first year food plot

[eheuer]

we put in our food plot without it being ideal conditions, but our time ran out according to the directions. we tilled and smoothed the ground. no herbacide or lime. one plot is acre whitetail imperial colver and the other is acre of extreme.
1. is it too late to put lime down? 2. i know the weeds(field grass) will start growing again. how do we apply weed killer? when do we apply? what do we apply. i think the arrest product is good, but not sure. we should have ample time to get the the plot ready for the winter green product.
 
thanks guys.
 
Eric

[sagittarius]

ORIGINAL: eheuer 1. is it too late to put lime down?

Better late than never.   It is much better to disk it in prior to planting, per soil test.   When not disking in, just don't apply more than 4000 lbs/acre per year on the existing clover.

ORIGINAL: eheuer 2. i know the weeds(field grass) will start growing again. how do we apply weed killer?

spray

ORIGINAL: eheuer when do we apply?

When the weeds are 2" to 3" tall, and Temperature is above 65F.

ORIGINAL: eheuer what do we apply.

In clover: Butyrac 200 for weeds, Poast for grasses.

[buckhunter21]

ORIGINAL: eheuer

we put in our food plot without it being ideal conditions, but our time ran out according to the directions. we tilled and smoothed the ground. no herbacide or lime. one plot is acre whitetail imperial colver and the other is acre of extreme.
1. is it too late to put lime down? 2. i know the weeds(field grass) will start growing again. how do we apply weed killer? when do we apply? what do we apply. i think the arrest product is good, but not sure. we should have ample time to get the the plot ready for the winter green product.

thanks guys.

Eric

 
eheuer, first off, welcome to the forum!!!!  to answer your questions, 1) as sagittarius says, better late than never with the lime.  it's better disked in, but will work it's magic in over time with rainfall with it just spread on the surface.  2) depending on what you plant, there are various things you can spray to kill the weeds.  some plots you won't have that option at all so be careful and check with the instructions of the seed.  best bet (for next time) is to spray weed killer on the plot, wait a week or so, lime it, then disc it in and plant your plot.  if you do this in the spring, you will have to wait for green up to start to spray usually.  there are some sprays though that you can spray pre-green up that will work as well.  sorry if this gets your head spinning, but hope this helps and hit me up if you have any more questions!

[eheuer]

thanks for your help guys. i will keep you posted as to the progress.
 
Eric

[ranwin33]

Thing to remember about your food plot is that it does not have to be a plant-and-forget improvement.  So go ahead and add lime now knowing that it will only help things as your plot comes back next year.  Or wait until Fall to add the lime, knowing it will get things off to a good start in the spring.  Same goes with herbicides, maybe you don't have the time or $$$ to do it this year, but plan on doing it next year.  Over the long haul your plot will evolve into what you want it to be. 
 
As for weeds, remember this isn't a lawn your planting and deer like to eat many weeds, so if they are not terribly invasive you may choose to keep them as part of the plot.

[eheuer]

that makes me feel alot better. now it's time to watch it grow.
 
thanks.
 
Eric

[ranwin33]

No, no, now it's time to start planning the next one.  [:D]