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Planting
Instructions
Moisture, Soil Preparation & Planting
Depth are crucial to the success of your food
plot.
Soil Preparation: To
plant Shot-Plot properly you will need a firm,
well-prepared seed bed, both limed and
fertilized. We recommend breaking the ground and
cultivating the soil 4-6 inches deep. Remove all
competing weeds and then add fertilizer and lime
as recommended. After properly cultivating, it
is very important to level and lightly pack the
soil before seeding your plot. You can lightly
pack the soil by running over your food plot
with an ATV or a roller.
Fertilizer Requirements:
For optimum results, a soil test should be
performed prior to planting to determine your
plots need for fertilizer & lime. If a soil
test cannot be done, we recommend preparing the
seed bed by applying up to 300 lbs. of 13-13-13
fertilizer or equivalent per acre. We also
recommend refertilizing when the plants are 10
inches tall with 40 lbs of Ammonia Nitrate or equivalent
per acre to increase the protein & forage
available as Shot-Plot begins to be heavily
grazed by your deer herd.
pH of Soil & Liming:
The
recommended soil pH is 6.5-7.0. A soil test
should be performed prior to planting to
determine your soil pH and the need for lime
& fertilizer. If a soil test cannot be done,
we recommend preparing the seed bed by applying
up to one ton of lime per acre. Soil pH is
extremely important since the pH of the soil
helps determine if the plants can metabolize the
fertilizer in the soil and therefore determines
if the plants can grow.
Planting Depth:
Shot-Plot
contains small seeds that normally do not need
to be fully covered in a properly prepared seed
bed. We recommend broadcasting the seed and then
rolling the seed into the seed bed by running
over your food plot with an ATV or a roller.
Never cover the seeds with more than 1/4 inch of
dirt.
Moisture:
Soil
moisture is vital to the plants being able to
establish themselves. The soil should be moist
when planting, with a reasonable expectation of
future rainfall. If adequate moisture is not
available for an extended period, the plot may
become stunted or fail to establish.
Guidelines for planting
Shot-Plot without Tilling:
Over Seeding: We recommend using Shot-Plot to
over seed existing clover or other low growing
perennial food plots. When over seeding, the
coverage of Shot-Plot is doubled to 2.5 lbs per
1 acre.
Frost Seeding: This is an excellent method of
spring planting in the northern areas of the
United States. When frost seeding, follow normal
seed coverage recommendations.
New Plots: The forage Brassicas in Shot-Plot are
extremely hardy seeds that will try to root even
in poor soil conditions. However, if the ground
is not properly broken, the plot may only
produce 1/2 the stand and mature growth may not
exceed 18 inches. Rainfall, fertilizer & the
correct pH will be the determining factors when
Shot-Plot is planted without proper tilling. If
planting Shot-Plot in an area where the soil
cannot be properly prepared, we recommend
seeding at 2.5 lbs per 1/4 acre... twice the
normal rate for the seed.
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®
Hertzler
Farm
and Feed Inc.
Shot-Plot is a premium
mixture of Forage Brassicas. It was developed in New Zealand to produce bigger
& healthier deer. These plants are among the most palatable & nutritious
annual forage that can be planted for deer. Shot-Plot provides forage quickly by
growing over 24 inches tall in about 45 days and once the Brassicas are mature,
deer will begin to devour them as the forage plants surge with growth to replace
the devoured leaves. Shot-Plot provides the proteins that your deer are looking
for during the fall in an irresistible food plot to give you your best shot at
harvesting your trophy.
