Cheap Food Plot

SWAMPFOX · Nov 19, 2004

This is a pic of what is called Florida Pusley or as sometimes it is referred to, Mexican Clover.
It is a high preference summer and fall forage for deer and rabbits on sites that have been disturbed between April and August. I harrowed this site on July 30. It had been a winter plot of Austrian winter peas and wheat in the winter of 2003/2004. I was hoping to regenerate the Austrian winter peas for this winter. That didn't happen but I now have a carpeted food plot of Florida pusley. I spread about 100 lbs of 10-10-10 during the harrowing and was pleasantly surprised to find the deer are browsing it. The cost of the two bags was about $11. This has turned into one of the cheapest and most productive plots that I've ever estalished.

HT2 · Nov 19, 2004

10-4!!!!!!!!!

If it grows and it's good for the wildlife......

GOOD DEAL!!!!!!!!!!

If you plant it.....

They will come!!!!!!!!!!!! :fine:

SWAMPFOX · Nov 19, 2004

That's the beauty of it. I didn't have to plant it. It just came up from natural regeneration after harrowing. I have it in my yard and it is murder but at my lease the more the better.

Loafy · Nov 19, 2004

Thanks, I've been trying to figure out what that stuff was. We had our pines thinned earlier this year and that stuff came up thick. Deer were all over it. THey nipped the top out of the whole feild.
Will it come back next year if I disk it?

SWAMPFOX · Nov 19, 2004

As you can see, mine did. This stuff will work as a perennial probably if you keep disturbing the soil.

What got me looking at it was in the spring of 2002 I put in a summer plot of about 4 acres. I wasn't able to do any weed control and this stuff and sickle pod invaded my iron clay peas/buckwheat/soybean plot. Then I I noticed the deer were hitting the pusley after they ravished the other stuff. This plot has a good pH and I keep it well fertilized.

According to a book I got, it is a highly preferred browse.

PWalls · Nov 9, 2005

Can you buy the pusley seed anywhere?

Wouldn't mind starting a plot next year in that stuff based on how hard they hit it this year out in the thinned pines. Maybe a good acre or two in a well fertilized plot would make the deer go crazy.

Also, technically, its a weed right? Shouldn't the seeds be cheaper than soybeans or peas?

gadeerwoman · Nov 9, 2005

With a good ph and some fertilizer deer will eat almost anything over non-fertilized vegetation (except Johnson grass and thistle). Deer love most weeds. Good thinking Ted!!

SWAMPFOX · Nov 9, 2005

I have never seen pulsey seed for sale. But if, as Sandra said, you do a little soil disturbance and fertilize, you off to a good start. I will probably forego 10-10-10 this spring and go with urea (47-0-0) to give it a good boost of nitrogen. My main food management technique is evolving into prescribed burning and late winter disking. My food plot attempts have been less than successful due to droughts and weeds. I don't have the $$$ or resources to stay on top of my weed problem and the droughts have played havoc with a lot of my plot efforts.

Cheap Food Plot

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