My 2021 Food Plot Plans

[Luv2Bowhnt]

Been thinking a lot about food plots for this year. Last year it was pretty boring with mainly just some oats. I did soil sample and limed and fertilized as recommended during the summer ('20). For 2021, I'm thinking of planting my largest plots this spring in sunflower and iron clay peas. I'm thinking about coming in soon and killing the standing oats (herbicide) and then drilling the sunflower/peas with my conservation seeder. I do need to pull soil samples ASAP to see what my lime needs are. Hopefully it's okay because not sure if I have time to get it applied and it do any good before I drill my summer planting. My thoughts are then I will come in sometime in October and mow strips in the sunflowers and drill a oat/wheat mix in the strips. Any thoughts or advice? Anybody had any experience doing something similar? Thanks

 

[Addicted to Antlers]

I would use pelletized lime rather than powder. Almost everyone needs lime.

 

[Nitram4891]

Pellet lime does not work faster.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/field_crop...rCEs6Y36K-WTL6HokHydLebtm4MUKujJbCxPempJE-wU4

 

[ugajay]

I like the plan. My only concern would be having strips to mow. Whenever I plant sunflowers, they never get a chance to mature because the deer absolutely mow them down.

 

[Canuck5]

How many acres are you planning to plant? Have your deer ever tasted cowpeas and sunflowers before? If they haven't you might stand a chance, for one year. I gave up on cowpeas after 5 acres never got more than a couple inches tall.

If you fertilized and limed according to a soil test, you might be fine. Lime can take 3 years or so to do it's work, so it's still working for you. But take a soil test ..... it's cheap.

More poor little cowpeas .... they kept trying to grow, but .....

 

[Canuck5]

The kept getting nibbled off

 

[Luv2Bowhnt]

Have never planted sunflowers on the property. Good deer population but we are not overrun. The 3 plots I'm thinking of doing this in would be around 5-6 total acres. I realize that some of it will be eaten before maturity but hoping I can make a decent crop.

 

[Canuck5]

Food plotting is part experimenting! My first year growing cowpeas, they got knee high, then flowered and boom, the deer came in and worked hard on them. That year the cowpeas were large enough that they did reasonably well and I broadcast, wheat and clover directly into them, in late September, which took over.

A cowpea will keep trying to grow, even if it has been nipped down to the ground. I counted 24 leaves, that this little guy had nipped off, but he kept growing. If a soybean is nipped off below it's first 2 leaves, it's dead ... the same with a sunflower. I have never been able to grow sunflowers.

 

[Dbender]

I would use pelletized lime rather than powder. Pelletized works faster. Almost everyone needs lime.

I got bags of ultimate fall food plot on sale at Hancock seed. 50lb bags for $18. Wheat, oats, barley rye and crimson clover. Cheap. I don’t care it says fall on it. It will come up. If you look up the seeds they also mention spring.

Pellet line doesn't work faster. You are just wasting money if you plant that mix in the spring. Deer will not use it this time of year.