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What and when would you plant??
Food Plots
Messages posted to thread:
Ben Farmer 16-Mar-17
Ben Farmer 16-Mar-17
t-roy 16-Mar-17
Ben Farmer 16-Mar-17
t-roy 16-Mar-17
Habitat for Wildlife 16-Mar-17
Mike-TN 17-Mar-17
Ben Farmer 17-Mar-17
Mark Watkins 17-Mar-17
Mark Watkins 17-Mar-17
Mike-TN 17-Mar-17
Mark Watkins 17-Mar-17
jrhurn 17-Mar-17
flyingbrass 17-Mar-17
buckshideout 18-Mar-17
X-Master 19-Mar-17
MK111 19-Mar-17
bfisherman11 20-Mar-17
Ben Farmer 21-Mar-17
Ben Farmer 21-Mar-17
Habitat1 21-Mar-17
Ben Farmer 21-Mar-17
booner 21-Mar-17
Michael Schwister 23-Mar-17


Date:16-Mar-17

Ben Farmer's MOBILE embedded Photo

I got permission from the property owner on the one place I hunt to try some food plots. The property is all wooded with a gas line running through it. The gas line is the only place I can use for a plot. I bought one of those little plows (groundhog max) for my atv and plowed up a couple spots that weren't grown up with trees. This plot is gonna be about 50 yards long and about 30 yards wide. My plan was to get a soil test done next and then wait for it to green up a little and then spray it with roundup and then plow it up again once everything is killed.

So, what would you plant in a plot this size? I was thinking clover? When would be the best time to plant it? I'm in Pa by the way. I would really like to have something in here that will bring the deer in in October and early November. I'm planning on putting a ground blind in this spot for my 9 year old daughter to hunt. On the left side of the gas line, it is nasty thick! Deer literally bed right next to the gas line. The right side is open woods and the way we will walk in. I'm leaving about 10 yards of weeds/brush grow up on each side of the gas line for cover to get into the blind since the deer bed so close.

Let's hear your thoughts. What would be the best thing to plant?

Thanks in advance!

Date:16-Mar-17

Ben Farmer's MOBILE embedded Photo

This is the other spot I plowed up about 200 yards from the one above. This one is smaller, about 35 yards long and 15 yards wide.

By: t-roy
Date:16-Mar-17

Clover is a pretty good go to plot. It's fairly easy to grow and maintain. My suggestion would be to go with clover in one of your plots and some type of brassicas mix in your other plot in late July. Be careful though. Food plots can be very addictive! Good luck to you and we'll keep an eye out for pics of your daughter and her deer!

Date:16-Mar-17

Thanks for the reply t-Roy.

Would a clover plot planted this spring be up enough to draw deer this fall? I was actually thinking of trying the antler king clover plus?? From what I'm reading, the clover takes about a year to get really good.

By: t-roy
Date:16-Mar-17

Fall seeding generally is better but if your soil ph, etc is in decent shape, and you have good weather conditions, you should be able to have a pretty good stand by this fall.

Date:16-Mar-17

Good advice here IMHO. Good luck!

Date:17-Mar-17

I would plant buckwheat this spring/summer and then come back with wheat and ladina clover in the fall. If your plot was ready you could put down ladina right now as a frost seed and it would probably do well but sounds like you are not quite ready. With my recommendation you won't really get any clover forage till next year but they will be in your plot this fall for the wheat

Date:17-Mar-17

Thanks for the replies guys!

Ok, from what everyone is saying, I should probably wait till this fall to plant clover? So, what would you all think if I planted the trophy clover mix this fall with maybe some oats or buck wheat mixed in with it??

The antler king trophy clover mix says it has 4 different types of clover, chicory, and rapeseed in it. I figure if I wait till fall, I could spend this spring and summer keeping the weeds sprayed and til it up a few more times since nothing has been planted in these spots before. I was hoping by mixing some oats or buckwheat with the clover plus that I would have something in there for the deer this fall.

Give me your thought on that plan? Good or bad?

Thanks again guys. This is new to me and my head is spinning from all the reading I been doing! Lol

Date:17-Mar-17

I'm with t-roy on this....soil test and amend first.

I would spring plant the entire plot in clover (you will have a modest growth clover stand this first fall). Then about August 1st (ideally right before a rain), I would plow/till a long strip down the center (about 50% of the plot) and plant brassicas (and fertilize).

I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Keep us posted on what you decide to do and the results!

