What are you all using for your plots? How many acres? Spring? Summer? Fall? Pics?
uh wheat has always worked good for me, that's all the details I'm releasing
they die at first frost dont they?
sorgum,sweet peas, soybeans , clover, wheat
I always had great luck with buck wheat for early season. As soon as it blooms the deer will be all over it, but first frost will kill it.
Ladino clover makes a good semi permanent food plot. It is rated as one of the highest protein clovers available. Just over seed a little each spring to keep it thick. Deer love it!!
Frank
Ladino clover makes a good semi permanent food plot. It is rated as one of the highest protein clovers available. Just over seed a little each spring to keep it thick. Deer love it!!
Frank
At the first light frost, they become palatable for the deer. I always throw some turnip seeds in the drill when planting wheat(my personal favorite food plot seed). The deer don't touch them untill we get that first frost, and then the deer are all over them. It takes a night into the mid 20's to kill them. Turnips are pretty cold hardy.
Pretty good eating too. You should plant them around the first week of september, so they get enough growth.
Thought I would start with clover. Anyone have any luck with soybeans in the sandy soil of Creek County?
the seed guy told me that clover would burn up in the heat of summer if it wasn't planted in at least partial shade. any truth to this? I doubt the guy was trying to talk me into something else, 'cause all he sold was clover based stuff.
That does have some truth to it. I've tried planting clover in an open field, and it just burnt up in the summer heat.
It survived in the semi shady areas.
My buddy has a 40 acre area that is heavily wooded with brush and trees.
He has brush hogged a 6' strip all over the place and put in the recommended lime after a soil test, and then the clover seed. He has a good stand.
Note that I said "after a soil test and lime"
If you don't do that you will spend tons of $ and get nothing.
Your county NRCS office, or any COOP can give you the bags to collect soil samples in for analysis. Cost $10 last time I had one done.
Be sure and follow directions. Go to a dozen places in the area you want to plant, dig down 3-6" (root level), put the samples into a 5 gal bucket and mix very well. Remove all roots, stalks, trash, etc, and submit. About two weeks later the soil analysis will get back to you.
If you do decide to go with clover, you will have to have the equipment to mow it a couple of times during the summer. It will get too tall and woody, and the deer won't like it.
Or, buy a sprayer rig, and hit it with a killer that only attacks long leaf weeds and not broad leaf.
It requires a brush hog with a tractor to mow it properly. A garden tractor cuts too low.
Clover is a high maintenance food plot, that managed correctly is a deer magnet, but most will find out that plain old wheat will work almost as well and doesn't require as much maintenance.
