How To Correct PH In Food Plots
Adjusting soil PH takes time and if you have patients to do it the correct way you will see major results in the amount of tonnage and attractiveness of your food plot.
Lets talk about soil PH. In the food plot world from what I have seen not very many people pay attention to soil samples and working on PH. A lot of times when asked people don’t even know what ph is or what a soil sample is. The fact is taking a soil sample is probably one of the most important part of having a amazing food plot.
Soil Ph is how acidic or alkaline the soil is. If the soil is acidic it wont allow the plants to uptake the nutrients. In the food plot generally if you can have a soil ph of around 6.5 to 6.8 you are doing pretty well. Plants will grow in a lower Ph but they wont be able to utilize all the nutrients in the soil. When plants can not utilize all the nutrients the wont be able to produce as much tonnage and wont be a palatable.
Most times food plotters are planting less then a 1/2 acre. With 1/2 acre or less that’s not a lot of tonnage that will last through the fall and into the winter. This is why paying attention to soil samples especially PH is very important to get the most out of what you plant. It was way more important to spend money on lime then it is fertilizer. No matter how much fertilizer you add if the soil PH is low it binds up in the soil and the plants cant uptake the nutrients.
Soil PH and fertilizer break down.
6.5 ph would give you about 85 percent efficiency of your fertilizer
6.0 ph would give you about 80 percent efficiency of your fertilizer
5.5 ph would give you about 67 percent efficiency of your fertilizer
5.0 ph would give you about 46 percent efficiency of your fertilizer
As you can see how important having the correct ph is to get the most out of your fertilizer so your not wasting money!
example of a legit soil sample.
Fixing Ph is pretty simply. Starting with a soil sample it will tell you how much lime to add per acre to bring the Ph to a desired level. Once you know the numbers then you can get to work. The first step is to actually add the lime! You need to decide weather to add pelletized lime or ag lime (powder)
Personally I always use pelletized lime because its easier to spread. Some guys like using powdered lime but you will need a special spreader. Or some guys spread it by hand. The general rule is pelletized lime reacts quicker in the soil but doesn’t last as long. Powdered lime takes longer to react but also last longer in the soil. I have never really seen a difference between the two.
In larger field settings you can hire a lime company and they will spread it for you. Usually there is a 10 ton requirement so keep that in mind. Once you get the lime in the ground its always best to work it into the soil a few inches that way it can react faster. Its best to try and correct the soil PH asap before you plant. You can lime anytime you want. The only time I would not lime is if there is ice or tons of snow.
When the time comes to Plant the first spring I would plant buck wheat. Planting a crop will also help to move nutrients and improve soil over time. When you take the time to add actual lime you fix the root cause of the problem so after a couple years the cost to maintain it goes way down.
I DONT RECOMMEND using liquid lime. There is a lot of companies out there now that are selling gimmicks. Some Ag grade liquid lime does change the Ph in a few days but it only last about 30 days or so. This will supply some quick calcium to the plants but also diminish very quickly. The goal is to have the soil PH corrected with actual lime so it can supply all the available nutrients to the plants at all times.
