Late fall/ winter planting

[gma1320]

My lease is being thinned right now. The forester is going to clean off the loading decks for me to plant. I am wanting to establish one of them in clover, and one will be switched up by the season. Spring time will be sunflowers and fall I am thinking I want to go with sorghum and wheat. Not sure if there will be more than 2 decks or not. My question is can I plant the clover late in the year in the clover plot or should I just get my soil samples and apply fertilizer and lime as needed to plant in the spring? Also on the other deck where I will be planting sunflower and rotating plants for fall. Should I do the same for it or throw down some winter rye or something?

 

[mallardsx2]

I would just hunt this fall until you get your deer then, get soil samples, add your lime, till it in, get another soil sample early spring, add more lime if necessary, and plant it in the spring.

I dont waste time during deer season planting food plots. But thats just me.

 

[Triple C]

If you want to plant this fall then broadcast cereal rye or wheat. Get a soil sample ASAP with white clover as your desired crop for analysis. Lime accordingly and wait until next fall to plant your clover along with a nurse crop of rye or wheat.

Logging decks make great clover plots. I'd personally forego any summer plantings in a logging deck. Once you get the clover established you'll have a year round food source that will attract deer in a big way.

 

[livinoutdoors]

If ya want something to just get started then i also say rye. I planted rye in a pig pen i rotated hogs out of in jan/feb last year and it grew and got tall and made seed heads. Mine was for a cover crop but point being i think you can just about plant rye grain whenever and where ever in ol Ga.

 

[gma1320]

If you want to plant this fall then broadcast cereal rye or wheat. Get a soil sample ASAP with white clover as your desired crop for analysis. Lime accordingly and wait until next fall to plant your clover along with a nurse crop of rye or wheat.

Logging decks make great clover plots. I'd personally forego any summer plantings in a logging deck. Once you get the clover established you'll have a year round food source that will attract deer in a big way.

So on the plot where I want clover, I should just lime to specification and wait till next year to plant. Also what does the nurse crop do for the clover?

If I plant the cereal rye and/or wheat in the area where I plan to plant sunflower, will that effect the sunflower if I just till it in and then plant sunflower. I am definitely wanting to establish clover because I feel it is the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Dbender]

I wouldnt waste my time planting them in the spring going to really be too small to do much more than waste time and money. Zero benefit to planting sorghum in the fall, and way better options than sunflowers in the spring. Id just plant them in wheat and in spring spread a little fertilizer down a couple of the newly thinned rows that have the most sunlight. Clover isnt as big a winter draw as wheat or rye are.

 

[Triple C]

So on the plot where I want clover, I should just lime to specification and wait till next year to plant. Also what does the nurse crop do for the clover?

If I plant the cereal rye and/or wheat in the area where I plan to plant sunflower, will that effect the sunflower if I just till it in and then plant sunflower. I am definitely wanting to establish clover because I feel it is the gift that keeps on giving.

Yes - Lime as soon as possible after you receive your soil test. Without a soil test, assuming the logging deck is about 1/2 acre in size, spread 1.5 tons of lime. Just let it go until late August next yr. Then mow it, spray with gly, let it sit for 2 or 3 weeks, then harrow and plant rye or wheat. Drag to cover seed. Broadcast white clover (durana, ladino, WTI) and either drag or run over with the tires of your ATV to have good soil contact for the clover seed. Clover is best planted into a smooth, firm seed bed.

Clover spends it's first fall and winter putting down roots with very little top growth. The nurse crop will help protect the tiny clover as it's establishing its root system. In addition, you'll get plenty of deer activity munching the grains throughout the winter and early spring. Come the following spring, you'll have the beginning of a lush clover plot that will keep on giving for years to come, assuming you control grasses and broadleaf weeds.

The following fall, fertilize with 0-20-20 and overseed any bare spots with more clover seed.

As others said, wouldn't waste my time planting a logging deck with any type of summer forage. Get clover established and you won't need a summer forage in plot other than clover.

 

[gma1320]

Yes - Lime as soon as possible after you receive your soil test. Without a soil test, assuming the logging deck is about 1/2 acre in size, spread 1.5 tons of lime. Just let it go until late August next yr. Then mow it, spray with gly, let it sit for 2 or 3 weeks, then harrow and plant rye or wheat. Drag to cover seed. Broadcast white clover (durana, ladino, WTI) and either drag or run over with the tires of your ATV to have good soil contact for the clover seed. Clover is best planted into a smooth, firm seed bed.

Clover spends it's first fall and winter putting down roots with very little top growth. The nurse crop will help protect the tiny clover as it's establishing its root system. In addition, you'll get plenty of deer activity munching the grains throughout the winter and early spring. Come the following spring, you'll have the beginning of a lush clover plot that will keep on giving for years to come, assuming you control grasses and broadleaf weeds.

The following fall, fertilize with 0-20-20 and overseed any bare spots with more clover seed.

As others said, wouldn't waste my time planting a logging deck with any type of summer forage. Get clover established and you won't need a summer forage in plot other than clover.

Thank you for the advice. This is my first time planting for plots other than throw and grow stuff. Which in the right locations I had some success with it, but didn't take the time to have soil samples tested and learned quickly that the small areas I planted got browsed to nothing quickly other than the winter rye after I took ran se cameras to see what was happening with it.

 

[Triple C]

Here’s a 2/3 acre clover plot which should b similar in size to your logging deck. Pic taken in March.