Nutri-Plot Wildlife Products

Spraying Glyphosate in the Spring...

Spraying glyphosate is usually our first item of business when putting in spring food plots. We want to rid ourselves of all competing weeds and grasses from the plot area and the dead vegetation allows for easier tillage so we can get that good seed to soil contact. Here are a couple of tips to help you achieve a better "burn down" this spring with your glyphosate applications:

• Make sure to add Synurgize (Nutri-Plot’s Herbicide Enhancer) it will benefit you in more ways than one, this product is a surfactant, drift retardant and defoamer. Synurgize will help your glyphosate absorb into the grass and broadleaf giving you a better kill. Adding this surfactant to your tank mix will really pay off in cooler temperatures, as grass and weeds need to be actively growing in order for translocation of the glyphosate to occur in the plant effectively. Add 6oz of Synurgize with your herbicide per acre. (available at www.nutri-plotadvantage.com)
• Don’t spray in high wind, unless you want to waste your money and make your neighbors say things about you that would make a drill sergeant blush! You’re better off waiting for a day with calm winds and make sure to spray mid-morning after the dew has dried.
• If the area you attend to "burn down" has grass and weeds taller than 12", I would consider mowing the area first waiting 7 days, then apply your glyphosate and Synurgize. The glyphosate will kill the taller weeds, it will just take longer. I like to wait 14 days after the herbicide application to begin tillage, the time frame of when you can get in there and disk will depend on daily temperatures, the warmer it is the faster the herbicide does its job.
• Make sure your application rate is correct, with any chemical "more is not better". Apply according to the label; it will be sufficient assuming the product is applied correctly.
• If it’s an existing fall food plot and not a lot of weeds present, skip your glyphosphate application and just turn the soil over with a plow or if you’re able disk the area. The "green manure" will add nitrogen and organic matter to your plot helping build up the soil. A good example would be if you planted cereal grains or brassicas the previous fall.

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Deep Tillage for Better Root Penetration...

No-till farming has become a mainstream in agriculture and it’s no different in food plotting. If you’re able to drill your seed for food plot production it’s definitely an advantage. However the majority of us are still confined by the conventional tillage in food plotting. Since we have two planting seasons in food plotting that can add up to a lot of soil compaction in the field. Every time you make a pass across that food plot area you’re adding to soil compaction, even your critters add to compaction of the soil. Soil compaction can lead to several production problems in our food plots, the two biggest factors being water and root penetration. To combat this problem, every 2-3 years a para-till or subsoil implement should be used on the plot area, running about 12" deep to break up the soil’s hard pan developed by soil compaction. The level or intensity of soil compaction will vary with the soil type. Utilizing deep tillage every few years will definitely help you with nutrient availability and water absorption for the plants in your food plot.

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Taking Advantage of Fall Cereal Grains...

Planting cereal grains (triticale, cereal rye, oats, wheat etc.) in the fall can benefit you and your wildlife in many ways. You can add cereal grains to your clover mixes to provide a nurse crop, deer will eat the cereal grains first allowing your clovers to establish. Certain cereal grains such as, cereal rye have illpathical properties, the plant releases a toxin in the soil inhibiting certain grasses and weeds to germinate giving you a natural herbicide in your plot. Cereal grains can produce a lot more tonnage in the fall than most legumes, plus they contain high levels of carbohydrates which are what deer are seeking in the fall/winter months, so attraction to the plot area is a bonus. Cereal grains can be an equally effective food source for turkeys in the spring, just in time for you to bag that boss gobbler! Cereal grains can also provide good nesting cover for hen turkeys in the spring. The diversity of a good cereal blend can go a long way in plot management; this is one of the reasons Nutri-Plot’s FallPerfect is our top seller every fall planting season.

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Taking Soil Samples...

The most important thing to remember when taking soil samples is your soil test results are only as good as the samples taken. In order to know where you stand in the fertility department on your plot acres, we need to take accurate soil samples; if you cut corners on your soil sampling your food plots will suffer the consequences. In certain parts of the country the soil profile can dramatically change in a matter of feet! If you take samples from one area of the field, chances are your input levels will be incorrect. Soil sampling is the easiest practice in plot management; it does however take some time to do correctly. In a one acre food plot you should pull 10 sub-samples (plug samples taken at random throughout the sample area, 6" deep) to make up your core sample (a sample taken from your sub-samples, this sample is an accurate measurement of the entire sample area; it is what we will be sent to the soil lab for analysis). Fill out your paper work properly and make sure to label your core sample bag with the right information for the area sampled. Accurate soil sampling tells us the "real deal", what inputs and how much need to be applied to the plot area in order to create a highly productive food plot for our wildlife.

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Why Spring Food Plots are Essential...

