Before you fill the fuel tank and hook up the plow on your favorite tractor from Cahaba Tractor, here's some pre-planning tips to help you get your fields ready for hunting season. 

 

* Test your soil prior to planting to insure the best crop possible.  Always take a soil sample from every green field to assess the ph level. (The soil ph should be 6.5 to 7 on a ph meter before you plant).

* Kill off any weeds before tilling the soil. It lessens weed re-growth once you plant your field. 

* When mixing your weed-killer, make sure it contains 1-2% glyphosate (a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide used to kill weeds) and 98% water. Let the herbicide kill the weeds for up to 10 days before plowing or according to package instructions.

* Burn the fields, if it can be done safely.

* Mow after weeds are dead and disc-up the plot. Follow with an application of lime then fertilizer to the soil.

* Plant grains, wheat and clover grow thru mid September. Plant your green fields with 70% perennials and 30% annuals. Perennial clover is a good source of protein for deer and turkeys and will provide more forage for deer.

* Spray your fields with a grass herbicide, if you find it growing in the clover and mow the clover if it gets too high.

Finally, follow the farmers' rule in rotating crops each year. This will provide a better harvest in your green fields every year and more deer for the season.

 

At Cahaba Tractor, you will find a wide variety of equipment to help you this season as well as a knowledgeable staff to guide in the right direction. Call or come by our store on Hwy. 31 in Pelham. We're here to help.