Food plot questions
#11
Tried a lot of stuff that was recommended by the "experts". The biggest flop was Austrian winter peas: The deer never ate them. Finally went my own way. This year we will plant about 30 acres on our three widely dispersed properties.
The spring planting will be iron clay peas with some milo in places. The fall planting will be horse feed oats and daikons. The plots at one place will be irrigated, if required.
The spring planting will be iron clay peas with some milo in places. The fall planting will be horse feed oats and daikons. The plots at one place will be irrigated, if required.
#12
Up this way a lot of fields that have the Timmothy and clover in them attrack deer. They also use some alfalfa as well. This we can buy at almost any Blue Seal Feed store by the bulk. The clover is pretty hardy for the most part and can be planted in almost any soil with some results..
#13
Re what to plant
Start off on the right foot and get a complete soil analysis, not just a ph test. See what your soils are lacking in macro/micro nutrients.Macro/Micro nutrients can be added to your fertilizer for about $6 per ac for granular fertilizer. Instead of lime use a product called Solu-Cal It will correct your soil ph in about4 to 5 weeks instead of 6 months for ag lime.It will give you a faster green up and last longer in the soil than ag lime.For your areas soil temps should be about 59 to 60 degrees to start good germination. As for planting in your area if using annuals and wanting to help keep deer on your property make sure your plots are big enough and have high tonnage per ac. The average deer eats 5 to 6 lbs of vegitation per 24 hrs. Do this times 365 days per year. About 2500 lbs per year per deer. Plots need to average at least 6 tons per ac minimum but try to get them up to 10 tons per ac. For what to plant in annuals try using lab lab, ebony peas, iron clay, burgundy bush beans and some milgarra butterfly peas, Add in a few rows of corn for these vine growing beans to grow on. A small amount of wildgame food sorgum in the mix will be fine also.Your getting good tonnage with this mix and a good three season annual and withstands hard grazing. Look at clover, alfalfa and chicory for your long term year round planting. You can get 4 to 5 years from them and can hold up well in cold weather. Also A blend of oats, nutrigreen winterpeas wheat and triticale will be a great late season winter mix. Year round nutrition and good bedding cover are two of the main keys to holding deer on your property.If we can help you out further just ask.Thanks and hope this helps out.
#14
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Schuyler county,IL
Posts: 286
This will tell you Ph only...If you want to grow a good food plot get a soil test done where you can tell them what you want to plant and they give you Ph and lime - fert recomondations per acre so the seed/plant will grow. Not a huge fan of BB SEEDS but Whitetail institute has seeds that will grow in Main and there soil test is 10 plus shipping.If your plot is under around an acre buying seeds from places like this is perfect.We use there soil test every year !! You will get out of it what you put in..... Do it proper the first time and you will be killin deer on it this fall...