no till seeds
 

got a question on using no till seeds to use for feeding deer. do they really work or is a waste of time and money? should the area be mowed before spreading the seeds so they get into the ground? would like to try a mix of clover and chickory. maybe just one bag to see if it will grow. thanks for any info anyone can give.

they do work however there is a bit more work you need to put it.

1 - yes try to make sure it's as bare of ground as possible.
2 - make sure the PH levels of the soil are good for what you're trying to grow.
3 - toss the seed out on a day you know rain is on the way(if it sits too long the birds will get it)
4 - Make sure the area you're planting in gets planty of sunlight.

These should be a good start.. I've had fairly good luck so far with no till seed.

Another method would be to spray the weeds in September/early October with roundup & 2,4-d mix. If the weeds are really tall, mow them 1 week later. Spread the seeds over the soil in March when the temperature is below freezing at night and above freezing during the day. Frost seeding is a very effective way to plant clover.

With the right conditions it can work great! You need dead duff on top, not a ton, but not too little. If you spray a month in advance and see a good rain coming then broadcast away! Last week I was tilling a half acre plot and the tiller shot craps half way through the plot. I sprayed back in early August and everything was dead. I went ahead and broadcast the non-tilled part and packed/broadcast/packed the tilled portion. Two days later we got 1.5 inches of rain followed by cooler weather so the moisture held on nicely especially with the dead thatch on top. The mix of peas, wheat, oats, rye, and forage radishes should be full on germinating nicely now.

They do work well,
Won't get same yield as a well prepared plot,
Where they try to get 80-90% yield.
With no till may get 50-70% yield,
To help try to increase seeds contact with the soil. Can try using a rake to clear leaves. Although they are no till, some tilling/raking to help seeds contact with the soil will help increase its yield. Without some tilling, many seeds will never make contact with thr soil, many will get washed out, and many will die out early on as they grow under leaves and such