5 Reasons Why Your Food Plot is Failing

You decided to take the plunge and plant a food plot this year. Great! A good food plot is a thing of beauty and a boon to all types of wildlife.

A successful food plot provides good hunting opportunities and is capable of producing great nutrition for deer. But if yours isn’t quite taking off like you hoped, here are a few reasons why your food plot could be failing—and advice on how to fix it:

1. You Didn’t Do a Soil Test

One of the primary reasons food plots fail to flourish is because a soil test wasn’t done. A soil test in itself won’t make your plot plants grow, but it will tell what they need to grow. Without good, balanced pH levels, plants can’t pull all the nutrients they need. A soil test will tell you how much (or little) lime and fertilizer is required for the plants you’re planting. 

2. You Overseeded

Don’t ignore recommended seeding rates. These rates are usually printed on the side of the seed bag, and if they’re not, this information is readily available online and from seed distributors. When you use too much seed, all that extra seed is competing for the nutrients in the soil, and none of the seed ends up getting the proper amount. As a result, the plot never really reaches its full potential.

3. You Planted the Wrong Forage

Sometimes food plots fail because you chose the wrong type of forage for your area. For example, a big brassica plot is most attractive to deer after the first hard frost. So, if you live down south, where a hard freeze isn’t likely to happen until the end of deer season, it may be best to go with another forage choice.

4. There’s Not Enough Sun

Plants require sunlight to grow. Simple as that. Some seed blends work better than others in areas of limited sun, but the easiest way to increase the sunlight exposure on any plot is to grab the chainsaw and cut down any large limbs shading your plot. 

5. You Aren’t Maintaining It

Constant maintenance and a regular dose of H-G Food Plot are essential to a successful food plot. After a plot is fertilized, it really takes off and the deer quickly key in on that fresh growth. H-G Food Plot will help your plot reach its full potential and keep it going strong long term.

Along with Mother Nature’s blessing, H-G Food Plot is the most important ingredient that will turn a location into a prime-time hunting spot.

Ready to get the best bang for your buck? Check out our products to learn more about H-G Food Plot.

Read more: How to Grow the Best Food Plot