Bigeclipse

All,
Im about to till my fields to grow 3 food plots. One food plot of oats, rye and white clover. One plot of mixture of brassicas/turnips. And one plot of wheat, rye and clover. I was told clover should only be broadcasted after the tilled field has been cultipacked or else it can be lost in the soil. so basically you would till, cultipack, broadcast clover, cultipack again. My question is when should I broadcast the oats, wheat, rye and brassicas?

This is what I have been told by others so far:

Option 1- TILL. BROADCAST oats, wheat, rye, Brassicas. CULTIPACK. BROADCAST clover. CULTIPACK again.

Option 2- TILL. BROADCAST oats, wheat, rye. CULTIPACK. BROADCAST clover and brassicas. CULTIPACK again.

Option 3- TILL. CULTIPACK. BROADCAST everything. CULTIPACK.

Semisane

The one option you did not include is the one I would use.

OPTION 4 - Till, broadcast everything, cultipack.

mrbb

I'd do option #3, and then PRAY for rain!

NOW< I am NOT sure if your missing a step here or not

BUT I would also be adding any lime or fertilizer based on a soil test result?
if lime is needed I'd add before tilling,
fertilizer I would add after tilling and cultipack and then seed and cultipack again,
done this dozens of times over the past 30 yr sstarted planting food plots in 1988, was one of whitetail Institute first testing guys in PA )

North Texan

I would agree with Semi. I would till, broadcast, then cultipack. I wouldn't want to broadcast into a firm seedbed. I would want to broadcast, then firm the seedbed. It should get better coverage. I would always place cultipacking as the last option.

I don't ever broadcast seed, as I have a drill. But a drill really does the same thing. It creates a furrow, plants in the furrow, then covers and packs with the press wheels coming along behind as the last step.

Masoncountybow

Personally, I would till, broadcast the wheat, oats and rye, cultipack and then just broadcast the brassicas and clover on top and let the rain take over.

Grumpy Old Guy

#5
I would till
broadcast oats, wheat, rye
use a drag to cover larger seeds
cultipack to firm soil for the sowing of small seed
broadcast brassica-clover small seed
re-cultipack

This what I do and have good results.

bhunt3

I definitely wouldn't cultipack first before you spread the big seed. You need a fluffier seed bed to push the larger seed into the ground. I like option 2 the best, that way you don't push the smaller seed too far into the ground.

MudderChuck

Something to keep in mind is many Wheat varieties don't need to be planted, they dig themselves in if the soil isn't solid compact. Rye is also pretty much throw and grow. I've planted Oats in the fall and the winter kill plant matter makes a nice bed for Oats and Wheat in the spring. Deer will feed on the winter killed Oat stalks.

Just an idea, plant the depth sensitive seeds first, them broadcast the Wheat and Rye last. Birds may be a problem.

I've always planted Clover as a stand alone plot. The soil where I plant needs a lot of Lyme for Clover to thrive. The Wheat, Oats and Rye not so much.

I often plant patches in a larger plot. Most plants tolerate their own kind, mixed plots can be iffy. Or research a little to find out which plants grow well together and which don't.