Checking these boxes can ensure food plots grow the utmost tonnage possible.
Food plots are part of most modern land managers’ annual duties. Deer hunters throughout the country plant these nutrient-rich dinner tables for deer. It’s a good practice, of course, but doing so without maximizing food plot yield is folly.
Here are ways to maximize food plot yield, and this is why…
- Choose the Best Ground
Some parts of a hunting property will be better for food plots than others. Oftentimes, different soil types exist throughout a tract of land. Finding the areas with the best soil, that also are good locations regarding existing whitetail lines of movement, is important.
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Take a Soil Test
The first step in maximizing food plot yield is conducting a soil test. Ensuring the ground offers each of the key nutrients, and that the soil pH is in an acceptable window, is crucial for food plot success. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to take a soil sample, send it off, and get the results.
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Add Some Fertilizer and Lime
One of the best ways to boost food plot performance is to add fertilizer and lime (if needed). Of course, don’t apply it for the sake of applying it, or you’re wasting money. Remedy as soil tests call for.
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Amend the Soil as Needed
Fertilizer and lime are often needed to amend the soil. However, sometimes, food plotters need to raise soil pH, but don’t have the access or ability to add lime to do so. In some cases, a soil amendment, such as Whitetail Institute’s Impact, can work in situations where a plot is too remote to reach with fertilizer and lime, or if there isn’t quite enough time to work these into the soil.
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Build Up the Organic Matter
There are various ways to build up the organic matter in the soil. Each is a long-term effort. However, it’s possible, and is important where the soil is currently lacking. Do that, and it’s sure to increase food plot yield.
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Kill the Pre-Emergent Competition
Some herbicides are applied as pre-emergent sprays. These are ideal for killing weeds and competing plants well before planting seed, or even working ground, for that matter. This is a good way to clean the slate.
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Get Soil Prep Right
Prepping the soil is important, which includes more than soil tests and soil amendments. Prepping the soil also involves working the ground and preparing a good seed bed. That’s crucial for getting things right and ready for your new plot.
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Implement Micronutrients (Foliar Plant Foods)
Another surefire way to boost and maximize food plot yield is implementing micronutrients. Applying foliar plant foods increases available nutrients that food plot plants need to thrive and reach their full potential.
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Consider the Planting Zone
All food plot locations fall within a specific planting zone. Each of these have recommended planting guidelines, including timelines, for maximum success. Following suggestions for planting zones is crucial.
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Match the Plant Species to the Soil Type
Every plant does better or worse within each soil type. Determining the right plant species to plant for the soil type in the projected food plot area is an important part of the process. Choose an option that best fits the soil situation.
11. Choose a Hardy Species
Some planting zones are more difficult to plant in than others. For those in drought-risk areas, or colder climates, plant food plot species that are more resistant to these challenges. A hardy species is better than a weaker, more finicky plant.
12. Plant a High-Tonnage Food Plot
Some food plot plant species provide higher volumes of forage than others. (Think brassicas vs. clover.) Choosing an option that, by nature produces a higher tonnage, is an excellent way to provide more deer food in the same amount of space. This is a great thing to do in areas with higher deer densities or locations that lack ample food source volume.
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Plant Early Enough
An earlier plant date can be risky, especially if odds of a frost are high, but hitting that early plant date just right can give that food plot more time to grow. Done correctly, it might end up with a better yield, as compared to planting too late. That said, hitting the peak of the planting window shouldn’t be much different.
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Plant a Bigger Plot
It’s obvious but planting a bigger food plot increases the overall yield. Maybe that means expanding the perimeter of it. It might mean choosing a new location. Regardless, planting a bigger plot gets the job done.
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Drill, Don’t Till
Oftentimes, food plot production is more consistent and reliable if seeds are drilled into the ground, and not broadcasted into tilled soil. Those who have access to a no-till drill generally benefit from it with better food plots and greater yields.
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Plant at the Right Depth
Every food plot seed has an acceptable planting depth. Oftentimes, for most species, this ranges from ¼ inch to 1 inch. Other seeds just need a dusting of soil on top, or even barely pressing into the soil. Others might need a 1 ½-inch or 2-inch planting depth. Regardless, knowing and implementing the optimal window is vital.
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Plant Using the Right Seeding Rate
Planting too few seeds leads to unused ground. Planting too many seeds produces too many plants in the plot. Both results in overall food plot yields being lower than they could be. Plant using the right seeding rate and grow better food plots.
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Ensure Seed-to-Soil Contact
If not using a no-till drill, it’s crucial to ensure good seed-to-soil contact. Do this by working the ground, preparing a good seed bed, and then broadcasting seed in a manner that it has a good chance to grow. Cover the seed as needed based on the planting requirements for the species in question.
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Rotate Your Plots
Planting the same food plot species in the same location year after year can lead to diseased food plots and degraded soil. Rotating food plots and using different food plot plant types or families can help maintain healthy soil.
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Give it the Best Possible Start
Waiting to plant under the best possible conditions can give that food plot the best odds of success. That involves a lot of things, including soil condition, soil temperature, soil moisture, forecasted precipitation, and more.
21. Spray Post-Emergent Weeds
Depending on the situation, you might need to spray weeds with a post-emergent herbicide. Not all situations permit this, of course. But if you can use an herbicide that will kill the weeds and not the food plot species, it can create a better scenario for the food plot.
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Maximize Water Availability
Watering a food plot isn’t always necessary. However, in times of drought, it’s an important step in maximizing plant growth. It might even prevent an all-out food plot failure. Where possible, use an irrigation system to pump water from a nearby creek, river, or pond. Or, use a water tank to haul water to the food plot.
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Improve Drainage Capabilities
Food plots that retain too much water tend to diminish or outright fail. Food plots that fall into this trap might need improved drainage. This usually requires heavy machinery and serious financial commitments, but it can be done.
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Stop Erosion
Likewise, erosion issues can remove important topsoil from the food plots. If this is a limiting factor, land managers must deploy erosion control methods to prevent further removal of viable soil.
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Install Deer-Resistant Barriers
Over-browsing is a major challenge for some land managers. This is especially common where deer population densities are high and/or habitat quality is low. Either way, installing a deer-resistant barrier around food plots — such as an electric exclusion fence — until food plots reach maturity, is a great way to boost food plot yield.
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Offer Additional Nearby Food Sources
Providing additional food sources on the property is a manageable way to decrease browsing pressure on food plots. Supplying supplemental feed (where and when legal), planting mast trees, planting more food plots, etc., helps pull down the pressure on any one food source. Therefore, offering additional food sources nearby can help each food plot.
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Overseed, If Needed
While not all land managers agree with the practice of overseeding, if a food plot fails, or was planted too thinly, overseeding with a fast-growing plant, or cool-season option, can boost the overall forage grown in that plot for the year. That can effectively boost overall plant production per acre.
See also: The Best Deer Food Plot Seed