Spring planted food plots are essential to providing a well rounded whitetail management plan. It is often the planting season that is ignored by most hunters, putting more of an emphasis on fall planted plots. On the Nutri-Plot test farm, we plant 80% of our food plot acres in the spring vs. the fall. These percentages have a lot to do with the varieties planted plus the management goals that we are trying to achieve for our deer. The food plots that we plant are designed around the "stress periods" of our whitetails; fawning season, antler development and winter stress. 3 Reasons to plant spring food plots:

• Does and Fawns: It is an excellent management strategy to have spring planted food plots in play for does that are carrying fawns and yearlings that have survived the winter. Providing does with high quality browse during gestation and lactation periods will help produce better fawns. Does that are eating high quality browse will benefit in nutrient uptake and provide better nourishment for newborn fawns. Raising better deer on your land or lease begins with fawns.
• Bucks and Antler Development: Guess when you have the best opportunity to increase antler development with food plots? Spring food plots are your supplement feed source for aiding in antler development, fall plantings are for a winter food source and post-rut. The time period in which you can add to antler development is during the spring and summer when antler growth is most critical. By planting spring plots you can increase the chances of bucks gaining a higher nutrient content in their diet during the antler growing phase.
• Spring Advantage: In Missouri, the last few planting seasons have been more favorable in the spring vs. the fall. Largely due to the drought conditions we have faced over the past two years in late summer and early fall. The drought conditions have made it very difficult to raise a fall crop for whitetails. With the adequate moisture that we currently have going into this spring season, planting the majority your deer crops now would be a good idea. Planting spring food plots is a great advantage to maintaining deer on your property all spring and summer when there is no hunting pressure. Spring planted food plots offer the opportunity to scout for the fall hunting season and benefit your deer during stress periods.

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Treating Seed with Nutri-Plot Fertilizer and Attractant...

NP Fertilizer & Attractant was designed primarily to use as a foliar spray to increase forage production, nutrient values and palatability in food plots. However with the product’s nutrient package it also makes a great pre-treatment on seed before planting. The advantage of this liquid concentrate is that it will soak into the seed and does not rely on friction or sticking to the seed like most dry formulations. The concentration of nutrients needed to optimize germination will be directly attached or soaked in the seed when it begins the germination process in the soil, readily available for the young seedling to take advantage of the high concentration of nutrients. It only takes a vary minute amount to treat the seed and increase seedling vigor, mix 1.5oz of concentrate per 5 lb of seed. You can pour the liquid directly over the seed, mix the seed until the liquid has dried and you’re ready to plant. Increasing seedling energy and vigor our major keys to getting a good stand and a highly productive food plot from the start.

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Using Food Plots to Manipulate Whitetail Movement...

You can effectively manipulate deer movement on your property with the use of food plots. This concept was one of the creative factors behind Nutri-Plot’s ForageUltra seed blend. With the use of extreme tall plant varieties and high concentrations of crude protein values, ForageUltra accomplishes two goals: a great protein food source during the spring, summer and early fall, plus lots and lots of cover for whitetails to maneuver in. On your property you can plant the Forage Ultra™ blend along funnels and draws to manipulate deer movement across your property and effectively set up tree stand placement for ambush sites, catching the deer coming from the food plot to the bedding area or vice versa. As an example of how well this strategy works, this season on the Nutri-Plot Test Farm we had multiple Forage Ultra™ plot’s with as many as 25+ deer beds per acre. The varieties used in this blend are very attractive as a food source and deer love the cover it provides for bedding areas. If your property has a high concentration of open areas (pasture fields, CRP etc.) planting Forage Ultra™ could be your answer to providing whitetail habitat, holding more deer and increasing your hunting success. Planting ForageUltra has many benefits and manipulating deer movement on your property is just one of them.

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Fertilizing Food Plot Acres...

Obviously applying N-P-K to your food plot acres is important to food plot production, without the necessary balance of soil nutrients plants aren’t going to produce a good food source for our wildlife. The purpose of planting food plots is to provide wildlife with a supplemental food source that goes beyond natural browse availability. Fertility is the key to getting the most out of our food plot plants and providing wildlife with a high quality food source. Fertilizer and Lime have a symbolic relationship, it is important for you to understand that without increasing soil pH to the plant target level, all the fertilizer in the world will be useless in that food plot. Applying lime reduces acidity in the soil, raising soil pH, as the pH raises nutrient availability in the soil becomes more available for plant production. Another point to make about fertilizing food plots; legumes require less nitrogen than grass species, legumes produce about 65% of their own nitrogen. If you apply nitrogen to your legumes (clovers, soybeans, cowpeas, etc.) the only thing you’ll accomplish is feeding the grass and weeds. That is why I recommend a N-P-K analysis with a low nitrogen rate (6-24-24) for clover blends like Nutri-Plot’s Eterno, StripTease or the new clover blend, NutriFeast. Nutri-Plot’s Fertilizer & Attractant contains Nitrogen, as a foliar fertilizer it is completely safe for clover and will provide tremendous production value for clover plots. Different crops require different nutrient levels; the best approach to fertilizing food plots is to refer to your soil test for the correct nutrient levels to apply.

