Rye Grass in food plots?

[Stonewall 2]

About four years ago started noticing it in some of our food plots and it wasn’t that thick.(We have never planted rye grass in our food plots). This year with the drought and high temps thru first of October our plots were struggling. Now that we have gotten some rain and cooler temps they look awesome only problem is it is mainly rye grass and little of what we planted it is so thick it looks like it is choking everything else out.

I guess I’m going to need to spray it before it seeds out. Can anyone tell me what month that would be?

I guess a small amount of rye grass seed was in some of our seed we purchased and has gotten thicker in the plots over the last several years.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated as well.

 

[Dbender]

Plant later in the year at the right time and your foodplot seeds will outcompete it. If it's just a foodplot i wouldn't waste the time or money to try and get rid of it.

 

[Stonewall 2]

Plant later in the year at the right time and your foodplot seeds will outcompete it. If it's just a foodplot i wouldn't waste the time or money to try and get rid of it.[/QUOTE

Not what I was told by a farmer. He said once it became well established it would out compete our fall planting.

We planted third weekend in September.

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

You need to control it now while its small, its a pain to kill later, it will out compete your plots most likely. What do you have planted for food plots?

 

[Elkbane]

Italian rye grass flowers in late February or early march. I'd leave it there for the time being, fertilize it to make it palatable for the deer over winter, then kill it late in March. You kill it now, nothing for the deer to eat over winter. Bad forage is better than no forage IMO....grazing should keep it small enough to control.

But I have to admit, Doom has more herbicide experience than I do. Central GA Branch at Eatonton did quite a bit of research on rye grasses - including Italian (only folks I know who grew it on purpose) and it did provide decent grazing for cattle.
Elkbane

 

[Stonewall 2]

You need to control it now while its small, its a pain to kill later, it will out compete your plots most likely. What do you have planted for food plots?

In our smaller food plots we have Pennington rackmaster deluxe in our larger plots buck forage oats and crimson clover.

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

Anything that kills the ryegrass will smoke the oats and most of the Pennington mix

 

[elfiii]

I guess a small amount of rye grass seed was in some of our seed we purchased and has gotten thicker in the plots over the last several years.

More than likely birds are the culprits. I have a food plot that was dense forest that was cleared about 10 years ago. During the Spring and Summer it is now eat up with milk thistle. I'm pretty certain the milk thistle seed was brought by the tweetie birds.

 

[GeorgeShu]

I play a losing game with it every year in one food plot. It borders what used to be a centipede sod field. One year the owners got a contract for the centipede for winter delivery, buyer demanded green grass. So grower overseeded with rye grass so he could meet the contract. My plot is about 50 feet from that filed and down slope. The area between the field and my plot would be described as irregularly maintained field egde meaning it gets mowed every 2 or 3 years. It is full of rye grass. Seed galore and every time we get a heavy rain water pours off the large field onto my food plot carrying seed along with it. Guess I am going have to live with it even though I try to kill it each spring before it seeds out in the plot.
On the other hand it does make a very nice green food plot to sit and look at. Whether or not deer eat much of it, I dunno. Don’t see any nipped off rye grass leaves but many wheat and rye grain leaves are bitten. But it is pretty......

 

[Triple C]

On the other hand it does make a very nice green food plot to sit and look at. Whether or not deer eat much of it, I dunno. Don’t see any nipped off rye grass leaves but many wheat and rye grain leaves are bitten. But it is pretty......

You said a mouthful right there George! Ain't much for deer but sure is pretty to look at and think you've done a good job with a plot. I have the same problem. During the drought of 2016, my son broadcast rye grass in a couple of our larger plots to have something green growing. I now seem to be stuck with it. But, sure is purty to look at from the stand.

 

[oochee hunter]

It won,t get better, only worse. Got this info from doomtrpr . Plant wheat in food plot and spray with axial xl herbicide, it will kill rye grass. Had very good sucess with it.

 

[Stonewall 2]

I play a losing game with it every year in one food plot. It borders what used to be a centipede sod field. One year the owners got a contract for the centipede for winter delivery, buyer demanded green grass. So grower overseeded with rye grass so he could meet the contract. My plot is about 50 feet from that filed and down slope. The area between the field and my plot would be described as irregularly maintained field egde meaning it gets mowed every 2 or 3 years. It is full of rye grass. Seed galore and every time we get a heavy rain water pours off the large field onto my food plot carrying seed along with it. Guess I am going have to live with it even though I try to kill it each spring before it seeds out in the plot.
On the other hand it does make a very nice green food plot to sit and look at. Whether or not deer eat much of it, I dunno. Don’t see any nipped off rye grass leaves but many wheat and rye grain leaves are bitten. But it is pretty......

Yeah it looks like I could put a flag out and have fun with a 9 iron on our plots beautiful! But I want my plots growin what I plant. Guess the turkeys will suffer next spring because I’m going to nuke em in February. Thanks for all the replies. We have 18 acres of food plots and that is 14 plots it is in every plot but one 3 acre plot.

 

[Stonewall 2]

More than likely birds are the culprits. I have a food plot that was dense forest that was cleared about 10 years ago. During the Spring and Summer it is now eat up with milk thistle. I'm pretty certain the milk thistle seed was brought by the tweetie birds.

Never thought about that! I fight thistle every year have it manageable but still there. If I don’t work on it every year it would be all we have. Can not stand thistle! I have probably killed as many thistle plants kicking them up with my boots while turkey hunting as I have with herbicide!

 

[Canuck5]

Disc before it sets seed, let more germinate (30 days?) and disc again .... repeat 4-5 times, ....... might be an option, since I am sure you've got lots in your seed bank. With 14 food plots, you could try that on 5 of them next year and see if that helps, along with Doomtrp's herbicide recommendation. You might be dealing with it in 2021 too?

If you were to bush hog it, after it has set seed, clean off your bush hog before you go anywhere else with it. Your bush hog can carry seed to another plot.

 

[KILLNTM]

I tried the repeat discing when it took over my food plots, but it never helped a whole lot. Herbicide is the answer and even then, it's not a one time spray and you're done. You'll need to stay on top of it in order to knock it down enough to where it's not so much of a problem. From what I've seen, it will eventually inhibit the growth of just about everything else you try to plant.

 

[blood on the ground]

I didn't read all the previous post. What's wrong with rye grass in a food plot? Also, what we declare as weeds (not everything) now days, is actually food for a lot of wildlife, from deer to honeybees and everything in between.

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

I didn't read all the previous post. What's wrong with rye grass in a food plot? Also, what we declare as weeds (not everything) now days, is actually food for a lot of wildlife, from deer to honeybees and everything in between.

Ryegrass will out compete what he planted and be a pain to get rid off.

 

[NCHillbilly]

I didn't read all the previous post. What's wrong with rye grass in a food plot? Also, what we declare as weeds (not everything) now days, is actually food for a lot of wildlife, from deer to honeybees and everything in between.

We planted Abruzzi rye last year,and the deer were sucking it up like vacuum cleaners.

 

[davidhelmly]

We planted Abruzzi rye last year,and the deer were sucking it up like vacuum cleaners.

Yes, that’s rye grain and the deer love it, op is talking about rye grass.

 

[Stonewall 2]

I didn't read all the previous post. What's wrong with rye grass in a food plot? Also, what we declare as weeds (not everything) now days, is actually food for a lot of wildlife, from deer to honeybees and everything in between.

it is choking out our higher quality grazing material like clover. I will get a pic and post next time I’m out there. It is amazing how it has taken over in such a short time.

I’m sure we have as someone else said been transferring the seed around our foodplots with the deck on the bush hog.