Improving very sandy soil

[Ben Glantz]

Hello Guys and Gals,

I am fairly new to food plotting, been doing it for 6-7 years. I like trying new things and improving the soil, habitat and critters that live on the land.

I have a couple food plots that are in some very sandy soil. The PH is around 5.8-6.0, organic matter to around 1%.

Right now I have fall planted winter rye, white and red clover growing in the plots. 2 weeks ago I broadcast 100lbs of oats and 10lbs of red clover to help fill in the bare spots and help with weed suppression(2 plots for a total of 1 acre). 5 years ago this plot was sandburs and a creeping grass kind of like fescue.

Is there a downside to mowing the plots or should I just let everything grow until July when I will mow it and either disc it or just broadcast and roll new seeds into the plot. I am thinking that letting it grow will add more organic matter to the soil, increase root production and thatch from the current growth.

 

[scott44]

I would not till it if you have really sandy soil, either mowing the rye or rolling the rye after broadcasting seed into it would be the way I would go. Many ways you can go with rye after it has matured, July/Aug you can roll/mow it and plant a brassica mix, you can let it go until early fall and plant rye, oats, sunflowers after rolling/mowing. You can let it go have a clover plot, you can clip the rye and clover and have it reseed itself and have the same plot. I would think holding moisture would be your number one priority so no tilling, just rolling or mowing.

 

[Ben Glantz]

Thank you for the info and ideas!

 

[bueller]

I haven't mowed in years. I also always plant rye in the fall. If planting something in the spring I spray and drag/roll the rye. If planting something in the fall I let the rye mature and then drag/roll, spraying if needed for weed/grass control. When I plant rye and clover together in the fall I let the rye mature the next summer while the clover thrives underneath. Eventually the rye just falls over. This is all done on almost pure sand with a lower pH than you have.

 

[yoderjac]

Hello Guys and Gals,

I am fairly new to food plotting, been doing it for 6-7 years. I like trying new things and improving the soil, habitat and critters that live on the land.

I have a couple food plots that are in some very sandy soil. The PH is around 5.8-6.0, organic matter to around 1%.

Right now I have fall planted winter rye, white and red clover growing in the plots. 2 weeks ago I broadcast 100lbs of oats and 10lbs of red clover to help fill in the bare spots and help with weed suppression(2 plots for a total of 1 acre). 5 years ago this plot was sandburs and a creeping grass kind of like fescue.

Is there a downside to mowing the plots or should I just let everything grow until July when I will mow it and either disc it or just broadcast and roll new seeds into the plot. I am thinking that letting it grow will add more organic matter to the soil, increase root production and thatch from the current growth.

The best thing you can do for your soil before trying to improve it is to keep from damaging it. Disking soil will introduce O2 which speeds the consumption of OM. Eliminate tillage or minimize it. Check out "Ray the soil Guy" for the concepts: https://vimeo.com/channels/raythesoilguy/52284015 After watching the infiltration video, you can watch some of the others. You will quickly realize that they are focused on big time farmers with big equipment budgets, but the underlying concepts regarding soil hold. Next, check out some of the Crimson and Camo threads on this forum. He demonstrates how many of those concepts can be applied with small or minimal equipment available to most food plotters.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Peeps]

I have sandy soil too and don't till or disc. I use my drag to "scuff" up the soil before planting. This seems to work well for covering up bigger seeds without working the soil too much. WR is your go to with sand.

 

[Bowman]

Greetings. I do not know where you are Ben, or what equipment you have access to. I have a field that I referred to as a beach. The only things that grew in that field were sweet fern, blueberries (plenty) and something that looked like a brillo pad. I tried Ed Spinnazola's Wildlife Cover and Forage blend for 2 years. Did not work. Just more sweet fern and blueberries. Then tried Cave in Rock switchgrass. Nope. Tried Ed's blend again and got a very little of Big Bluestem to grow. I know that in several of these years, we experienced great droughts.

