Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Quality Deer Management Fertilizer..

If I sprayed fields and going to disk it up do I need fertilizer? I’ve always bought it and used it but is it necessary??

If you're going to plow and disk the ground then yes, you'll likely continue to need fertilizer.

Gotcha. I can’t get a bush hog to a few of my fields so I have to use a groundhog max to do the fields

Soil samples will tell you a lot

There’s going to be a huge difference in a field that’s fertilized vs not. I fertilize mine twice.

Depends on what you are planting. I do this with 20+ft wide equipment and 5ft equipment. I do soil tests in some fields and there are others I've never bothered with a soil test. My biggest plot is about 4 acres. My smallest is for sure the proverbial Dr. Deer's 1/4 acre patch of worthless.


In my ag fields I do a whole lot. In my deer plots I do very little. In my food plots I plant the standard 3-way mix and throw a bag of starter fertilizer or two out with the seed. Come back in mid-December and throw a little more Fertilizer out.

But on the flip side I spray, lime, fertilize my ag fields like I'm pouring money out of a bucket.... in the winter I top sow a cover crop in those fields usually winter wheat . Then I come back in the Spring with a no-till planter for a crop.

Really can't tell much of a difference between the plots and the ag fields in the winter. Both green as my tractor and look great.

You don't have to skimp but I would tell everyone they are throwing too much money out on the ground worrying about a soil test and pouring chemicals all over your food plots if all you are doing is planting mostly Wheat/Rye. You have to really be planting turnips or something like that to justify the excessive chemical cost IMO. But do what you want it's not hurting anything.

What fertilizer besides triple 13 is suitable?

You know the only difference between 8-8-8,13-13-13 and 17-17-17 is the number of pounds of N,P and K per 100 weight of fertilizer. Then there’s homogenized fertilizer like Rainbow where each prill contains the same amount of nutrient rather than a blended fertilizer that a mix of usually 3 or more products.

33-0-0 or 46-0-0 is only going to supply Nitrogen. 18-46-0 is Diammonium Phosphate or DAP. Has N&P. 0-0-60 is muriate of potash and only supplies K. You have to know what your plot needs and adjust accordingly.

If your are top sowing only and not working the fertilizer into the soil, I’d apply zero or very little Phosphorus. It doesn’t readily move through the soil and will take years to make it into the root zone.

This is where soil tests come in into play. There’s more to it than just finding out your pH. Get a complete test that gives actual CEC, % Base Saturation, organic matter % and micro nutrient levels.

The food plot mix is mostly wheat. Winter Wheat needs about 20-40lbs per acre of Nitrogen in a fall planting. Go look it up if you don't don't want to accept that. P helps but there is little uptake in colder Temps. You really need about 65 degrees or higher for the plant to uptake that.... and unless you incorporate that into the soil (tillage) or prepare your no-till seedbed far ahead of time.... then you are throwing money out on the ground. The P needs are slightly lower more like 20lbs or less per acre. P comes into play post emergence in the tillering stage... it helps BUT the importance of this is not going to matter as much in a food plot as this really is a factor of what happens in the Spring when the plant grows and starts to make your wheat crop. We don't necessarily care about that ... we are planting winter food plots for deer.

I am going to tell everyone something very different when it comes to running around throwing chemicals out on the ground. You can throw whatever you want out there but the fact is this... the plant only needs what it needs. If you put a 100lbs of Nitrogen down because your little soil test says to do it.... You wasted your money.

Knowing the PH is really the only reason you would need a soil test for a food plot. That matters.....

If you want to learn about this stuff google Winter Wheat and planting and read. I will save you a lot of reading but since I know most on here are going to scoff at this... go read it for yourself.

This got nothing to do with till/no-till, throw-n-mow or any of that. Facts are what they are. Soil test calls for P.... if you put down more than about 20lbs you are throwing money out on the ground. Throw K out... might as well be throwing dollar bills out there you'll get the same results.

I couldn't find DAP this year. Had to buy 0-46-0. And they were proud of it. About like Urea last year. I got time release N this year, going to see how that does.

Plant and see what your field does. If you see it turning yellow, you need to add nitrogen. Usually. I had a couple that needed some Triple 17 to perk up though.