Anyone used grass seed for foodplot?

We have a few foodplots that are in direct sunlight and have a difficult time getting going due to the direct sunlight and pressure from deer. We are contemplating putting a equine mix grass seed in these foodplots to create a base layer from which to do a no-till with chicory and clover in the fall. The hope would be that the grass doesn't get browsed as hard and will keep the weeds out and then in the fall provide some protection when we plant the chicory/clover in the fall in these areas. Has anyone else used grass seed in a foodplot or do you think it will even work? Just so you know we have several other foodplots in the woods that don't have this issue that we also feed the deer on so this experiment is only on a couple of tough, in the open areas we have.

The deer probably won't eat much on the grass, and the clover should grow right in amongst it.

NCHillbilly said:

The deer probably won't eat much on the grass, and the clover should grow right in amongst it.

Click to expand...

That's what I am hoping happens and then the grass would become a ground covering for the fall when I would introduce the chicory and clover to it. We supplemental protein feed in these areas already but I have had such an issue getting anything to grow in these areas due to them being in the open that I am about to give up. This is my last shot at getting something going in these areas as I have exhausted just about everything I can think of in terms of getting a sustainable food plot to grow in them.

shdw...How big are the plots?

I feel as if getting something to grow in direct sunlight should not be a problem. maybe I'm missing something

Triple C said:

shdw...How big are the plots?

Click to expand...

Plots are about 1/4 acre each, a couple are long and narrow and one is circular. Soil is right, but browse and high sun I am thinking is what is doing me in. I can get sunn hemp up to your shins and then gone within a couple of weeks to just stem stumps, when that drought was ongoing it was just a matter of time before I had just dirt. I was worried I was going to have to come up and mow it every couple of weeks.....boy was I wrong!! I realize that I can keep them off the plots with milorganite but I think I am getting too much browse and am trying to think of a cover crop to start protecting the fledgling seeds I really want them to eat.

shdw...I'm far from an expert but sure have a lot of fun experimenting on my place with plot techniques. Would seem to me that if you wait until 1st of September and spray the field with gly then wait till till early October and plant white or red clover along with chicory and use rye grain for a nurse crop you would be golden by next summer. Terminate the rye in late spring then let the clover and chicory do it's thing. You should be able to get 3 to 4 years of continuous growth with the perennial clover and chicory.

I haven't use chicory in a number of years but I know guys that do and like it. For small plots, I personally like perennial clover planted with a nurse crop of rye grain in the fall. I've had good luck with Regal Graze ladino clover. Just my .02 cents worth.

Your saying just forgo the grass for now, not even as a base to keep the weeds down? I'm going the perennial route that your stating in the fall; hoping the clover/chicory take hold and then I won't have to use the grass next summer, but your saying just let it go and come in and pick it up in the fall.

That's what I would do. I'd let it go fallow thru the summer, then bush hog and let it start going back then hit it with gly. You'll be planting into dead thatch and should have minimal weeds with rye grain as a nurse crop for your clover n chicory.

Triple C said:

That's what I would do. I'd let it go fallow thru the summer, then bush hog and let it start going back then hit it with gly. You'll be planting into dead thatch and should have minimal weeds with rye grain as a nurse crop for your clover n chicory.

Click to expand...

I'm all in for that as it would save me money in seed and planting, my only concern is if it stays barren through the summer due to our previous plantings. What do you think the chances of that would be by just keeping it at it's current barren state? I should state that this is very sandy soil.

shdw633 said:

I'm all in for that as it would save me money in seed and planting, my only concern is if it stays barren through the summer due to our previous plantings. What do you think the chances of that would be by just keeping it at it's current barren state? I should state that this is very sandy soil.

Click to expand...

shdw...From everything I've learned from from my time doing this stuff, one thing you don't want is bare soil. Soil health guys say something should be growing and covering your soil for as much of the year as possible. If you plant nothing this spring will summer grasses and weeds naturally come up in your plot? If so, you've got something covering the soil that will provide some OM in the fall. If nothing would grow from leaving it fallow due to your sandy conditions then that's above my pay grade. Our soil is clay-based so when we do nothing, a plethora of all manner of summer grasses and weeds cover the soil.

Here's a few time lapse photos from one of our food plots that we let go fallow in the spring and summer and then plant in the fall. It's just north of an acre in size.

This plot was used as a logging deck in 2015. It was a mess after they finished. I really didn't think we would get much of a plot in 2016 due to the heavy compaction from logging equipment all over it. I subsoiled it thoroughly after spraying with gly to relieve the compaction and was quite surprised at how well it did, even with the drought we had.

