds germinate to start watering or do I want to start watering after I plant the seeds? |
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Post by boonechaser on Aug 10, 2012 14:48:53 GMT -5
Food for thought : It takes 65,000 gallon's approx. of water to give 1 acre of land the equivalent of 1" of rain. So unless you have direct access to a large water source (POND,LAKE,CREEK) you are pretty much wasting your time. If you are talking about a plot under a 1/4 acre you might have a chance of helping but it's gonna take several load's to do any good.  |
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Post by mrbuckfly1 on Aug 10, 2012 15:15:07 GMT -5
No expert on food plots but any water you can get on your plot will help it.Like I stated above my plot didn't germinate until I irrigated it and 1 1/2 of rain had fell.I pump water from a stream to a 1200 gallon tank about 400 feet from the plot.I then put about 1000 gallons a day from a lawn sprikler that has to be move several times.Boonechaser is right,a friend of mine who is a big farmer told me it takes 54,000 gallons of water per acre to be the equivalent of on inch of rain.I am no where near a required 27,000 per 1/2 acre but think even some water is better than none and will help until you hopefully get some rain.Good luck.
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Post by daneowner on Aug 10, 2012 16:30:57 GMT -5
goosepondmonster, Just something to consider, If the soil is dry when you plant and you water to germinate, you will have to continue to water till it rains, or it will die. A rain that is just enough to germinate seed in the fall but not enough for it to develope a root system is worst then no rain at all.
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Post by goosepondmonster on Aug 10, 2012 16:54:42 GMT -5
The plot is on an old railroad bed. It is about eight feet wide and fifty yards long. The tank is about 400 gallons and I have water access, so filling the tank isn't an issue.
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Post by duff on Aug 10, 2012 19:52:54 GMT -5
Go for it. If you already have the gear & the time what can it hurt? Nothing beats ma nature but if you have a real hankering to be out there watering all the time...go for it. Unless you fall into the theory of too much human scent in your food plot I'd say you don't have much to loose.
I'd wait to plant the seeds and then water. Otherwise you will be wasting your water on other seeds already in the soil. But I am no pro staffer at this so take my advice with a grain o salt.
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Post by goosepondmonster on Aug 10, 2012 20:23:53 GMT -5
Thanks, duff. Good advice and, as always, it is appreciated.
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Post by tenring on Aug 10, 2012 20:26:50 GMT -5
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Post by boonechaser on Aug 13, 2012 10:20:24 GMT -5
Disked up a 1/2 plot last night. We had 2.2 inch's of rain last thursday and the plot is bone dry. Probably wait till Thursday to plant as pretty good chance of rain Thursday night and Fri morning. Forage oat's and turnip mixture.
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Post by goosepondmonster on Aug 13, 2012 10:41:13 GMT -5
I broadcast my turnip seed yesterday and saw this morning that it was raining south of Linton. I just hope it rained hard enough to get the seed in the ground.
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Post by mrbuckfly1 on Aug 13, 2012 12:27:08 GMT -5
Still irrigating the 1/2 acre plot I talked about above.Would have to say the germination falls into the fair to good range.Got some rain last night and may get some today so I don't plan on irrigating for the next 2 or 3 days.Will be putting out another 1/2 acre plot later in the week in Purple Top Turnips and Radish.
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Post by goosepondmonster on Aug 13, 2012 14:09:39 GMT -5
Still irrigating the 1/2 acre plot I talked about above.Would have to say the germination falls into the fair to good range.Got some rain last night and may get some today so I don't plan on irrigating for the next 2 or 3 days.Will be putting out another 1/2 acre plot later in the week in Purple Top Turnips and Radish. I plan on giving the turnips a week to see if they start to grow and then I'll fill the water tank next weekend and run the soaker hose in the plot to start watering them. |
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Post by mrbuckfly1 on Aug 13, 2012 16:48:55 GMT -5
Good luck with your irrigating.My theory is a little bit of nothing is a whole lot better than nothing at all.I agree with Duff,if you are set up to do it and don't mind doing it,there is no reason you shouldn't at least give it a shot.I have a couple small plots on an old railroad bed also and this is the first year they have been there.Both are pretty shaded so I don't expect much.The soil is not the best but I do have a Clover mix germinated there.They were put in on July 14 and are just now showing a little green.
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Post by daneowner on Aug 13, 2012 17:03:26 GMT -5
Decided to chance it and put out approx. 3 1/2 acres this past week-in. Mostly turnips & groundhog radish. Also but winter wheat on one of the fields. Now, I just hope for some rain.
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Post by ukwil on Aug 14, 2012 21:37:26 GMT -5
I'm with ya Dane. We chanced it and planted ours tonight. Dad only has 8 acres so our plot is only about 6-7 yards wide and about 100 yards long. Put the lime and fertilizer down and ran the box tiller over it 2x to get a good mix. Then we planted the mix drug it 2x with a fence by hand and then broadcast turnips. Now its time for the rain dance. There seemed to be quite a good bit of ground moisture where we planted and we are forecasted to get rain Thursday and Friday.
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Post by daneowner on Aug 15, 2012 17:54:40 GMT -5
Checked the 1st plot I sowed on 8/2 Put a bag of shot plot, P T turnips and ground hog radish on it. I've got gemination, now I need the possible rain Thursday nite, Sat.morn that the weatherman is predicting. A slow, easy all nite rain would be soooooo nice!
ukwil, Best of luck on your plot.
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Post by windingwinds on Aug 16, 2012 18:32:14 GMT -5
Going to try planting our first food plot tomorrow, a bag of Shot Plot. Just a 1/4 acre but overall our habitat is great so doesn't need miles of crops (we are surrounded by corn and soybean fields). Knock on wood the rain keeps coming regular.
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Post by duff on Aug 16, 2012 19:29:16 GMT -5
Well my seeds are probably washed down the hill after tonight....I am sure some will survive!
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Post by indianagooseman on Aug 19, 2012 20:56:20 GMT -5
After a failed soybean plot, thanks to the drought, and spending a ton of time talking with one of the owners I decided to plant my fall plots with Real World Wildlife's Whitetail Harvest Salad. It's a blend of winter oats and wheat with a base of winter peas. I dont have any prior experience with this seed company but I was very impressed with their knowledge and willingness to answer all 5 million questions that I had. All of their seeds are tested primarily in East Central Illinois and are blended for OUR climate and growing season. I got an acre planted on Friday morning after Thursday nights big rain so we'll see how it goes. If anyone has yet to get their seed for the year give these guys a look. www.realworldwildlifeseed.com |
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