Food Plot Wisdom
 

I have a 100x100ft area to put a food plot in this year. the area is located in the middle of a six valley convergance. It has about 60-70% shade factor throughout the day but stays nice and moist and has not flooded in at least ten years. What would you recomned putting in this plot and when should I plant it.

RE: Food Plot Wisdom
 

I just went through all of this myself when in the past month. Go into Mossy Oak biologics website. They talk about planting times, as well as recommend what is best for your area. I planted an area about 1/3 acre in size. I planted one of there products called Premium perennial as it does well in a variety of locations, it also contains brassicas which will last into the winter months when food becomes scarce. I am in a different area (southeast pa.) so they may have a different recommendation for you. Planted it 2 weeks ago and have a field full of green now. I will be posting some pictures up in the next few days. Good luck with everything.

Shane

RE: Food Plot Wisdom
 

It sounds like a good location for some clover IF the soil PH is acceptable, however best results would have been a lime and fertilize application and then to have already planted by now. You could always plant something along the line of Oats this Fall and then broadcast your clover over that. This would provide a protective screening cover for the clover and next season it should look great. Remember though, IF you select clover, the crop will need to be cut or moved a few times per season.... if the deer don't keep it mowed down. All kidding aside, that's a pretty dinky sized clover planting and one that would hardly be worth the effort.

A better bet would be a Fall planting (mid Aug to early Sept) of a Brassica based blend. Brassicas will grow practically anywhere with minimal care and prep time. Brassicas also produce maximum tonage and have explosive growth. In no time at all that tiny plot would be thigh high with lush Brassicas like turnip, rape, etc. A good cheap blend would be Bio-Logoc Green Patch Plus that features brassicas as well as wheat and oats that will grow nearly anywhere and comes up quick. I've also had impressive results with Tecomote Ultimate Forage mix. Best of luck with your plots!

RE: Food Plot Wisdom
 

Thanks for the advise I will check out BIO Logics site

RE: Food Plot Wisdom
 

Have you had the deer reallly hit your Brassica hard when it grows. Iknow it issuppose to belike candy todeer when itfreezes because of the sugar, butI have heard thatBrassicareallyis a hit or miss?

RE: Food Plot Wisdom
 

Il-Cornfed is spot on.

Long term oats with good perenial clover like Durana would be great, but
it is too late to expect to get anything out of that now, or at least not the
clover. Long term, if pretty heavily shaded and small, you should get some
clover growing in there. But that would be for next year.

Brassicas will make this year, will be good after the first freeze.

TexasOaks, where I'm at (Louisiana) they don't hit the brassica's too hard until that first freeze somehow makes them more palatable, which can be very late (on into December sometimes). For a lot of northern hunters, this obviously isn't a big deal. I do have one small plot where they were hitting the brassicas this summer, so its not a rule that's set in stone. The deer will eat it, but I just don't think it is a preferred food until a freeze.

RE: Food Plot Wisdom
 

2 seasons ago I had some very impressive hunts off of one of our Brassica patches. It was a small patch of Tecomote Ultra Forage and the deer started hitting it in late October and stayed on 'em until the late season.

Last year in that location we had a Forage Oats plot instead. My Brassica plot was in a different location and I tried Bio-Logic Green Patch Plus. This plot proved to be nowhere near as hot asthe previousyears Tecomote plot, even the Forage Oats in the same location didn't attract like the Brassicas seemed to the year before.

Here's the Bio GPP ploton Oct. 22



Here's proof that they like the Forage Oats well into the late season as well. Here's the Oats plot just before bow season opened, 9/24



Here's the same plot after 12" of snow had fallen over it..... I'm thinking the deer liked it? ;)

RE: Food Plot Wisdom
 

We have some test plots over the country that we have used NutriPlot from AgXPlore. Theystarted in thefertilizer end and have developed some excellent seed blends for all seasons of the year. If you have anymore questions about their products feel free to let me know. You check out their website as well. Go to my website (below) and follow the link to NutriPlot.

RE: Food Plot Wisdom
 

100 by 100...???? I wouldn't worry about it. Hunt the sign. If you had a few more of them in the same property maybe. But honestly, you're just waisting money. A couple pigs or a dozen deer will destroy your 1/4 acre/minus piece of browse in short order... especially in limited sunlight country.