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By:
c5ken
Date:27-Jul-23
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I killed off a weedy 3ac food plot. I'm going to replant in mid August with Ladino clover. I'd like to also plant a cover crop. Any suggestions as to what to plant? Should I add anything else? I live in S/E Michigan.
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By:
Catscratch
Date:27-Jul-23
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I'd do a mix of winter wheat and winter rye. I'm unsure about the WW that far north though, might be better off just doing 100% rye.
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By:
craigmcalvey
Date:27-Jul-23
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Either wheat or rye will work just fine. I’d do the rye, simply because it’s been great for me and I plant it yearly here in mid mi
Craig
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By:
Bake
Date:27-Jul-23
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By:
c5ken
Date:27-Jul-23
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I don't plan on spraying for weeds the first year or two. I'm new to this stuff & want to plant the best food plot I can to support the deer in my area. Is Rape considered a good cover crop?
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By:
Catscratch
Date:27-Jul-23
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Go to HabitatTalkforums or deerhunterforum.com and ask them.
WW and WR are very common and acceptable nurse crops for clovers.
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By:
c5ken
Date:27-Jul-23
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Thanks for the input...
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By:
t-roy
Date:27-Jul-23
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I wouldn’t consider rape a cover crop. If you’re trying to get clover established, I’d recommend not planting rape with your clover. It has pretty big leaves and would most likely shade out the new clover completely, or stunt their growth somewhat. I’d recommend rye as a nurse crop. Mid August is a tad early for rye, but it shouldn’t be an issue. I prefer rye for several reasons. It’s very winter hardy and stays green into the winter. Also has allelopathic properties that help with weed suppression in the spring.
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By:
HuntingFamily
Date:27-Jul-23
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X2 t-roy
I'm in the process of establishing new clover plots as well and have been prepping the ground the last 2 months, I've done some research and as you can will see there are plenty of options. I've decided on a 50/50 mix of rye and oats at 100 lbs per acre. I'm in southwest Michigan and though it may be early for the rye it will take the pressure off the clover. Good luck and enjoy.
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By:
BullBuster
Date:28-Jul-23
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rye and oats will work but you will get winter kill of oats.
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By:
RBBH
Date:28-Jul-23
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t-roy is correct about rape. I (in Illinois) have had a lot of success planting winter wheat in the fall, then frost seeding clover into it in February. Then mow it in late June. My deer hit the winter wheat all fall/winter, and the clover is thick after I mow it mid summer. I have had good success with Real World clover seed.
If you decide to split the 3ac into different plots, make edges to make them walk where you need them. Ive done this and it works.
Good Luck!!
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By:
c5ken
Date:28-Jul-23
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After researching the subject & getting advice from you guys, I decided to go with Ladino Clover & a cover crop of Rye. I also discussed the issue with the local feed & seed outlet & they also recommended rye as a cover. My feed plot is 200 yrds long & 60ish yards wide. I need the deer to spend most of the time on either the far west or east end of the plot. That's where I have tree stands & ground blinds. So, I typically hit these areas heaver with seed & fertilizer as opposed to the middle of the plot. I do not gun hunt this plot so I need the deer within bow range. However, although I don't mind spending the time money to create a good feed source for the deer, I rarely kill a deer on this plot. It seams the older I get taking a deer is not as important as it once was. But, I do have a lot of deer in my area, I do invite Dads & their kids to come over and hunt. The kids typically take a few does & smaller bucks. I did have one kid kill a 137 P&Y a few years ago... The kid & his dad we ecstatic Thanks for your help regarding this subject...
So, I pay
