Shell Shocked

Like others, I am new to food plots. This year I wanted to put a small winter plot on a powerline. I have had this spot disced/Sprayed for about the last 3 weeks and was chomping at the bit to get some seed in the ground. I am in West Tennessee with milder winters. I feel I got the Clover in just right; providing at least 2 months to establish prior to winter.

With Bow season the 4th Saturday in September, I wanted to get the deer using the plot in time for the opener. I put in some oats as well and am wondering if I am too early for them. I want to have nice young tender greens through the winter and not older mature oats. I am second guessing my timing on the the oats and am wondering if my logic is right.

FYI - Seed was in the ground August 31 and watered the 1st.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Hoyt63

Perfect timing...I plant oats,crimson clover, austrian winter peas,winter rye,winter wheat mixed in the same plot.

North22

You should get a good winter plot out of it. In the north, the only of those that stays green into winter is rye, but in Tennessee I imagine you'll like your results based on the goals you stated. Send a pic in another month so we can see!

deernutrionist

I'm more of a fan of adding berseem clover than crimson or other annual clovers due to increased palatability and the ability to handle wetter conditions. Willow Creek winter wheat is another option. It has better "nutrition" than fall/winter rye. If the soil is heavier, another option is winter triticale.

Lablab is another option for drier soils. They are a 60 day crop and are high sugar and the deer love it.

North22

Dont mean to be combative, but I dont necessarily see things the same as the previous poster. Unless soil is really dry (red clovers and chicory/alfalfa) or really wet (alsike clover), ladino will outperform other clovers. We only use annual varieties as nurse crops in perennial mixes. Annuals are nice because they will be more productive than perennials the first year. Downfall is obviously that they won't come back. As far as winter wheat vs. rye, neither is exceptionally nutritious. But, both will stay green much longer than oats (and almost all other commonly planted plots). That's where both have merit.

I'm not a big fan of lablab and Austrian peas in fall/winter plots just because they are not very cold hardy. If we plant a bean plot it is roundup ready soy. If you get it through NWTF its dirt cheap.

Just my two cents

Shell Shocked

Thanks for all of the input. I really appreciate it. I went to the plot yesterday to set up the game camera. I was thrilled to see green blades shooting up as well as the clover breaking out. I'll post pictures next week if all goes well with the game camera.

I broke ground on my second new plot. This one I am not expecting much. It is on a hill top with a high PH level. I spent the time to break the ground and threw out the rest of my oats. Again not expecting much. This is all an experimental year for me with these smaller plots.

I must be lucky. This morning we had an isolated thunderstorm roll over the area.

Needless to say I am having fun with it and hopefully post up pics soon.

jeo1968

The biggest issues with first time food plots are:
Most haven't soil sampled. Anything one plants has a pH range that will facilitate effective growth.
Weeds!!! Weeds thrive when one has an unhealthy soil and when one doesn't plant the appropriate plants to grow rapidly, which in turn will suppress weed growth.
Timing. When do you plan to plant your food plot? One needs to check the calender and know when the typical first frost is in one's area. It makes no sense to plant something that grows too slow or doesn't have enough time to reach desired height before a killing frost.

I always tell people that year one should be a learning process. Keep things simple and never plant perennials year one. Plant annuals and help build the soil, work on reducing future weed growth and see some success.

Chemical issues from a previous crop.......very few people think about this in farm country. What was planted during the previous crop and how might that effect what you want to plant?

Shell Shocked

Made it out to the property this week end. I was able to check out the Plot as well as pull the camera cards. Unfortunately my battery died and I missed a weeks worth of action.

The bulk of the green you see is the oats. The clover is still small and somewhat sparse. The Clover is doing OK closer to the camera. I think it may have received too much pressure or did not take due to water saturation on the piece past the power pole. The deer in the pics seem to be concentrated right where the clover is doing the best.

I disced up the other side of the powerpole and sewed in the rest of my oats. I don't think it was enough to ensure a good thick growth.

This coming Saturday Will find me in my treestand just on the other side of the pole. The temps for the next several weeks typically are lower 80's for highs and lower 60's for lows. I'll sew this last round much thicker. Should I stick with the oats or swap to the rye grass or winter wheat.

North22

If you want to have something there until spring, rye or wheat would be the way to go. Otherwise I'd stick with oats. I'm assuming in Tennessee you'll get enough frosts that the oats will die off. Just remember that rye and wheat will get tall next spring and can be a bit if a pain to work up (which isn't an issue if you're plowing it as opposed to tilling it). As far as a direct comparison, we use oats/brassicas in kill plots and rye in nutrition plots. Rye is really only a nutrition plot in the far north though, simply because it stays green and will provide much needed nutrition as soon as the snow is gone. By you I would just use the clovers as a nutrition plot. You can't go wrong either way though really. Nothing I, or anyone else can say will compare to a couple years of trial and error on your property.

I know what you're saying about planting too thin. We did the same thing this year. It was in a mix, so the other forage just filled in, but I wish our oats were thicker.

Glad to see you're having fun with it and drawing in deer.