# Food plot in very sandy soil-what to plant?



## Corona (Mar 29, 2007)

I hunt in very sandy soil. I can here the waves of Lake Michigan from my blind! I have a nice clearing I'd like to plant a very small food plot in and I'm wondering what kind of seeds to plant... I will be farming this plot the old fashion way, with my hands mostly, but I might have access to a tiller.
Any advice on what to plant in this sandy soil?


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## adowns99 (Aug 4, 2006)

*.*

i hunt in mason county illinois. it is almost a desert there. ironically, its right accross the river from fulton county. but anyways, in years past i have planted several things. what seemed to work best for me was anything with winter wheat and oats in it. last year i bought the throw and grow from wal-mart. it came up nice. i'm planting this stuff right down the road we have cut through the timber. just make sure to add some fertilizer and i always rake it it a bit to keep the turkeys off it. plant it before a rain and you'll be in good shape.


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## country2 (Dec 4, 2006)

Whatever you plant,plant it in the fall only.The sand lets water right through it so if you plant it in the spring when the dry weather of summer hits all your plot will die.If it is small then I would recommend something that grows pretty fast and takes a good amount of grazing.Als the other post was right,sand also loses its nutrients fast so make sure you LIME and FERTILIZE the plot or you'll be pissing in the wind,good luck!


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## irkr (Feb 7, 2007)

Chufa grows best in a sandy soil. If you could maintain enough moisture that might be the ticket. I'm gonna haul some sand in to one of my plots just for chufa. 
irkr


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## Mr. 1 N Done (Mar 29, 2012)

SMALL BURNETT!! Grows great, can't kill it, and deer love it. I planted some 3 years ago and last year tried to kill it with roundup, it appeared to die and now this spring it's back and beautiful. Grows great in sandy dry soils too. Got to add fertilizer though, especially in sand. This year our company produced a once a year food plot fertilizer, I've used it for the past two years, and even in sandy soils my plots grew AWESOME.


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## gooseterrorist (Dec 29, 2009)

Alfalfa,peas,oats all work well on sandy soil


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## 410gage (Dec 14, 2008)

Sugar beets and turnips might do ok.


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## WisBuckHunter94 (Feb 20, 2010)

Trying to bring this thread back, hope thats okay because i am in the same situtaion as this guy was. Very dry sandy soil, full sunlight all day, and looking for something to plant that can not only survive these conditions, but ALSO attract deer. But instead of thinking with just sandy soil in mind, think what plant doesnt need a ton of water. Does some company or someone have a special plant or seed blend that is grown down south in areas like texas that can withstand lesser amounts of water? Because in sandy soil it just goes right through and dries up.


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## Muliefever (Jun 2, 2009)

I hunt in Mason county just north of you and I have had great results!! You want a short term fix? Or a long time plot? That does make a difference!!! For a first year plot start off with spraying the plot with a back pack sprayer or something to kill off the weeds. wait a week or two and add a coulpe hundred pounds of lime. And then till it in the best you can!! When your soil is broken up and loose sow your seeds. I would start off the ( a small plot less then .25 acre) 1 bag of rye, 1 bag of strait up feed oats. cultipak the best you can. And then put down 5lbs or so of clover ( make sure it has been inoculated ) and then cultipak again. It will work great from bow opener until snow! easy, cheap and works. plant 4 weeks prior to bow season. 1-2 weeks before the season hit it with a bag of fertilizer right infront of your stand! sweeten it up a bit! if you want a more long term plot let me know and I will hook you up


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## huntndeer (Apr 27, 2012)

give the whitetail extreme a try from whitetail institute it is made for sandy soil or low PH levels. http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/ make sure you do a soil test and follow all the directions i planted it in the spring and has been doing great i have good soil but low PH levels. I planted in eastern VA


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## DXT122 (Mar 5, 2009)

Winter Rye will grow just about anywere and puts nutrients in the ground that will be helpful if you decide to plant something else down the road.


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## bmk (Apr 21, 2009)

I would wait until you have the equipment to do the job right. Any food plot small enough to create with no equipment will be of little or no use to the deer nutritionally. I'm only saying this becuase I've tried it before. I disturbed the soil in an otherwise nice looking piece of hunting property. Quickly, it became overgrown with weeds and none of the seed I planted took off. I think you are asking for trouble here.


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## Doorny22 (Jul 9, 2010)

Plan Rye. It will grow fast and just about anywhere. Wait til fall though. The deer will love Rye and it builds the PH in the soil at the same time.


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