# fertilizer question



## halfczech (Nov 27, 2004)

ill be planting my first food plots this spring. i sprayed 3 times last year ,the ground is bare under the snow. is it alright to spread fert. after the snow is gone? like early march then seed in april.


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

You can fertilize then. However the nitrogen will soon be lost as it readily disipates from the soil. The phosphorus and potassium will remain. You'd be better serve to fertiilze just before planting.


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

I would not recommend spreading fertilizer early. Some will run off and some will bond with the soil and not be available for use when germination occurs. Fertilize at the time of planting but an early application of lime will help.


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## halfczech (Nov 27, 2004)

thankyou very much. iam reading posts here and have eds book but sometimes have queistions cant find answers to. once again thankyou


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## lookin for the gills (Jan 21, 2003)

Just my 2 cents...

I am not braggin or saying i am right but if I was doing it I would fertilize a week or so before you plant. I dont know what your planting put a plant is a plant. I have a degree in Turf Management from MSU( once again, not braggin) and there are 10 steps one must take in order to grow anything even a vegetable garden

*1. Soil testing*

A soil test to determine lime and ferilizer requirements provides the best guide for proper turfgrass establishment. Laboratory results of the test will provide the pH and lime requirement of the soil and the amounts of phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter present in the soil. Recommendations for liming, soil physical amendments, basic fertilizer, and starter fertilizer will be returned to you along with the laboratory results. Soil test mailing kits may be obtained from your county Extension office at a nominal fee. These kits provide all necessary information on how to take a soil sample as well as a mailing container for forwarding the sample to the University Soil Testing Laboratory

*2. Rough-grading*

a. Remove all debris, including large stones, left by construction work.

b. Till soil and bring area to rough-grade prior to liming or fertilization.

c. Where topsoil is to be replaced or brought in, first rough-grade the area to the contour of the finished grade to facilitate uniform distribution of topsoil.

*3. Liming*

a. Proper liming is essential to derive maximum benefits from fertilizer applications.

b. Where a lime requirement test has been made, broadcast and work into a 4- to 6-inch soil depth enough ground limestone to meet fully the requirement shown by the test.

c. Where lime requirement exceeds 200 lbs. per 1,000 square feet, apply one half the total requirement, till, apply the remaining one half, and retill.

d. Where a lime requirement test is not available, broadcast and work into a 4- to 6-inch soil depth a minimum of 100 lbs. of ground limestone per 1,000 square feet.

*4. Basic Fertilization*

a. Where a soil test has been made, broadcast the required amountof recommended fertilizer and work into the soil to a 4- to 6-inch depth.

b. Where a soil test has not been made, broadcast and work into the soil to a 4- to 6-inch depth 25 to 35 lbs. of 0-46-0 fertilizer or equivalent per 1,000 square feet.


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## lookin for the gills (Jan 21, 2003)

*<H3> 5. Soil Amendments*

</H3>a. Where a soil test indicates the soil has a low organic matter content, work the recommended amounts of organic matter into the soil to a 2- to 4-inch depth before applying the starter fertilizer.

b. Reed sedge peat, moss peat, or a combination of the two materials is recommended as a source of organic matter. Well-rotted sawdust or well-rotted manure may be used as a source of organic matter although these materials decompose quite rapidly and maintain desirable soil physical conditions for a shorter period of time than do reed sedge or moss peats.
*<H3>6. Tillage*

Till seedbed to a 4- to 6-inch depth making sure the limestone (if required), physical amendments (if required) and the basic fertilizer are uniformly mixed throughout the soil profile. Pockets of limestone, physical amendments or basic fertilizer must be avoided.

</H3>*7. Finish-grading*

Rake area to finish-grade just prior to seeding. Light rolling will indicate any low spots or other irregularities of the area.
*8. Starter Fertilization*

a. Immediately prior to seeding, broadcast and work into the top inch of soil 40 lbs. of a 10-5-5, 10-6-4 or 25 lbs. of a 16-8-8 fertilizer or the equivalent per 1,000 square feet. The fertilizer must be turf grade, having an approximate 2-1-1 ratio and containing 35 percent or more of the total nitrogen as water insoluble or controlled release nitrogen. Application at the recommended rate should provide adequate fertilization for a full growing season.

b. As an alternative, immediately prior to seeding, broadcast and work into the top inch of soil 20 to 25 lbs. of a 5-10-10 or 10 to 12 lbs. of a 10-10-10 farm grade (soluble nitrogen) fertilizer or equivalent per 1,000 square feet. The use of a ferilizer containing soluble nitrogen will necessitate refertilization after 6 to 8 weeks of growing weather.
*<H3>9. Seeding*

a. Late summer to early fall is the best time for seeding, spring is second best time

