8/15 Food Plot update
 

Went out to the plot this past Friday- the deer are eating the clover & extreme right down to the ground. They're wiping it out!!
On 8/3, I planted some Whitetail Institute Wintergreens in hopes of trying to save the plot. Well- it took real quick! Check it out:


That's the Wintergreens on the right/top edge of the plot 12 days after I planted it.

Here's what the rest of the plot looks like:



Note the top/backarea of the plot in the last picture- one month ago, I had good coverage of emergent Clover all over this area of the plot. I have 100's of pictures of deer browsing this area right down to the dirt!

Rob

RE: 8/15 Food Plot update
 

If you could take a chainsaw and cut a bunch of the trees on the edges of the plot you would have more sunlight to the plot. Looks like the little plants need some more light to flourish.

RE: 8/15 Food Plot update
 

Milorganite. People poo. Sludge. Keeps them off for about 2 weeks so it stands a chance to grow and get esstablished.

RE: 8/15 Food Plot update
 

Nice pics ROB - Those plants look like Bean Sprouts - They are "wintergreens" is that right? Wintergreens is mostly Kale and other brassicas - the deer can't hardly stand them until they get froze a few times (unless there is no other food around) - hopefully they'll leaf out and get 2-3 ft high - looks like you are dealing with a lot of shade in this plot.

FH

RE: 8/15 Food Plot update
 

As you can see in the picture below, this plot gets a fair amount of sun. From 11:30am - 3pm, the sun pours in, so long as it's not cloudy or raining! :D

Most of the daytime pictures I've posted have been when it's cloudy out- as for some reason, that's when the deer have given me good pictures to share with you all. I don't think it's a matter of sunlight as much as I feel the deer are simply devouring my little plot!

Lots of deer + a small plot = very little plot left come September! [:@]

That's why I planted the Whitetail Institute Wintergreens, as it's not supposed to be attractive to the deer until the first frost hits- then it turns sweet and becomes really attractive to them. By then, the archery season has started! :)

RE: 8/15 Food Plot update
 

I agree - for a small plot - wintergreens is a great choice since the deer should leave them alone until fall. But - like you say - if there isn't much other green food around - they'll hit it anyhow.

I've planted wintergreens and other brassicas before - and when you see that tall skinny stalk - they are competing with each other too much or need more light - and maybe both.

Looks like you'll have to keepoverseeding the small plot if you hope to have some greenery come hunting season. Maybe try Rye it can work well - because it will keep growing after frosts - and will do betteryet as the leaves fall- and let in more light

RE: 8/15 Food Plot update
 

FH,
Thanks for the advice. I'll look into the possibility of getting some Rye down before Sept. 1st.

Rob

RE: 8/15 Food Plot update
 

those wintergreens are looking real good, i tried them 2 years ago and didnt have much luck, the weeds took over the plot faster than the wintergreens did

RE: 8/15 Food Plot update
 

Thanks- before planting the Wintergreens, I hit the area with Round Up and let it sit two weeks. Then, I raked out the dead debris & cut out anything that was left & emergent. At that point, I put down 10 bags of Loam & 7 bags of a Manure/Humus mix. I put down some 10-10-10 Fertilizer & the Wintergreens, then executed a "poor man's harows" by scratching/mixing everything up with a leaf rake turned upside down. I find that this last step really ensures good seed/soil contact and helps even things out (fertilizer, seed & Loam/manure/humus) in a very efficient manner.

Rob

9/5 Food Plot update
 

Well, the deer have been hitting my little plot pretty hard. So much so, that last Friday (8/29) in a move of desperation to save the plot for hunting season, I put down about 10 lbs. of Milorganite in an attempt to keep the deer away from the plants for 2-3 weeks in order to let the plants re-establish themselves.

Milorganite is an organic fertilizer- purified "people poo" produced by the City of Milwaukee. All I can say is this stuff works! Not only can you put it down without harming/burning existing emergent plants, but it also doesn't require watering in! On top of that- the deer don't like the smell, so they won't browse the plants. My Extreme, Secret Spot & No Plow were eaten down to the dirt. My Alfa-Rack/Imperial Clover was on it's last leg. The Wintergreens was the only thing still holding up because:

a) I planted it on 8/3
b) it's not appealing to the deer until after the first frost

The Milorganite provided a much-needed boost for the Alfa-Rack/Imperial Clover. In just one week, they're both making a comeback. I threw some Double-Cross down about two weeks ago and that seems to have sprouted as well. We haven't had much rain here in the last 2-3 weeks, so I find this amazing that I was actually able to get the Double-Cross going with only the initial watering (via hand sprayer) when I planted it.

The deer are still going in & eating the corn thrown from the feeder & eating the Cutting Edge Optimize, but the plants have been given a reprieve. We're supposed to get alot of rain tomorrow, so the Milorganite will begin to wash away & dissapate into the soil. Here's what the plot looks like as of today- sorry, I forgot my camera & had to use my mobile phone (only 1 Megapixel).



That's the Wintergreens on the front/left. The Double-Cross, Alfa-Rack & Imperial Clover is in the back. The bare strip in the center is where the Extreme, Secret Spot & No Plow used to be!



Rob