# Firminator food plot machine



## Chillaxin1 (Jul 5, 2013)

Does anyone have any experience with these. I'm looking at the 5' model but there really pricey. We will be putting in about 5 acres of plots with 2 of them being annuals and getting kinda tired of hauling and hooking up all the different equipment. Just looking for some feedback on these machines. Thanks


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## OutdoorMediaCo (Sep 6, 2016)

For about any perennial you don't need or want to till. Corn or beans a small row planter is your best bet. All this assumes you already have a sprayer. I don't see the need to spend all that money when all your getting is a tilled and rolled field anyway. I own minimal equipment and have great plots with lots of diversity simply broadcasting into the proper thatch before rain. Gotta decide what your goals are. To feed the wildlife year around it's not necessary imo. To plant big foodplots to plant them I could see the benefits of a all in one implement. Still wouldn't buy one though. Broadcast seeder, sprayer and cultipacker are the big 3.


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## Chillaxin1 (Jul 5, 2013)

With all due respect , your wrong on not needing to till. What size plots are you doing with that minimal equipment you mention? How were your ph levels? How about lime and fertilizer, you ain't using a broadcaster for that ! How many years do you get out of throwing seed on "thatch". I have some experience in food plotting and I highly recommend some of don mealeys food plot videos if you've never watched any. I was just curious on that machine because doing 5 plus acres the right way is time consuming. And with perennials your providing food sources for wildlife year round any way!


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## OutdoorMediaCo (Sep 6, 2016)

Chillaxin1 said:


> With all due respect , your wrong on not needing to till. What size plots are you doing with that minimal equipment you mention? How were your ph levels? How about lime and fertilizer, you ain't using a broadcaster for that ! How many years do you get out of throwing seed on "thatch". I have some experience in food plotting and I highly recommend some of don mealeys food plot videos if you've never watched any. I was just curious on that machine because doing 5 plus acres the right way is time consuming. And with perennials your providing food sources for wildlife year round any way!


In regards to the low tech no till topic check out the habitat talk forums and search throw and mow. Plenty of results there for you to check out and consider. The pics did the talking for me and I started testing it. I watch quite a bit of Dons videos on YouTube and enjoy them. 

With my equipment I am successful because I know the timing of when to spray, broadcast mow roll etc. not saying you can you plant anything that way but you can get a cheaper implement for just those crops rather than forking up 5k on a firminator. My main foodplot project is a half acre that's a long ways on the 4x trail to get to. I am able to get lime to it with a pickup truck. Like frost seeding winter is the time to add lime. You don't have to till it in. My PH is up a point since I started with lime. It still is low but the deer liked my plot when it was cover cropped with Rye and hadn't been fertilized when I first established it. By liked I'm talking as many as 10 does head down munching Rye growing in soil PH below 5. I guess what I'm getting at is Don Mealey gives himself the pat on the back for doing it the right way, but the deer don't really care. I also look at food plotting a little differently. A lot of guys would rather plant acres of glorious weed free food plots for days when really they could bust out a chainsaw and do more actual good for their wildlife. Every property is different as are the interest of every wildlife manager. If I was thinking about forking the dough out I would look at the drills out there. Something like a genesis. They are more $ but if your already opening the checkbook for 5k it's something to think about. That thing will do it all for you.


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## OutdoorMediaCo (Sep 6, 2016)

Chillaxin1 said:


> With all due respect , your wrong on not needing to till. What size plots are you doing with that minimal equipment you mention? How were your ph levels? How about lime and fertilizer, you ain't using a broadcaster for that ! How many years do you get out of throwing seed on "thatch". I have some experience in food plotting and I highly recommend some of don mealeys food plot videos if you've never watched any. I was just curious on that machine because doing 5 plus acres the right way is time consuming. And with perennials your providing food sources for wildlife year round any way!


I might by wrong on needing to till to you but the deer that use my plots are plenty satisfied. Perennials are all best frost seeded in my experience. Onto frozen untilled ground.

Frost seeded into heavy Rye thatch this past winter. As you can see it has no problem coming up. I have never tilled this area only sprayed and broadcasted amendments.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

I can plant and grow about anything that I want with a small 50" disk, homemade drag, and bag seeder. I have about $400 invested in these items. I don't think that the Firminator would be worth the money.


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