Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama

from 11 percent to 17 percent following fertilization (Stribling 1994a).
Other plants, such as greenbriar, should respond similarly to fertilization.
Lime and fertilizer should be applied during the growing season.
The first application should be right at the beginning of spring
green-up (late-March or early-April) and should consist of 400 pounds
per acre of 13-13-13 and enough lime to bring the soil pH to the 6.5 to
7.0 range. A follow-up application of 100 pounds per acre of ammonium
nitrate should be applied about two months later (Stribling 1994a).
When identifying areas to be fertilized, look for patches that
receive adequate amounts of sunlight and areas large enough to handle
the additional browsing the fertilizer will attract. Deer feed heavily on
these fertilized areas and sometimes use them almost to the point of
ignoring the unfertilized patches. It is best to fertilize several patches
throughout the property to reduce the chances of overbrowsing any one
area.
Other plants that should respond favorably to fertilization are
mast producing trees, vines, and shrubs. It is reasonable to believe
fertilizing oaks, persimmon trees, grape vines, and other mast producers
prior to flowering each year should increase the number of flowers
produced. If more flowers are produced, there is a potential for more
fruit production later in the year. At the very least, an annual application
of fertilizer should make these plants more vigorous and healthy,
which should improve fruit production in future years.
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