Pasture/Natural Spring Food Plot?

[GloryDaysDesign]

Looks like we have a natural spring on our farm, and/or a very wet area. Don't get me wrong, we just had major rain and snow before that in Eastern, PA - but this ground is muddy. We are fairly certain it was an old cow pasture.

We had thought it was a perfect spot for plot, considering the open layout.

Are we wasting our time trying to plant something? Thanks for any feedback.

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[Peplin Creek]

If your trying to establish a clover plot or something that will come back year after year. You might be. I have a couple of plots like that. I just leave them be in the spring now. Come summer they dry up really nice and I just plant a good fall mix. They turn into excellent plots. Take what the plot gives you, and move on. Best of luck to you.

 

[GloryDaysDesign]

So do you Glysophate in the summer and kill the grasses/weeds/growth on top, and then till to get a decent seed bed? Of course I am not sure if it would still be too wet for that, so asking based on your experience. What fall mix do you usually plant? Our bowseason unfortunately ends on Nov. 11!

 

[yoderjac]

This is not a great spot for a food plot if the pictures are typical. If it is the only spot you have, I would not use the typical planting techniques. I would not touch it now. You don't want to remove vegetation that is using water because it is so wet. I would not use any equipment on the field. I would surface broadcast perennial clover in the fall. When the spring rains are over next year and things start to dry out a bit, I would use a back pack sprayer and spray clethodim. I'd then spray clethodim again in the fall and surface broadcast more clover.

The concept here is to keep something growing at all times. Again, I would use another spot if at all possible if those pictures are representative.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[useyourbow]

To me, there is a reason nothing else is thriving there based on the the growth of the surrounding vegetation.

 

[GloryDaysDesign]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the replies. We could definitely seed clover this fall. We plan on cutting all of this vegetation back, especially opening up the south most side of the plot to get some more sun to hit the plot. Of course, I am just guessing at what to do since I am a novice. Any tips would be appreciated. Here is another photo. This area is kind of a bench of the long hillside rain runoff. Seems like it just sits. So thick that the shovel can sit upright stuck in the mud in that one picture above.

 

[Peplin Creek]

The fall mix that plant are oats, winter rye with some radish. I don't plant it until the last week of August. You might want to look at making a trench and slope the plot to one side. Not sure if that will be feasible or not. Right now one of my plots looks like a lake and it always does. By the time July hits its bone dry and stays that way the rest of the fall until when the ground freezes and we get a rain or snow.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I dont know what your surroundings are, but if you do not have any creeks, or ponds in the area, this may be a good spot to create a little pond. So rather then trying to make something grow in a natural wet area, make the wet area, well wetter. Dig it out a bit, maybe a 20 foot circle, a foot deep, or 2 feet deep, then you have yourself a great little watering hole.

 

[GloryDaysDesign]

Great Idea, fortunately for us, we have a 1 acre pond about 150yds away from this spot!

 

[Powder]

I know you said you have a pond close by but I still think the small watering hole idea may be the way to go. Do a search on here for water holes. There's lots of info on how guys have set up small watering holes close by to lakes and streams and still have lots of activity. I guess the moral of the story is if you try to get something to grow and it doesn't, don't be afraid to try the water hole.

 

[GloryDaysDesign]

So this may be a stupid question, but since this seems to be a very wet area (possibly a natural spring), would I just dig a hole for the watering hole and not use a tub or liner? I only ask because I am thinking that the natural spring would naturally fill the hole from the ground up? I obviously do not know know how natural springs work. I will definitely read up on some watering holes on this forum.

 

[TreeDaddy]

a natural spring in east texas would be better than gold

bill

 

[4wanderingeyes]

So this may be a stupid question, but since this seems to be a very wet area (possibly a natural spring), would I just dig a hole for the watering hole and not use a tub or liner? I only ask because I am thinking that the natural spring would naturally fill the hole from the ground up? I obviously do not know know how natural springs work. I will definitely read up on some watering holes on this forum.

Most of the time yes, you can get by with just digging down, then letting it naturally fill it, and it will hold water. But that depends on a lot of things, how high the water line is, and what soil is beneath the surface. If you dig down and find sand, and the water line is really low, it most likely will drain into the soil when it gets dry. If the water line is high, then it will probably just fill itself from the high water line. If you dig down and find clay, you are golden!