bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
I've seen boron deficiency, hollow heart in turnips. Fixed it with borax. Both in food plots and in the garden.
I stay away from hunting jazz. The latest food plot variety, the best bullet, the scent free thing, the latest bow..... Maybe I'm missing on a trophy. Still enjoy what I do how I do it.
Food plot jazz, I do like imperial clover. I add it to my blend of clovers, maybe 10%. Thats about it.
Far as micronutrients. IF you guys are doing alot of turnips annually, I'd get boron checked. But, there's bigger fish to fry with soil first. pH, flooding issues, maybe macronutrients.
Like farmer dan said, testing is worth it. Tissue testing might be a hit or miss. Even with out rotations, we are a mono cropping to an extent. Like rye every year. That could show a lower than expected result. There's extensive soil samples with more nutrient and micronutrient data more or less $50. Also, where you take your sample. Like sending a 2nd or 3rd test for the top inch or two, pretty much called no-till test. Also deep soil studies.
Likely tissue studies might be best done with the local trees or perhaps even raspberries. IF you want to go that route. Apple trees folks grow on here might be jadded with fertilizer use.
There's guys with tons of acres of food, theres guys with only a few acres or maybe just an acre. Adding fertilizer is not the end of the world here. If you think you need more attractive food to get deer on your land, or there is very little food at times with little land to make it. Using fertilizer isn't a bad idea.
I do both. I like the throw-n-mow. Can get some plots in quick and cheap. Can do it on hard or impossible to till soil. Only got an ATV for camp, so it's cheap on equipment as well. Also, some food plot areas are abused, like ATV trails. So, you dont feel bad about it, not much time or money spent there. Still fertilize a spot or two where I hunt over. Still till it up every couple of years too.
Micronutients........ Besides that salt, there alot of liquid stuff out there. Even local tractor supply has it. Check out AM leonard's store. They have alot of nursery fertilizers. Much of that salt lick stuff you guys are arguing about is in good old miracle grow. While 4lb boxes of fertilizer can be expensive on a large scale, places like AM lenoard has that stuff. Stuff just like miracle grow can be bought in 50lb bags. Might be worth looking into for folks who irrigate their trees. When plants are lacking water ,they're also lacking nutrients as well. I add miracle gro to my trees I water by hand. Plants I water by hose I do not use a fertilizer can. It literally cuts the flow of water in half. I fill up a water can and add it to the end of a watering session. OR use a small amount of concentrated water into my 4 gallon jugs at my apple trees. They have a 3/16" hole drilled in the bottom, so the soil can absorb more water with less runoff. Pour a cup of strong miracle grow into the jug filled up by the hose.
MY local AG co-op does custom mix fertilizer. They can add alot of stuff, like sulfur, boron, selenium, manganese, copper, and others. Not too expensive either. And they rent a tow spreader you can drive away with your truck.
However, this is not a permanent fix. This deficiency is only satisfied for a period of time per application. Sometimes 2 or 3 years, while others might only be months. Focusing on certain crops for a few years, then maybe retest and adding that mineral after the certain plant mined it for you. Adding that mineral and planting that certain crop might make the plant lazy.
Adding too much or unevenly can cause toxicity to the soil too. Maybe for no-til, knowledge is key. You don't have a ton of copper...... Avoid crops that use alot.
I stay away from hunting jazz. The latest food plot variety, the best bullet, the scent free thing, the latest bow..... Maybe I'm missing on a trophy. Still enjoy what I do how I do it.
Food plot jazz, I do like imperial clover. I add it to my blend of clovers, maybe 10%. Thats about it.
Far as micronutrients. IF you guys are doing alot of turnips annually, I'd get boron checked. But, there's bigger fish to fry with soil first. pH, flooding issues, maybe macronutrients.
Like farmer dan said, testing is worth it. Tissue testing might be a hit or miss. Even with out rotations, we are a mono cropping to an extent. Like rye every year. That could show a lower than expected result. There's extensive soil samples with more nutrient and micronutrient data more or less $50. Also, where you take your sample. Like sending a 2nd or 3rd test for the top inch or two, pretty much called no-till test. Also deep soil studies.
Likely tissue studies might be best done with the local trees or perhaps even raspberries. IF you want to go that route. Apple trees folks grow on here might be jadded with fertilizer use.
There's guys with tons of acres of food, theres guys with only a few acres or maybe just an acre. Adding fertilizer is not the end of the world here. If you think you need more attractive food to get deer on your land, or there is very little food at times with little land to make it. Using fertilizer isn't a bad idea.
I do both. I like the throw-n-mow. Can get some plots in quick and cheap. Can do it on hard or impossible to till soil. Only got an ATV for camp, so it's cheap on equipment as well. Also, some food plot areas are abused, like ATV trails. So, you dont feel bad about it, not much time or money spent there. Still fertilize a spot or two where I hunt over. Still till it up every couple of years too.
Micronutients........ Besides that salt, there alot of liquid stuff out there. Even local tractor supply has it. Check out AM leonard's store. They have alot of nursery fertilizers. Much of that salt lick stuff you guys are arguing about is in good old miracle grow. While 4lb boxes of fertilizer can be expensive on a large scale, places like AM lenoard has that stuff. Stuff just like miracle grow can be bought in 50lb bags. Might be worth looking into for folks who irrigate their trees. When plants are lacking water ,they're also lacking nutrients as well. I add miracle gro to my trees I water by hand. Plants I water by hose I do not use a fertilizer can. It literally cuts the flow of water in half. I fill up a water can and add it to the end of a watering session. OR use a small amount of concentrated water into my 4 gallon jugs at my apple trees. They have a 3/16" hole drilled in the bottom, so the soil can absorb more water with less runoff. Pour a cup of strong miracle grow into the jug filled up by the hose.
MY local AG co-op does custom mix fertilizer. They can add alot of stuff, like sulfur, boron, selenium, manganese, copper, and others. Not too expensive either. And they rent a tow spreader you can drive away with your truck.
However, this is not a permanent fix. This deficiency is only satisfied for a period of time per application. Sometimes 2 or 3 years, while others might only be months. Focusing on certain crops for a few years, then maybe retest and adding that mineral after the certain plant mined it for you. Adding that mineral and planting that certain crop might make the plant lazy.
Adding too much or unevenly can cause toxicity to the soil too. Maybe for no-til, knowledge is key. You don't have a ton of copper...... Avoid crops that use alot.