*10. Mulching*

Mulch seeded area with clean straw or marsh hay. Light mulches (some soil showing through mulch) may be left on the area to decompose. Heavy mulches (complete soil coverage) should be removed from the area within a few days after seed germination

</H3>


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## lookin for the gills (Jan 21, 2003)

I cut and pasted these off a site. But these are the golden rules of planting anything. I had to use a few spots so I could fit it all in. I know its a bit much but if you follow these steps then I assure you that you wont have any hassles. Trust in the almighty Turf God:lol: :lol:


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## JCS (Dec 18, 2001)

For a great way to spread lime using a 4 wheeler or small tractor, check out the GroundBuster Pulverized Lime Spreader at: 
GroundBuster Lime Spreader PDF
or the following link: 
GroundBuster Lime Spreader Page

This unit was designed from the ground up for the food plot industry by food plot establishment professionals. 

This lime spreader will pay for itself in as little as 10 tons of lime, just on the difference between pelletized and pulverized lime, not to mention the time that you'll save! 

We've acutally tested the GroundBuster Lime Spreader by filling it with 1,000 lbs of pulverized lime and then running water from a garden hose on it for 20 minutes before attempting to spread it. The GroundBuster spread the wetted pulverized lime perfectly. 

Jim Shaeffer 
Native Prairie Restorations 
800-298-9987


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## brokenarrow (Oct 6, 2003)

Where are you located? April may be a bit early for seeding outdoors.
Remember, everytime you work the soil more (new) weed seeds get brought up to the surface where temp. and sunlight will germinate them. Work the soil as little as possible now. Unless your using round ready seeds, I would seed and fert. at the same time.


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## brokenarrow (Oct 6, 2003)

JCS
I just read the pdf file on that product. Did a demacrat write that? LOL (just kidding)
It has a comparison chart that shows how fast you will save money if you buy bulk lime instead of bagged. Yes the bulk is cheaper all the time, but the numbers they give are so far out of whack it would double or tripple the time to have it paid off (IMHO)
$2.79 per 50# bag of pulverized lime. I have never paid more than $1.95 and usually get it for $1.40-$1.65 a bag.
Also the chart states that bulk lime can be bought for $15 a ton. Od course all area's vary in price but if you have it delivered I believe the average would be around $25 a ton or more.
Your product looks like a good one, but I would lose the advertisement for how long it takes to recoup your money.

Dont take this wrong, I am not trying to put down that product. I just want others who may be "wow'ed" by the charts to compare apples to apples
and then make a resonable decision.

Lookin for gills Where in those charts does it talk about how long the lime should be in the ground before you plant so that your plants would get optimum benifit from it?
Ever try and take straw (mulch) off of 8 acres of clover or corn? Does it say the best way to do that?


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

Jim, is it possible to rent the Groundbuster for a day? Seems like a great product for a PF or WTU chapter, or a county soil conservation district. For an individual who's looking to lime a couple small plots once every 5 years, it doesn't seem quite as practical.


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

TTTop


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## chevyjam2001 (Feb 14, 2002)

That groundbuster looks like a great idea. However to ask $2,000 for something that has maybee $200.00 worth of materials into it is ridiculous. They would sell alot more of them if they were reasonably priced in the $400.00 - $500.00 range.


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## halfczech (Nov 27, 2004)

my property is located in gladwin county. if conditions are not right i will seed and plant in may. form what i gather so far it is alright to seed and fert on the day. now on to the next question. i had a soil sample taken on the 2 plots 1 came back with a ph of 6.8 the other 7.0 so that looks good for clovers but the other numbers i dont know . if i take my soil sample report to an grain elevator will they be able to recommend the right fert?


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## brokenarrow (Oct 6, 2003)

chevyjam2001
I think you better price steel again? You will be amazed at what little steel you can get for $200 now a day. (2"x3" structual tubing 1/4" wall thickness) 20 foot of this is $200.


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## DEERSLAYER (Mar 29, 2000)

halfczech said:


> if i take my soil sample report to an grain elevator will they be able to recommend the right fert?


halfczech,

The answer to your question is YES, they should be able to recomend the right fertilizer.


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

I could imagine the product being a decent value at $2,000, providing that it is well-made, and wouldn't croak if some rock-like lime chunks happen to run through it. Still, I can't imagine it would be practical for a single user; if you're already working with good ground, and have a few small food plots, you may only add lime every several years or so, only correcting for pH "creep" caused by repeated fertilizer applications. No sense in storing something that you'll only be using one day out of every two thousand. 

I'd be happy to pay a fair price to rent one, though.


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