No one is as smart as all of us? (Updated pics added)

[Jim Boyd]

Hey Folks!

On our small farm, I have about 5.5 acres of tillable.

I have about 1.5 acres of standing corn so I will take that out of the rotation.

I have:

12 lbs of winter greens brassica
50 lbs crimson clover
10 lbs ladino clover
10 lbs arrowleaf clover
50 lbs AWP

I will also have 5-600 lbs of oats.

I have the remaining 4 +\- acres in 6 areas - some of which basically border one another.

I have a 1/2 acre area that was woods last year and I cleared it. It has not had lime on it yet and some stumps and roots remain. For this area I am going to simply drill 60-70 lbs of oats and see what it does.

For the remaining acreage, I am trying to determine the best seed combinations.

I plan to plant the brassicas (with ???) on 17 September and the rest of the seed on 9 October.

Thoughts and advice?


Thanks !

 

[Ihunt]

I don’t know if it’s as good as they say but google Berseem clover. Most preferred and grows quickly in soil temps over 60 degrees so it may keep up with your browsing pressure
I have a couple of bags that I will be trying this year so next year I’ll have a better idea of what it’s all about. It’s the filler in WTI clover.

 

[Jim Boyd]

I don’t know if it’s as good as they say but google Berseem clover. Most preferred and grows quickly in soil temps over 60 degrees so it may keep up with your browsing pressure
I have a couple of bags that I will be trying this year so next year I’ll have a better idea of what it’s all about. It’s the filler in WTI clover.

Will do!

I have already spent as much as I am going to - this year.

Have not used the arrowleaf in years past but it is supposed to really extend the crimson plots into middle to late spring.

Will also be doing the first perennial clover plot on the farm with the ladino.


Appreciate it!

 

[Jim Boyd]

I don’t know if it’s as good as they say but google Berseem clover. Most preferred and grows quickly in soil temps over 60 degrees so it may keep up with your browsing pressure
I have a couple of bags that I will be trying this year so next year I’ll have a better idea of what it’s all about. It’s the filler in WTI clover.

…and yes, we do have wicked browsing pressure.

Think the AWP are not a great gamble but I did it anyway.

Looking to create diversified food.

The peas - in general, you could throw a pork chop past a hungry wolf before you could grow peas and beans in my area.

Gonna try to throw a lot of food at them at one time and see what happens.

My little brother is coming to the farm in mid September and he will likely shoot 5-6 of them.

Thanks all!

 

[Ihunt]

Will do!

I have already spent as much as I am going to - this year.

Have not used the arrowleaf in years past but it is supposed to really extend the crimson plots into middle to late spring.

Will also be doing the first perennial clover plot on the farm with the ladino.


Appreciate it!

My deer like the arrowleaf clover. I’m in middle Georgia and it did good until about mid June then it started falling off. It’s a heavy reseeder and we always get some back every year.

 

[HuntingFool]

I don't plant oats or peas anymore. I used to every year. Now the only thing I do on a new plot is Durana and mixed greens in the Fall. I may add some Crimson clover. After that I just mow in the Spring and overseed the Durana. Mow again in Fall and broadcast some greens. The Durana plot last me years and just overseed the greens in the Fall. I have had more deer activity all year with plots like this. The Durana in the Spring will be about half way to your knee. It handles heavy browsing and minimal work year after year.

 

[Lilly001]

I like oats for easiest to grow with good output.
I’m going to try clover when I can finally get my plots limed.
I’ve been planting oats for years and it always works. The deer keep in eaten down to 3-4 inches until spring . Then it seeds out for the turkeys.
I usually sweeten it with peas of some type but they are usually gone by early November.
My point is oats will work almost everywhere.

 

[Jim Boyd]

Also, the crimson clover is coated and in 50 lbs, it is only 50% pure seed.

Assuming this means I double the amount per acre?

 

[Jim Boyd]

I hear what you guys like - but what is your advice on a plan based on what I have?

Thanks.

Need @davidhelmly

And @Canuck5

And otter guys that I don’t know of with good advice!!!!!

 

[HuntingFool]

So if you were to split all that you have in the 4 acres it would give you the following.

3lbs of brassicas per acre
12.5 lbs of Crimson Clover per acre
2.5 lbs of Ladino per acre
2.5 lbs Arrowleaf per acre
12.5 lbs of AWP per acre
Plus whatever Oats you add

So you could take that and put out the Oats and AWP, cover, then broadcast all your small seed. (Brassica and Clover). I think you would have good plots with that mixture.


