How To Spread Ag Lime On Food Plots

Video How to spread lime ag on the food boxIf you have ever read an article about growing and managing feed lots, the author certainly recommends that you collect soil samples to determine the proper amount of lime and fertilizer needed to maximize quality. feed that you are managing. This has certainly been the case in every species profile in the food batch that I have written for Quality Whitetails over the past five years. While it may seem like we’re killing an unruly horse, this is where tires meet the path in regards to improving soil health and forage quality, ultimately boosting productivity. , nutritional quality and attractiveness of our food batches. Lime ag on the food plot We place a great deal of responsibility on the soil in our food plot and place high expectations on their ability to provide the desired forage growth. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all application when it comes to soil management because there is so much variation in soil types and textures, geographic locations, topographical locations, species grown, etc. These variations will require a different formulation to give your feed box the best possible shape to achieve the desired results according to the specific feeds you want to manage for deer and other animals. other wildlife. The feed plot with a pH of 5.6 is 10 times more acidic than the plot with a pH of 6.6 but 100 times more acidic than the plot with a pH of 7.6. Read more: Lyrics How To Handle A Woman – Richard Burton The management program is to collect a soil sample to determine the soil pH and nutrient concentrations of minerals such as phosphorus, potassium and others. In case you were wondering, pH stands for “power of hydrogen” and it is commonly referred to as soil acidity. It is a measure of the amount of hydrogen present in the soil on a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being extremely acidic and 14 being extremely basic. It’s a logarithmic scale, and that means if the food cell has a pH of 5.6, it is 10 times more acidic than the cell with a pH of 6.6, but 100 times more acidic. compared to the cell with a pH of 7.6. plays an important role in plant growth and greatly influences the availability of nutrients to be used by plants. This cannot be exaggerated. When the soil pH is low, meaning below 5.8, many of the important nutrients needed for plant growth, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium, are less available to plants. . Therefore, if the pH in your food plot is low (acidic), then much of the fertilizer you may have applied when you planted it will go to waste and become unusable for your lawn. Simply put, nutrients already in the soil, plus those added through fertilizers, are essentially held hostage by soil hydrogen until they can be released by fertilization. lime and soil neutralization.Low pH is corrected by liming. The recommended amount of lime required will be indicated on your soil sample report. Simply raising the pH between 6.0 and 7.0 dramatically improves nutrient availability as the nutrients are released through a chemical reaction – even if they are not needed. Add fertilizer! Once the pH has been adjusted, the addition of fertilizers appropriate for the species you are managing (again, information provided in the soil sample report) will substantially increase feed production. raw green and health. soil pH. These materials are rated based on the fineness of the material and their neutralization value. Therefore, all liming materials are not the same, it is necessary to consider to apply the right dose to achieve the desired results. The Department of Agriculture in most states requires the lime to be ground to a certain size (or fineness), which is important because this determines how quickly the lime will begin to neutralize the pH of the lime. soil. The finer the lime, the faster the lime begins to break down and work. By far the most common types of lime used in agricultural settings are dolomitic limestone and calcium limestone. [Oil & Water Based]If your food plot needs to be limed, it is important that it takes about 6 months or more for the lime to start raising the pH of the soil, so priming should be done first if possible. Keep this in mind as you plan activities. In addition, mixing lime into the soil by sprinkling will help speed up this process. Forage yields will slowly improve throughout the growing season as the pH increases slowly. If you’re planting with a no-till drill or with a no-till seeding method, lime can be applied effectively in unbroken soil, but understand that it will take longer for it to start moving through the soil. and adjust the pH.Bulk lime can be dispensed in a number of ways, and you can then distribute to individual food plots. Note, however, that the large lime in this photo has a moist sand-like consistency and requires a dropper or belt spreader. It cannot be delivered with a broadcast spreader. A frequently asked question from food plotters is how much lime should be applied and whether it is more effective to split applications if the soil test recommends large amounts. While many soils may require 2 tons per acre or less for pH adjustment, it is not uncommon for some soils to need 3 to 4 tons per acre. In this case, go ahead and apply the recommended amount in one application if possible. There’s no real benefit I’m aware of that would justify having to increase the number of trips to your plots that would be necessary if lime units were to be separated About liming the plots your product, the easiest and most effective method is to buy lime in bulk and spread it with a hired lime truck or hire an agricultural supply agent to spread it for you in a lime truck. However, if you are dealing with small plots of land and/or hard to reach feed with large equipment, then buying bagged lime would be your best bet. This type can be pulverized or in pellet form, which helps facilitate spread. It is important to understand that in most cases, lime pellets are the same type of lime (limestone or dolomitic limestone) that you would buy in bulk, just compressed into larger particles to help you spread out. Therefore, it is necessary to apply the same amount per acre to correct the pH. Lime should be applied periodically every few years to maintain the pH in the neutral range. Doing so will help maximize forage production, which will make your forage batches more appealing to the creatures you’re feeding them. Healthy plots are also more resistant to heavy grazing pressures and other adverse conditions that negatively affect forage growth, such as drought, insects, disease and weed pressure. Make sure you are addressing this important factor to get the most out of your food plots. Read more: how to get a free tattoo