I finally got some equipment instead of farming out the work and limed the field. My PH was 5.5, organic matter was 1.9%. Somewhere in there, I tried buckwheat, which did not do well, but I did not keep notes.

I am not a herbicide guy, so I acquired a disc and used that on the sweet fern and blueberries. Last year, I planted buckwheat again and what might a secret weapon, sorghum sudangrass. Finally, something grew.

Last year, I tried out my disc and planted winter wheat on September 26 and cultipacked it.

Voila, this spring, I have all kind (for me) of growth. For what it is worth, I am in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan.

I will give 2 links on sorghum sudangrass. Mowing really accelerates the root growth and increases organic matter.
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center...sion/Nonlegume-Cover-Crops/Sorghum-Sudangrass
https://www.thespruce.com/grow-sorghum-sudangrass-a-cover-crop-3016600

Nitrogen helps and what from I have read, helps microbes with the residue too. Build the soil.

 

[FarmerDan]

I thought I would bring this in from another forum. It's by a "brother" from the old QDMA forum. What's he's done to improve his sandy soil is stunning. I'm not sure I said it out loud, but I sure thought he wouldn't have much success doing what he just did. I stand corrected. It's a marvel.

http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/a-soil-test.2530/

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Biochar and compost. just be sure not to add any commercial fertilizer to it because you will kill the biology in the soil that is required to build the soil. I know it was looked down on on here but the results speak for themselves.

Id wait until your ready to plant to mow. The longer you let it go the more biomass will be available to build your soil.

 

[Bowman]

To Farmer Dan, I am impressed. Wow. Is there any way to access any info on how he started? Or that Dgallow fellow?

 

[FarmerDan]

To Farmer Dan, I am impressed. Wow. Is there any way to access any info on how he started? Or that Dgallow fellow?

Go get on Deer Hunter Forum...
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php

dgallow's postings
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?search/4622222/


Crimson n Camo:
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?search/4622227/

 

[Bowman]

Farmer Dan, thanks a bunch. Be talking to you.

 

[sandbur]

What real farmers do in my area for sandy soils can be summed up in one word. Manure, pH and soil testing is important, but manure does a lot.

Some have chickens, hogs, or turkeys just for the manure for the crop land. Got to admit it is diversity in sources of income as markets change, also.

 

[IkemanTx]

I thought I would bring this in from another forum. It's by a "brother" from the old QDMA forum. What's he's done to improve his sandy soil is stunning. I'm not sure I said it out loud, but I sure thought he wouldn't have much success doing what he just did. I stand corrected. It's a marvel.

http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/a-soil-test.2530/

I thought CnC was on here as well...? Didn't he author the throw n' mow thread? Is that the same food plot?


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[FarmerDan]

I thought CnC was on here as well...? Didn't he author the throw n' mow thread? Is that the same food plot?


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Yep. It's him. He's posting over there much more than here. Same food plot? I dunno....

 

[yoderjac]

Yep. It's him. He's posting over there much more than here. Same food plot? I dunno....

A while back there was a lot of sniping and bullying on this forum and the other was much more collegial. Some folks didn't want to put up with it and went there. I don't know of CNC was one of them or not. However, in recent months this forum has become much more collegial and I have seen more folks join in here which is great. There are also folk who are active on both forums and there is nothing wrong with that.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[IkemanTx]

Well, I somehow missed that other forum when QDMA shut down, so now I will definitely be following both.


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[Ben Glantz]

I am in Columbia county. The farmer told me the other day his farm has 9 different soils on it. The area left for to attempt food plots is probably some of the less desirable soil. I checked on the plots this past weekend. Clover is doing pretty well and the rye is going gang busters. I spread 200 lbs of fertilizer in April and I seems to have helped kick everything g in gear. I'm going to mow the rye where I want a clover plot next weekend
The remaining plots I'm going to let go and try the broadcast seed, spray, roll I late july. The first broadcast will be the rye and peas, then I'll spread clover and brassicas and roll again. I'll also add a ton of lime in late June and fertile AR planting. Then pray for rain