I just finished cultivating for food plots (only time I could barrow a tractor)
but I know I should'nt plant for a least another month. When is the earliest I can plant or start watching for a rain to plant ahead of? I am planting wheat, oats and biologic full draw. Some say I can plant anytime after aug. 15 but that seems early to me for this area. I just sent off for my soil sample so I should be getting back soon. How much time should I have in between lime and fertilizing and sowing seed ?
Funny story.
I original planned on planting whitetail inst.'s new Exteme. So I emailed the so called Dr. so and so who could answer any questions. I told him I was planning on planting the Extreme and asked the same questions that
I asked above. He responded with an email that said, " Extreme would work great. Godbless, Dr. so and so."
Not much help. huh
A midsummer planting is risky - no matter where you are. If you deceide to plant, prepare yourself for a 50/50 failure.
You need to be realistic - However, it has been a wet summer, at least in my area - and maybe you could get by with a clover planting.
I'm not sure what's in "full draw", but I'd suspect annuals. In that case I'd say wait till Sept to plant. The last thing you want is Cereal grains to head out in Sept. - The crop will be utterly unattactive to deer, and will die off with the first frost.
ndn, I got the same type of response from Whitetail inst. when I asked about using vantage on an extreme plot. I think you and I have about the same question. Here is what I am planning. Hope you don't mind me adding this.
I am planning on planting the extreme mixed with oats this year. I am in southern WI. How long after planting do the oats head out and become atractive to deer? I have never planted them before. I was going to plant this weekend but I am guessing that is not a good idea. Would the weekend of Aug 21st be too late?
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This is my first reply to a post. I've been a visitor to huntingnet (hiding in the weeds)and I've had contact with the whitetail inst. I guess my responses from them have been different than yours. About six years ago I called, not knowing much about planting, and they spent quite a bit of time with me answering questions. Since then I've called at least 3 other times and have had good service. I've never emailed them but I would be surprised if they answer many questions like they did yours.
According to what I've read, your planting dates do start Aug 15th and run until Oct 15th, August seems early to me also. I have had better luck waiting a couple weeks after the earliest dates to let it cool off. You give up a little fall growth this way but my drought problems are lessened. Since you're planting a perennial you are looking past the first fall season.
As far as the time needed between lime, fertilizer and seeding. It's best to lime as far in advance as possible but you can put it all out the same day if you like.
Good luck. Let us know how the Extreme does. I want to try it but I want to hear about it first.
FH, just a suggestion but I wouldn't add more than 35-40 pounds of oats per acre. Leave some room for rootspace for the Extreme or whatever you plan on planting.
If the oats survive the winter up there they won't head out until spring. If they survive I suggest cutting them before they seed out to get rid of the competition. The oats will be more attractive to the deer in the early growing stages, once they get tall they will become tough and stemmy. Not much activity in my experiences.
I'll second PopGunWill's advice on the oats planting - in fact I might even go the next step and say DO NOT mix with Extreme. Once the oats headout - the deer have NO interest in eating them. If you are planting oats mixed in a fall plot, You would want to use a winter variety oats, and get about 4-6 weeks before they go dormant for the winter. They should stop growing at 6-8" tall.
I'd probably not mix them, but would likely plant a straight cereal grain like oats, winter wheat or rye along side the Extreme to see how the deer use the plots.
I live in central MO. If the rain is adequate, planting cereal grains in mid Aug. works well. You get alot of extra growth with the earlier planting dates. I sometimes plant a mix of spring oats, rye and wheat topdressed with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Cereal grains are generally cheap, so if you plant and get bad growth, you'll have time in Sept. to replant or add some type of top dress seeds like some sort of brassica.
I would be more carefull with the higher price seeds and wait till first of Sept. If you mix the two, I would also wait till later. I would be hesitant to mix any more seeds to the expensive seed mixtures.
If you are a hurry to plant something, buy a bag(s) of whole soybeans (feed grade) and broadcast it in your plot and cover lightly by discing. If you get some rain, you will have a good stand of highly nutrious plants that will still be green in Oct. If they don't mix or if they get completely eaten off, just redisc and plant in your original blends. I like the feed grade beans because they are cheap and I can afford to loose the few bucks that I spend on them if they don't do well.
southern missouri food plots?
