Fall Food (for thought) Plot Thread2

Deerhunter12454

Senior Member
Is it too late to get a summer food plot in? I’m wanting to build the soil and not sure if it’s too late.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I think the key for you right now, is rain, because we are headed into the heat of the summer.

You could try buckwheat or alyce clover. If you get rain, it will grow!

Right now at our property it's been pretty dry and things are starting to dry up.


Warm season seed.JPG
 

Deerhunter12454

Senior Member
I Guess I’m putting out lime next time I’m down. Going to start no till planting in my plots so I can keep a majority of moisture next summer
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Yes, getting your soil where it needs to be first, allows you many options later on.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Rag-Doll Testing https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag182

I had some old seed that I wanted to check the germination rate on, before I spent the time and energy planting them this fall. They all look reasonably good, after 3 days, so I won't buy more.

Chicory
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Radish

Radish 6-17-20.JPG

Turnips

Turnip 6-17-20.JPG
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I know, I know, we're not trying to raise a crop ... just feed some deer, but soil compaction (driving needlessly in food plots, one of my pet peeves), and working up ground and planting when too wet with a drill, can harm production of your crop.

If you're like me, with just 1% or so of my land, able to plant food plots, I want to maximize my crop. Dad always used to say, "don't smear the ______ in!"

https://www.realagriculture.com/202...0&utm_campaign=Ontario Daily&utm_medium=email

This pretty much applies to anything you plant, even throw and mow.
 

Gaswamp

Senior Member

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Yup, laid dry seed out on a wet paper towel, rolled it up and put it in a plastic sandwich bag and waited. Right now some roots are growing thru the paper towel.

Ideally, you'd put 100 seeds on it and then count the ones that don't germinate. So if 10 didn't germinate, you'd know you have 90% germination and adjust your seeding rate accordingly.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !

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Triple C

Senior Member
Weeds and their value. Mother Nature does provide and deer can pick out which weeds are the most nutritious ...... in amongst tall grass. Compare these weeds to what we plant.

https://www.growingdeer.tv/#/antler...browse-cool-critter-update-predators-and-prey

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Canuck...Don't know what we would do without you providing so much great data to this thread. It is truly a plotter's encyclopedia. And to your point, too many folks just don't realize just how much of a deer's annual diet consists of forbs (weeds). According to Craig Harper - 60% of a deer's annual diet consists of forbs which are the leaves and stems from what we call weeds.

And good ol' ragweed is at the top of their preference list! The reason many folks don't see it is because it is so heavily browsed by deer, along with many other species of forbs. I've found ragweed to be highly preferential on my farm. I love finding it and I guarantee it will almost always be browsed. Along with blackberries leaves, greenbrier, devil's walking stick, partridge pea, pokeweed, japanese honysuckle and on and on.

I listened to a podcast from Dr. Harper, who most consider one of the leading authorities on deer food, and he said if given the choice between forbs and oaks, he would always choose forbs. Great stuff brother!
 

davidhelmly

Senior Member
I
Canuck...Don't know what we would do without you providing so much great data to this thread. It is truly a plotter's encyclopedia. And to your point, too many folks just don't realize just how much of a deer's annual diet consists of forbs (weeds). According to Craig Harper - 60% of a deer's annual diet consists of forbs which are the leaves and stems from what we call weeds.

And good ol' ragweed is at the top of their preference list! The reason many folks don't see it is because it is so heavily browsed by deer, along with many other species of forbs. I've found ragweed to be highly preferential on my farm. I love finding it and I guarantee it will almost always be browsed. Along with blackberries leaves, greenbrier, devil's walking stick, partridge pea, pokeweed, japanese honysuckle and on and on.

I listened to a podcast from Dr. Harper, who most consider one of the leading authorities on deer food, and he said if given the choice between forbs and oaks, he would always choose forbs. Great stuff brother!
I agree totally, Canuck is a wealth of knowledge, I think we need to buy him a beer one day to thank him for all time the spends sharing all of his info!
I’ve got a 60 ac cutover that was cut about 18 months ago and then sprayed and replanted maybe 6 months ago that is absolutely covered up in ragweed, unfortunately it borders a county road so it’s easy to see but the ragweed is waist high and it is FULL of deer every afternoon, they love it!!
 
Sprayed all my plots this weekend. Will plant the first of October.
 

Deerhunter12454

Senior Member
Iron clay peas are coming up great. Threw a nurse crow of oats, wheat, and clover into it, once the deer eat all the peas, I’ll over seed with turnips and wheat
 

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Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I am going to be trying some clover seed developed in Texas for hotter and dryer conditions. Just hoping to give myself a slight edge in the heat of the summer.

Barduro medium red clover, which should be a good reseeder and a biennial, which will be used in my 3 clover plots.

Neches perennial white clover, which is an early and good reseeder, and fingers crossed, gives me a slight edge in the heat of the summer. It is supposed to "seed out" earlier than Durana. We'll see!

I found these optimum (soil) germination temperature charts for a variety of clovers, and once again, for the most part, let the soil temperatures cool off, before spending lots of time and money, planting expensive clover. The "sweet spot" might be between 50F and 60F, for most clovers.

https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2134/age2018.11.0059

Find your soil temperature here.

http://www.georgiaweather.net/?content=tr&variable=XS

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