Has anybody tried...

[Nubs]

I have a 3-4 acre field that I have been messing around with over the last few years with different kinds of crops for the deer. 2yrs ago I put in corn and that worked good but now my neighbor has been planting his 10 acre field with corn which is right next to mine so corn is not needed anymore. Last year I planted soybeans which was a flop for me cause the weeds over took the beans and they didn't grow much.

This year I am thinking about putting in imperial whitetail clover, has anybody tried using this and if so what has your experience been with the product? My plan is once I plow and disk out the field I am going to spray it first to kill off the weeds. Let it sit for a week or so and then put in the seeds. Is there anything else I should do to ensure good growth? I have never been one to check the P.H. level of the soil. I have been thinking about putting lime in but not sure if it is really necessary?

Any info on the subject would be appreciated.

[Goose]

They make round up ready soybeans and they worked great for us this year, just plant them and when the weeds start taking over spray them with round up and it kills all the weeds. The beans really took off after that.
 
I would spray the field first to kill the weeds then plow and disk it followed by planting it.
 
I would also check your Ph level, if your spending that kind of money on seed a $14 test is worth it IMO.
 
I've never used the clover your talking about so I don't have much to offer you on that other than I've watched their video and it looks nice [;)]

[buckhunter21]

I think first and foremost you have to worry about your PH, as what Goose stated.  All the fertilizer in the world won't help your plot if you don't have the right PH for the type of see you're putting down.  I think it's well worth it if you are going to be planting and investing hundreds of dollars on various food plots.
 
I planted some Whitetail Institute Alpha Rack Plus this year and it came up OK, but that was only due to not having the correct PH.  This property just came out of CRP this year so there wasn't a whole lot we could do right to get the PH up.  It's not instant.  They do have pellatized lime and that works quicker but doesn't stay in the soil as long.  So, we planted it and like I said it came up ok but we limed the heck out of the field this fall so hopefully in a year or two it'll be where we want it.
 
So, get that soil test and go from there!
 
Happy Plotting!

[Nubs]

Thanks for the good advice guys! I have never used a P.H. test kite before, just how do they work? How does one change the P.H. level of the soil if it is not at the desired number?

[Goose]

There's a couple of ways.....
 
They have kits that you can do it yourself, I know Antler King has a self test kit and it comes with a pamphlet that will tell you what you need.
 
Or  you can just grab some soil from your designated area and take it to the local co-op and they'll run the sample and tell you exactly what you need. They're pretty cheap probably around $20 or so.
 
I would recommend the co-op.

[reeper0697]

Nubs,

This is a clover that I recommend. I used it at a different plot of land a bunch of years ago along with alfa rack and no plow (just the sample pack). Last year I put in a plot about 1/2 an acre and was really impressed with it. The deer absolutely nailed it. I got so many trail cam pictures on this plot until the snow came. It came up really fast and looked really good. This was right next to another clover and chickory field(bigger) and a plot of Secret Spot and oats. The deer walked right past the other plots to get to this stuff. There is a video The Whitetail Institute produces called Producing Trophy Whitetails and it shows all their products and the benifits each has, I recommend you check it out. I am going to be planting more of their clover again this year. Let us know what you go with!

[Nubs]

Goose and Reeper thanks for the info!

[buckhunter21]

Great advice here....Biologic also has this test kit, but if you have one close I'd go to your local ag office and have it done there.  Make sure when you take your test, that you grab a 5 gallone bucket and take samples from every area of your plot.  Just radomly walk around your plot and make sure you dig up at least 4-5 inches down and throw it in the bucket.  When you're done, mix that all up good, and then take a small sample of that in.  One thing I would recommend too is to bring in more than is needed to make sure they have enough.
 
 

[Jdbllung]

Alot of colleges Ag dept's will do the test for you also.  Here in PA we just send them to PSU main campus for $7.00 , results back in 4-5 days.

[ranwin33]

Nice thing about sending in a soil test is that it should come back telling you not only how much lime you might need to raise pH but also how much nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus you will also need to fertilize propertly.  Most allow you to state the crop you will be planting and will adjust recommendations based upon the crop.  You can do a "do it yourself" test but it won't be nearly as accurate nor will it provide the same amount of information.

Haven't tried the Whitetail Institute clover, but have tried to a couple of other products, none of which impressed me.  As for clover, I like durana.