Or you could do part in just Oats and AWP and the other in just clover and brassicas. That way the Oats doesn't take over the clover and brassicas and they can thrive. Peas I never worry about because they don't grow enough to choke anything out, but the oats can if sowed heavy.

 

[HuntingFool]

Plus if you plant the clover separate so it doesn't get choked out it will be nice for the Turkeys come Spring.

 

[Ihunt]

Jim,

I’m thinking out loud here. The brassicas do need planted early but shallow. The rest could just be broadcast on top except for the AWP and maybe the oats.
Having such a diverse planting group with different dates and depths, I would divide the plots into sections. In part, go ahead and plant the brassicas. Come back on October 9 and drill in the oats and AWP. After that, make a decision if you want your clovers over the entire plot and if so just broadcast on top. Depending on how thick the brassicas are, you may just need to plant the clovers on top of the oats and AWP.

 

[Ihunt]

Planting anything with the brassicas is a gamble, especially that expensive ladino clover. It can shade it out. Since you have the drill, doing everything on October 9th except the brassicas should be pretty easy.

 

[Canuck5]

Sooooooooooo I planted 1/4 acre of purple top turnips (for the hunters, I guess) and 1/4 acre of diakon radish this weekend and will likely do another batch in 30 days and see. They were planted just by themselves, however they went into "old" established clover plots, so I suspect I will see clover come up in those, as well for later.

 

[Canuck5]

Now, let me premise what I say here, that my plan is to plant in my "annual" plots, food, that will carry those plots thru to this time next year. We have medium deer density and 1 1/2% of properties in food plots. Not as much as I like, but on lease property you get what you get.

So, what I am planting, I want it to produce tonnage and I want it to last.

I know you already have your oats bought, but, I am going with a forage variety of oats, which has it's lineage from Buck Forage Oats. Horizon 720 is, as I am told, about 3 generations newer than BFO, so we will give it a go.

I planted Everleaf Oat last year, and I could've made a salad out of them for myself. Very sweet. Horizon 720 is AKA "Sweet Caroline", AKA FLO720.




One other member on here had been using the Legend variety and was extremely pleased with them.

Oats are broadcast planted at 40-50 pounds per acre.

 

[Canuck5]

My annual plots have a cereal grain, a 3 clover mix and brassicas to be named later, well actually turnips and radish.




So, as of September 3rd, in the above chart (with a lot of rain this year), the medium red clover is still producing and the deer are still eating it. So much so, that I only saw 1 medium red clover blossom in the whole plot. The MRC looked like this.



I just took those pictures to document the tillering of MRC, and I yanked that plant out of the ground, but I kicked myself, after looking at the pic, because of the length of the roots. If I had dug the plant out, I suspect the roots would've been "______" longer. It was definitely breaking up this first year "gas line" food plot soil, but it probably, in a normal year, would be more more drought tolerant.

That MRC was Barduro "Freedom" MRC. In the past, I have bought VNS (Variety Not Specified) MRC, but since I have upgraded the varieties, I am more pleased with the outcome. But they are more expensive.

 

[Canuck5]

So, when it comes to clover, I have come to the ball park conclusion that every 50 pound bag, of innoculated seed, will have 52% of PLS .... pure live seed, and PLS is what we have to plant.

Some seed/bags may vary, but if I have extra, I will just use it next year. Everything I do is bradcast, so I always add a little extra, without going overboard.

Crimson clover will be first of the clovers out of the ground and start growing. That is good, because it will help cover the soil and keep weeds and grasses at bay. I hate weeds and I hate grasses even more.

I am going with 15 pounds/acre of White Cloud Crimson Clover this year. It will have a white flower, but it is supposed to be sweeter and maybe more attractive to the deer. I am going to find out!

15 pounds/acre in a mix will be about 7.8 pounds/acre of PLS

In that same mix, this year I will be going with Blackhawk Arrowleaf Clover at a rate of 12 pounds/acre or 6 pounds per acre of PLS

Southern Bell Medium Red Clover at a rate of 12 pounds/acre or 6 pounds/acre of PLS.

My plots will all get diakon radish at about 2-3 pounds/acre, in that mix.

There will be a dash of Ocoee Ladino, maybe thrown in there too.

40-50 pounds of Oats
20 pounds per acre of clover
3 pounds per acre of radish
and a dash of Ladino.

 

[Canuck5]

Clover seeds vary in size, as well, so, some higher seeding rates, are because the number of seeds/pound are less.

 

[Canuck5]

And you can see what the "normal" seeding rates might be.

 

[Jim Boyd]

And you can see what the "normal" seeding rates might be.

View attachment 1102354

Underpromised and overdelivered.

Many thanks !!!!