How frost hearty is my plot?
10-12-2012, 05:01 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Missouri
Posts: 46
How frost hearty is my plot?
Due to the drought I didn't get my food plot in the ground until about 3 weeks ago. I think it will be good timing for the moisture, but we did have a frost about a week ago. It wasn't a hard frost and I don't think it will hurt anything, but wanted others opinion. I planted oats, turnips, and clover. All of it had sprouted (except some of the clover) well before the frost. I sure hope it doesn't stunt my growth, as now they are predicting the weather to warm up and get wet and I really think it could do some growing!
10-12-2012, 07:47 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: central and east texas
Posts: 4,894
i really expected the clover to be up 1st...how have the temps been...right around 70 is ideal fer germination. ya need moisture too. these are winter plot stuff, so they should be ok if they got going good.
10-12-2012, 01:45 PM
#3
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Missouri
Posts: 46
Thanks for the response. Temps have been only mid 50s and 60s lately. The seed germinated and sprouted well before the frost, and the frost was only light. They are predicting the temps to be back in to mid to upper 70s and some rain over the next several days...that will help. I just hope the cold stuff can hold of a couple weeks and let my hard work pay off!
10-13-2012, 10:37 PM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: West TN
Posts: 847
You should be fine, especially if you fertilized halfway decently. My plots are just now going on what will be their 3rd week. The drought prevented me from earlier planting. (I did mow & disc the soil a week prior then disced again before broadcasting seed) We have gotten decent moisture since & germination is great. My plots are oats, wheat & turnips (purple & 7 top) plus each plot has a 50# co-op mineral block in it, 2 in larger plots.
Plant rates at 200#s per acre on wheat, 150#s on oats, 1 1# bag of turnips per plot, most are 1/4-1/2 acre deep woodland plots with two near 3/4 & 1 over an acre up on hillside out of flooding range & I have appx 60 acres in pasture that I've let grow while occasionally cutting strips thru, lots of natural winter browse & favored cover! (In the larger plots I used much more turnips.) Fertlzr was tripl 15 @ 200# per acre. The woodland plots is rich, annually flooded riverbottom soil so frtlzr really is just for the turnips & a jump start for everything @ germination. Lastyear I didnt frtlz at all, wheat & rye came up fine but turnips were extremely dissappointing.
This year in only one week the turnips were already 1-1.5 tall and doing well. (look like small clover at first) Frostwise if your seed had not germinated then it never even felt the frost. If the germinated plants were lightly frosted for only a few mornings then I doubt anything happened. Take a surenuff freeze to damage & its not been that cold yet.
With all the above avg temps & frequent rains we've had in MO & western TN if anything the plots should have NEAR PERFECT early growth periods. PLUS if your area is like ours, the drought really started the leaves turning & acorns dropping about a month early, plus the farmers pulled the crops out early as well. So the deer are REALLY hammering the acorns & turning woody browse right now, plus warm & wetweather will rot the acorns quickly. So that has put less pressure on my young plots. By the time the deer really need them in a month or so, they should be PRIME!
Plant rates at 200#s per acre on wheat, 150#s on oats, 1 1# bag of turnips per plot, most are 1/4-1/2 acre deep woodland plots with two near 3/4 & 1 over an acre up on hillside out of flooding range & I have appx 60 acres in pasture that I've let grow while occasionally cutting strips thru, lots of natural winter browse & favored cover! (In the larger plots I used much more turnips.) Fertlzr was tripl 15 @ 200# per acre. The woodland plots is rich, annually flooded riverbottom soil so frtlzr really is just for the turnips & a jump start for everything @ germination. Lastyear I didnt frtlz at all, wheat & rye came up fine but turnips were extremely dissappointing.
This year in only one week the turnips were already 1-1.5 tall and doing well. (look like small clover at first) Frostwise if your seed had not germinated then it never even felt the frost. If the germinated plants were lightly frosted for only a few mornings then I doubt anything happened. Take a surenuff freeze to damage & its not been that cold yet.
With all the above avg temps & frequent rains we've had in MO & western TN if anything the plots should have NEAR PERFECT early growth periods. PLUS if your area is like ours, the drought really started the leaves turning & acorns dropping about a month early, plus the farmers pulled the crops out early as well. So the deer are REALLY hammering the acorns & turning woody browse right now, plus warm & wetweather will rot the acorns quickly. So that has put less pressure on my young plots. By the time the deer really need them in a month or so, they should be PRIME!
10-24-2012, 06:56 PM
#5
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Missouri
Posts: 46
Hatchie,
I see your "perfect storm" scenario playing out perfectly as well with the early drop of what little acorns actually generated something worth consuming for deer. Later in the season when the cold hits I hope the food plots are a #1 source of food. Good luck to you this year, and I appreciate the feedback!
I see your "perfect storm" scenario playing out perfectly as well with the early drop of what little acorns actually generated something worth consuming for deer. Later in the season when the cold hits I hope the food plots are a #1 source of food. Good luck to you this year, and I appreciate the feedback!