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Why Liming is So Important...

Correcting your soil pH to a range that is suitable for your crop to thrive is the first step in increasing soil fertility in food plotting. Low soil pH levels cause plant available nutrients to remain "tied up" in the soil reducing your fertilizer usage by the plant. If your pH is 6.5, 24% of the available P is tied up, as soil pH decreases the percentage increases substantially, a pH of 6.0, 48% of the available P is tied up. This trend is true of most soil nutrients, without liming your fertilizer is ineffective on soils with a low pH value. Understanding the pH scale will give you a better picture of how soil acidity is measured. The lower the number below 7 (which is neutral) the higher the acidity in the soil, each number is a multiple of 10. A soil with a pH level of 5 is 10 times as acidic as a soil with a pH level of 6, a soil with a pH level of 4 has 100 times the acid level of a soil with a pH level of 6. Applying lime will reduce soil acidity allowing nutrients to be available for plants in the soil. Nutri-Plot Wildlife Products developed RapidLime a quick-release liquid lime formulation that reduces soil acidity, it’s easy to handle and apply. Refer to a soil test and consult with your farm service center on the correct amount of lime to apply to your food plot acres.

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Most Critical Factor when Planting...

The most critical factor when planting food plots is available soil moisture. Most people are worried about getting the seed planted before the bag time expires; your bag of seed tells you to plant from April 1st – May 1st. Remember that these are recommended times and if you miss the boat by a week or two, it won’t make that much of a difference as long as there is moisture available at planting. Another mistake I see a lot is guys trying to plant and get a crop available before the opening day of archery season, if soil moisture is available then there’s no problem. If it’s dry and you’re trying to plant with no rain in sight, that’s a mistake and you’re not going to be happy with the results if that seed has to lay there for a long period of time before getting any moisture to start germinating. If dry conditions are looming during the planting season, get your soil prepped and ready for seed, and then watch the weatherman. When planting food plots moisture is key to getting a good stand and securing plant growth potential for the rest of the season.

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What to Plant and When...

When talking about what to plant in your food plots, the choices can become confusing. The wildlife management industry can be blamed somewhat for all the confusion with all hoopla about different varieties and trying to sell you on what works best. Deciding what to plant is not as difficult as some make out to be, remember this when choosing varieties to plant, whitetails prefer plants with high levels of protein (soybeans, clovers, chicory, cowpeas etc.) in the spring, summer and early fall and they want plants with high carbohydrate levels (cereal grains, brassica, corn etc.) in the fall and winter. This approach is evident in all of the Nutri-Plot seed blends. When developing seed blends for the Nutri-Plot product line we took a fundamental, common-sense approach, develop wildlife seed mixes that have a dietary purpose for whitetails, use palatable varieties and be different that anyone else. If you use plant varieties with high levels of proteins and carbohydrates and plant them during the right time of the season you will hold more deer on your property and see more deer during the hunting season.

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Common Reasons Food Plots Fail...

Food Plotting is an art, the more you engage yourself in the different management practices that are involved with food plotting the better you’ll get at it. The only factor that we can’t control is the weather; all the other pieces of the puzzle are available to you. Do your best to get educated on all that goes into planting and maintaining successful food plots, the more you know about mainstream agricultural techniques the better off you’ll be on your own "little farm". Here are 5 reasons why food plots fail:

• Moisture - is critical to proper germination and getting those seedlings started in the right direction. If moisture is present at planting your plant population will thrive and your plot will be in a better position to reach its full growth potential. Wait for moisture before you plant!
• Plant Population - if for whatever reason you don’t get a good stand, consider reseeding the plot area. If you have a poor stand it won’t be long before you’re hunting over a patch of weeds, wildlife will eat up the few desirable plants and be gone!
• Fertility - Fertilizing and liming your plots is a necessity, we want our plants to reach full growth potential and contain a high level of nutrition for our wildlife. Apply your inputs according to soil test results, add some Nuri-Plot Fertilizer & Attractant, you’ll be happy with the results and so will the whitetails.
• Soil Preparation - Seed to soil contact is another contributing factor to plant population and producing a good food plot. Take the necessary steps for tillage and work the soil to proper shape for a good seed bed, a smooth dirt surface is idea for distributing the seeds at a proper planting depth. Drag or culti-pack your soil after broadcasting seed, make sure you don’t place the seeds to deep or too shallow.
• Weed Competition - Make sure to do you’re clipping or chemical control to keep weeds in check. You want to definitely address any problems before the weeds can go to seed; if you don’t you will be fighting generations of weeds. If chemical control is being applied you want to apply your spray solution to the field before the weeds reach a height of 6-8", be sure to use Synurgize in the tank mix with your herbicide applications.

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