Deer hunters are asking a lot more knowledgeable questions than they were a few years ago. That is to be expected, for, generally, the food plot awareness levels — and the myriad of questions increased knowledge can create — are on the upswing.
You don’t hear as many unusual questions now as a few years ago (“I threw out some of this ‘no till’ seed, but nothing grew. Why?”) but there are still doubters who question basics (“My soil is black; why should I test it?”).
But there’s still ground to cover, and a lot of legitimate questions to ask.
Q. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ANNUAL PLANT AND A PERENNIAL PLANT?
A. AN ANNUAL LIVES ITS ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE IN one year, one growing season. A perennial lives three years or longer. A biennial lives two years.
Q. WHERE DO I GET SOME OF THAT ‘NO TILL’ SEED?
A. DEPENDS UPON WHAT YOU MEAN BY ‘NO TILL’. Corn and soybeans can be drilled into the soil without tilling it first. But there’s no seed that you simply throw on open ground expecting it to germinate and grow. The soil needs to be of the right type, fertilizer and lime will need to be applied, the soil needs to be worked up so a seedbed is prepared…and then you plant. But the work isn’t necessarily done. You may need to use a cultipacker or drag to cover the seeds or press them into the soil so they will germinate. Then you stand back and pray for rain.
Q. WHAT CAN I PLANT ON PUBLIC LAND?
A. NOTHING. IT’S PUBLIC LAND. YOU CAN HUNT on it, but you can’t modify it.
Q. WHY DO I NEED TO HAVE A SOIL TEST?
. SO YOU WILL KNOW THE TYPE AND QUALITY OF the soil in which you plan to plant – mainly its acidity or alkalinity or neutrality, the lime it will need, and the
