About J. Wayne Fears

I do not own any farm equipment and I don’t have property with fields or large openings to develop into food plots. Are there any seeds I could just take into the woods and sow that would grow food to attract deer?”

This is one of the most common questions I get, and I am getting it more often. The answer is yes, but it is a yes with a lot of conditions attached to it.

To explore how you can sow seeds for a food plot crop without the aid of farm equipment, I went to John Carpenter, forage and wildlife seed expert with Pennington Seed Company. John’s job is to work with this question on a regular basis. Here is what he told me:

The use of a small string mower can be the first step to getting a small food plot area opened up to bare ground.

Everyday I deal with hunting clubs that have limited equipment. As you know, there is a right way to plant, and then there is the way that most folks have to plant based on the limited equipment they have at their disposal.

In my experience, most folks have a hand-operated seed/fertilizer spreader, hand-held or backpack sprayer, a string fed-mower or other mower of some type, and a 4-wheeler so they can pull a drag or tree top.

Here are the steps I recommend for the spot in the woods you have selected to plant. Note that it requires starting well before the actual planting time. This is what I call the “doing the best you can with what you have” planting technique.

• Soil test the area, then spread lime as needed following the soil test results as soon as you can.
• Mow the area to be planted down to the ground at least four to six weeks before your planting date.
• Before applying weed killer, wait two weeks to achieve some regrowth, since chemicals need a target (leaf surface) to connect with and be effective.
• Spray a nonselective chemical like Roundup over the entire surface. Follow the chemical instructions carefully.
• You can plant, or wait and watch and respray again if needed. Since you started early you have the time to do this.

• 	A backpack sprayer with weed killer can get into remote locations to open up a food plot site. It can also be used with a water soluble fertilizer such as MEEN Green to fertilize the plot.

  Scratch or break up the ground as much as possible to provide the seed a bare soil bed to come in contact with.

• Using a seeder, spread the seed over the prepared sod evenly, and drag.
• Keep an eye on it and as you get a stand, top dress with fertilizer as recommended by soil test results, or as the seed instructions dictate.

Seed to Ground Contact Critical

The planter’s goal is to achieve good seed-to-soil contact. When a seed comes to rest on a leaf, grass thatch, or even in poor contact with the soil, the result will be a short lived plant, or there may not be any germination at all. Getting seed down to the soil, and then firmly connected to the soil, will result in an increased amount of plant survival and success. Most scratch-and-sow food plots fail due to poor seed to soil contact.

While newly planted seeds need moisture, they do not germinate because of a rainfall. Seeds wick moisture out of the soil. This wicking process occurs from the entire surface of the seed, so the more the seed is in contact with the soil, the more efficiently that seed can wick moisture out of the soil. The sooner that occurs, the faster and more uniform the germination of the seed.

The hand operated seeder can be used to distribute lime and fertilizer, as well as seed.

Since we have a shallow seed planting depth, and we’re using small seed and have no equipment for conventional tillage, we are setting ourselves up for an increased risk of germination failure. As we get rainfall, the top surface of the soil dries out the fastest. With every wind that blows, ray of sun that shines, and day that goes by without the next rain, the topsoil is getting dryer and dryer. Seed that is loosely touching the ground or has air pockets between the seed and soil will germinate poorly and slowly. It could take two or three rain events to keep the topsoil moist enough to achieve germination; the trick is to get the best seed to soil contact possible.

Additionally, broadcasting seed over existing, killed or chemically suppressed sod may result in insufficient seed-soil contact. When planting into living or dormant sod, the existing grass should be cut close prior to planting. For chemically killed sod, old crop debris should be at a minimum. To improve seed-soil contact, broadcasted seed should be “scratched” into the soil using a garden rake, chain drag, spike-toothed harrow, or even an evergreen tree top.

While not required, using a roller or cultipacker (or a 4-wheeler tire) after seed are “scratched in” will enhance seed-soil contact and improve seed germination.

Some Sunlight is a Must

In addition to Carpenter’s recommendations, the scratch-and-sow food plot location you select must have direct sunlight hitting the ground for at least half of the day. Seeds, and the resulting plants, designed for food plots must have some sunlight to grow. A hidden spot deep in the woods with a heavy overhead canopy of leaves and limbs will not allow enough sunlight for the crop to develop. A poor crop is of little interest to deer.

	Getting the seed in solid contact with the soil is key to a food plot crop getting off to a good start. Even a garden rake can be used to scratch the soil.

Seeds Available

The food plot seed industry has recognized the need for specially selected seed, in small packagesm, for those who want small food plots and don’t have the farm equipment to establish a traditional food plot. These products are designed for the food plot planter who is selecting a small opening, eliminating weeds and grass, liming and fertilizing properly, scratching the bare earth, and planting the seed according to instructions. I have tested many of these seed products and if managed correctly, they can produce a crop of food that will attract deer.

So the answer to the question raised at the beginning of this article is yes, a food plot can be successfully established in a small opening in the woods without farm equipment, provided the opening has direct sunlight on it for at least 4-5 hours, you kill and clear away growing vegetation, you lime and fertilize the soil properly, you scratch up the soil as much as possible, you sow quality seed that requires little soil depth, the seed comes in good contact with the soil, and there is ample moisture in the soil. With a lot of work and some luck in the form of rain at the right time, you will have food plots without buying any farm equipment.