Why Soil Testing Is the Most Important Step Before Buying Food Plot Seeds

Land managers and hunters look forward to the time of planting. You imagine the good green mounds of clover, the corn is high, or the tough brassicas that will keep the wildlife alive in the winter. Yet, there is one important thing that you should not skip before you break ground: a soil test. It is like constructing a house on sand, not to build a strong foundation. However good your genetics are and however much rainfall you get, the chemistry of your soils is wrong, your plot will not work.

The Hidden Variables Beneath Your Feet

Soil is not merely dirt but it is a living, breathing chemistry lab. The food needed to cultivate a successful food plot is different in every acre. In the absence of soil tests, you are just making guesses, and guessing costs a lot. The three key considerations that you must know are pH of the soil, macronutrients, and micronutrients.

The majority of forage plants (legumes, clover, alfalfa, chicory) have a range of pH at which the plants unlock nutrients in the soil. When you have a lower pH (acidic), the roots are not able to absorb the fertilizer, no matter how much you put on it. You can test out and then you know exactly what needs to be amended to have the ideal growth condition.

Saving Money by Planting Smart

The biggest myth is that the more expensive the seed mix is, the more successful the purchase is. In practice, the poor seed in the poor soil is simply a waste of capital. Lime and fertilizer are also high-cost items. When you apply lime that you do not require or a type of fertilizer mix that is not correct, you are wasting money that would be used for other things.

Taking time to plan before you buy seeds for food plots is an assurance that you are not putting your money in the dirt. A test of soil, which costs only a little (less than 20 dollars on average), fills you in on the exact amount of lime and fertilizer that is needed. This is a specific strategy that can save you hundreds of dollars of needless amendments, but will raise the yield of your plot dramatically.

Understanding Your Soil Test Results

The lab report you need returns to you as an unknown language. You must focus on essential numerical data because it leads to correct decision-making. The data can be interpreted in the following way:

When you have a pH that is less than 6.0, you need to use agricultural lime to increase the pH. The fertilizer requires a higher middle number, which ranges between 10 and 20 when Phosphorus levels are low. The quickest way of getting a poor crop is by overlooking these figures.

Matching Seeds to Soil Conditions

Plants are more tolerant to different things. When you are aware of what your soil is capable of doing then you are able to choose a seed mix that will grow in such conditions instead of trying to survive.

• Thick Soil, High PH: Good on legumes such as alfalfa and clover. They are perennials that are high in proteins and they need good soil.
• Acidic Soil, Sandy: More appropriate to acid-tolerant plant species such as brassicas (turnips, radishes) or a few grains, such as rye.
• Wet, Heavy Soil: Oats or chicory are cereal grains that do well in moisture-retentive soils as compared to dryland legumes.

You would simply match your seed choice with your soil report, and you would have a palatable and nutritious attractant. Having in hand your report you are able to buy seeds for food plots with a lot of confidence that they will actually sprout in your particular food plot location.

The unsung hero in food plot management is soil testing. It eliminates the guesswork, conserves money on inputs and preconditions a productive growing season. Getting to know what is under the surface is a sure way of making sure that all your money invested in seed and fertilizer is healthy wildlife and a good hunt. Plant not; test; and see thy engines run.