I want to hear about everyone's success in Michigan when growing Food Plots. Spring 2015 will be my first time on our property planting a food plot and I figured a good start would be a Spring Plot with Clovers (Red/White). for Clover (What Brand, What pH, What Time of Year, Size of Plot)? What should I know for a good jump start to my 2015 Food Plot?
Clover is the only thing I will plant in the spring. For michigan you want small secluded plots. Smallest one I have is 15x 20 (yards) then the biggest is half acre. You will hardly ever catch mature bucks wanting to go into the open during day light. I have used antler king clover plots but may give Horny buck seed a go this year. Both blends I think have 5 differnt types of clover in them. Usually plant in April right around the time farmers are planting there crops
For clovers planting in the spring make sure you are well prepared to combat weeds and grasses. Start with the best bed you can by spraying, tilling, wait a couple weeks and spray and till again. Then it's make sure you mow often, every two weeks IMO unless it gets hot and little precipitation and you will continue well into September. Our clover plots we did in Ohio this year were GREAT all summer until we quit cutting them in mid August thinking we wanted a lot of clover to go into September. Wrong, we ended up with a mess of grasses that took over before we knew it.
What clover blend did you use and what type of area did you plant in. I think I only had to cut my clover plot 3/4 times last year
We used Whitetail Select Infinity. The one plot was a weed and small tree infested area that we killed off, brush hogged and sprayed again before we tilled. We figured we would have a fight there and we did. The other plot had been in brassicas the fall before and didn't have a lot of weeds to contend with but it sure sprouted once we stopped mowing.
Im sure a lot lof reason why I dont have to compete with weeds as bad is cause I dont get as much sun light as you. This year I will be planting a few in more open areas so will see how bad I am going to have to compete with weeds
Is it not wise to Spray, Till, Fertilize, Seed in the same year? The area I am looking at tilling is a 1/2 acre strip that I had mowed completely this past August and had even tilled a bit before the season started.
You can def do all of of those in the same year. We have sprayed, tilled and planted in one day (last minute) and had success.
It was a few years back, and if I remember correctly we sprayed with a weed killer, not GLY(kills everything) and tilled it under. Then planted and culti-packed.
I know that wasn't the best way..but it wasn't my choice....point is you can do all of this in one year like you asked. If I were you, I would spray GLY, wait 2 weeks, spray again, wait... spray once more to make sure all the competition is dead. Then till under. Then you can plant and pack.
Glyphosate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A cheaper version of Roundup. If you buy the concentrate, and mix it right with application at the right time, you should be able to clear your plot with 2-3 sprayings.
The main reason is pressure correct? The main Plot i will have is max 1 acre, but it is in the shape of a "J". Other than past experience, how do you personally determine what companys seeds to use? I was looking at Plot 1 and Killer Food Plot just because they are MI based companies.
Also, How many of you guys have to add fertilizer where you are at? I may be wrong but, I figure since we mainly have farm fields around us growing crops that the soil would be acceptable without fertilizer. I need to mention that I understand some crops take a lot of nutrients from the soil but, how fast does this happen and how long does it take to naturally replenish I don't know.
Yes, dont get me wrong I have seen plenty of mature bucks in wide open fields, but typically that is only during the rut. Should be fine as long as there is a screen around it. I always try to make sure my plots are surrounded by woods or have a screen around them where they feel safe from being seen in the open. I used antler king just cause they are a well known seed company and it worked so kept using it. Only reason I may switch it up this yeah is from a buddy using horn buck seed and he said its the best he has ever used. He has done a bunch of plots every year for years so he knows what he is talking about.
I've heard good things from others about Horny Buck seed as well. Do you plant anything for a screen or just use natural surroundings? Ive been thinking about planting some wild grasses to help conceal the plot edges.
I have not planting anything for screen. Either I have the farmer plant a couple rows of corn around it or if they are secluded in the woods the trees are the screen
So quick question, I have a stand in the corner of my property along 2 treelines. Cornfield to the north and west. Lots of weeds in the corner(about 3/8th acre) what would work well to kill them and what is the best thing to plant(i was thinking half clover have sugar beets or someother good late food source. Ideas?
For my first time doing it I am going to mow as short as possible then spray with a high concentrate weed killer like roundup maybe twice. It may not be a bad idea to grow a fruit bearing plant for the winter months, once the corn is cut they will be looking for secondary food sources.