Mark

Date:17-Mar-17

I should have mentioned, Ive had excellent results with Grandpa Ray's Outdoors ( a BS sponsor) seed and products and would certainly recommend planting them!

Mark

Date:17-Mar-17

I would not think that a strip of anything in these small plots would be worth the effort but others will disagree. Buckwheat is a warm season plant so do not plant it this fall. Plant In May in the south. I have never planted clover in the spring but have done a lot of frost seeding in late February (KY) that has turned out great.

Date:17-Mar-17

Ben, ....and if you want to put "the frosting on the cake," overseed winter rye and oats into your brassicas about September 10th right before a rain....this will be the first thing to green up in the spring (deer food and turkey hunting:))

Mark

By: jrhurn
Date:17-Mar-17

I am going to second Mark Watkins, get in touch with John from Grandpa Ray's. For a brand new food plotter, he is your go to. You can send him your soil sample results, tell him what you are looking for and he will recommend the seed and hold your hand while you get it going.

James

Date:17-Mar-17

My county extension agent recommended I plant Pennington Seedmaster Durana Clover. I followed his advice. My property lies in two counties so I asked the other county agent what he recommended and he said plant fruit trees. Fruit trees won't work there. I think ask your agent.

Date:18-Mar-17

Keep your food plots simple. I planted clover last spring and the deer were eating it up in the fall. I also planted brassicas in which they never touched. This year I'm going with the bread and butter...soybeans and clover.

Date:19-Mar-17

OK Ben, since you already have it worked up, first and foremost get a soil test in ASAP. In the mean while, I will also endorse GrandPa Rays: https://www.grandparayoutdoors.com/products I would suggest his "Mass Builder" mix?? and you could get this going by "frost seeding" here in the next couple weeks. If you don't want to go with GrandPa Rays (which I think you should), go with a ladino/ medium red clover mix. Then when you get your results back from your soil test, make sure you apply what it tells you. I would also use pelletized lime rather than ag lime especially this first year. It is easier to use and spread and acts faster. Also if you are back in alittle - easier to get it in to your plots. Use it in a 1to5 or 6 ratio. Meaning if your soil test calls for 1 ton of ag lime on a 1 acre plot = 4-500#s of pelletized lime etc. If your plots are smaller , estimate their size and adjust quantities accordingly. By doing this now, you should have a more than acceptable plot by fall as long as we don't get any type of extended drought. To maintain the plot(s), I mow usually twice a summer but in a new plot such as yours probably just once around Labor day. Also once a year , I spray with clethidim and 2-4DB to control grass and broadleaf weeds - usually around Memorial day. Beyond that frost seed a little seed each March along with more lime and fertiizer to keep it going. I've been doing this for several years now and my plots look great and I have them planted right next to brassicas and soybeans and when I'm hunting them, the deer will invariably come out and hit the clover first and foremost all the time. Just my 2 cents but Good Luck - it is addicting once you achieve some level of success.

By: MK111
Date:19-Mar-17

Plant clover. I think of clover for deer as offering a young child a piece of sweet candy or a sour pickle. The child will almost always take the sweet candy.

Date:20-Mar-17

I have a plot with chickory and clover. The deer love the chickory.

Date:21-Mar-17

Ben Farmer's embedded Photo

Thanks for the advice guys!! I kind of ran into another problem. The lady who owns the property told me she doesn't want any round up sprayed on her land:( She said I could spray anything organic. I looked up a some things but don't know how well they work! Anyone have experience with these??

Date:21-Mar-17

Ben Farmer's embedded Photo

Or this??

Date:21-Mar-17

Grass will be worse than weeds,you can usually control weeds by mowing.If you plant brassicas be prepared as the deer may not eat them the first year and that is probably why some are suggesting to draw them to the plot so they will try them.He was right Grandpa Rays has some excellent mixes and he has the expertise to steer you right

Date:21-Mar-17

I took X-Masters advice and several others on here and ordered grand pa rays "mass builder" seed today.

By: booner
Date:21-Mar-17

Look at planting rye the first week of september, grows fast and withstands browse pressure. When you get a frost the clover will stop growing and gets bitter, the rye is strong and stays tasty through the frosts. Works very well for a late october and early november feeding area for does ( welcome Bucks). only drawback is that it is an annual and will need planted every year

Date:23-Mar-17

Of all the things I have tried, the best/most consistant draw plot from SEP-DEC in our area (Northern VA mountains) is a clover/chickory mix (Monster mix, chickory plus etc). Understand this mix requires very high levels of K for best production/draw


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