Setting Your Roots to a Proper Foundation with a Spring Green Up

Spring, the long awaited season after a cold winter that many of us look forward to. But we aren’t the only ones, the wildlife will be searching for food after a long anticipated thaw. If you have any perennial plots, or planted late season annuals the fall before such as cereal grains then these will be amongst the first areas the deer and turkeys will flock to. If you don’t have any plots, nows the time to get them started. Typically during March in the Midwest we will experience a series of freeze-thaw cycles that is conducive to frost seeding. This can vary by region but what your aiming for is daytime temps above freezing and nightly temps below freezing. The process known as frost seeding allows nature to do most of the hard work for you, the continuous act of freezing and thawing  works the seed into the soil as well as introduces moisture to it. The advantage to planting this time of year is you’re giving your plants a head start and can also begin to benefit the herd and attract them to your area early on. Frost seeding isn’t limited to just new plots as well, it’s a great way to supplement existing perennial plots by helping them thicken up early and keep a good solid stand without any weeds. My preferred seed for the job is Crooked Bends four clover combo, I have found the most success using their seed and the wildlife just can’t resist.  Another key component to successful food plots is to take soil samples in the spring and get them sent out for analysis. This will give you enough time to correct any deficiencies in the soil or off balanced PH levels that are too alkaline or too acidic. This is a pivotal time that can really swing your success one way or another, don’t be caught on the wrong side of the thaw, get ahead of the season and capitalize on this special time and get a jump start on your plots!

-Matt Horn

Crooked Bend Pro Team