This pic is from August after doing nothing to the plot from the fall of 2015 due to the logging. You can see all manner of crab grass and weeds growing in it's fallow state.



Late August we sprayed it with gly and a couple of weeks later it looked like this. I subsoiled at this time.



Planted on Sept. 26th. As you remember, we basically had no rain from Sept thru the end of Nov.



Nov 4th, with no rain, things didn't look good but a little green was showing.



With rains coming in late Nov. and Dec., things started looking better by middle of December.

Here's pics from January and February of this year. This was planted in Abruzzi Rye.




We will do nothing to this plot until this coming fall. The grains will seed out and provide possible fawning cover and by June it will fill in with crab grass and weeds. Come late August, we'll spray it again and plant late Sept or early Oct.

Foodplotting is expensive. We've decided summer plots are just not necessary and save a lot of money by not planting. We have white clover in other plots that, given rain, produce thru the summer.

shdw...The last thing I'll add is to suggest taking one of your plots and plant in perennial clover, chicory if desired, and rye grain this fall. You'll have a great attractant with the rye in the fall. You can manage weeds in the clover / chicory stand and come next spring and summer, you should have a nice stand of clover that can last for several years.

Something is not right if you have full sun and nothing will grow. I have never had issues with full sun plots. Now shaded plots is another story...

My yard at home is a mix of fescue, duranna, chicory, abruzzi rye, and yuchi clover, and we have deer around all the time. I guess anything is possible.

Core Lokt said:

Something is not right if you have full sun and nothing will grow. I have never had issues with full sun plots. Now shaded plots is another story...

Click to expand...

We are on a timber company and our foodplots in the timber work out great every year I believe because they get just enough sunlight everyday but don't get burned up by it. It's the ones in direct sunlight that get toasted. Usually when we leave it bear they comes up with patches of weeds that grow pretty large with many areas of open sand patches, or we get cactus that pops up in them.

Follow Triple C's advice. You can also throw in some winter wheat and winter oats along with the Wrens Abruzzi Rye. If you wanna go BIG $$ you can plant Buck Forage Oats as well.

Those are all cereal grains and make a GREAT nurse crop!

I am going to take Triple C's advice this upcoming season. I tried the BFO's and the drought got them last year. They have come up some this winter, but the deer destroyed what came up as soon as it appeared as there was nothing else really available at the time.

Rye, winter wheat, and oats cheap and easy to grow. Every plot we have planted we had deer come.

shdw633 said:

I am going to take Triple C's advice this upcoming season. I tried the BFO's and the drought got them last year. They have come up some this winter, but the deer destroyed what came up as soon as it appeared as there was nothing else really available at the time.

Click to expand...

If the wildlife are eating down your food plots that much you need more food plots or a lower deer population.
Grass would work for a cover ,but eventually take over the clover.
Plant the clover this fall with a cereal grain nurse crop and let it stand thru next spring/early summer.Let the cereal grain and clover continue to seed out.Then mow and lightly disk the following fall.
Keep a watch on your food plot weeds as the deer will eat a lot of them.(free food)
You will never get rid of all the weeds unless you get rid of all the birds.
I believe in less soil disturbance once planted approach for clover.JMO

Crakajak said:

If the wildlife are eating down your food plots that much you need more food plots or a lower deer population.
Grass would work for a cover ,but eventually take over the clover.
Plant the clover this fall with a cereal grain nurse crop and let it stand thru next spring/early summer.Let the cereal grain and clover continue to seed out.Then mow and lightly disk the following fall.
Keep a watch on your food plot weeds as the deer will eat a lot of them.(free food)
You will never get rid of all the weeds unless you get rid of all the birds.
I believe in less soil disturbance once planted approach for clover.JMO

Click to expand...

I am going to be attempting to go to the less soil disturbance system which is why I was looking for something that would just cover the soil and allow me to just go to a no till this fall. Currently we have a little over 1 quarter acre food plot per hundred acres and the population of deer is quite healthy. We also have about 1 feeder per 200 acres that are kept full all year but I feel that you are correct in that we either have to increase the number of plots or go to electric fences to keep the deer off until the plots become mature and can handle the browse better, expense would dictate that we really don't want to do that. I am going with the cereal grass and clover this fall in the hopes of doing just as you have stated next year and topping with milorganite in an attempt to keep the deer off them for a couple of weeks to give the seedlings a chance.