This is not a real specific question but more or less sharing my thoughts and starting a general discussion about when to plant small kill plots. My two existing plots are 0.3 and 0.18 of an acre. I should be adding a third plot of around 0.3 acre as this year as well. This was my first year in my first food plots. These plots were cleared, bulldozed, and planted by a local guy that does this type of stuff for a living. I am planning on doing most/all of the work myself this year so I have a lot to learn. I don't have a plan together yet but my plot from last year which went in too late was winter wheat and clover. The clover really didn't come up but the winter wheat got to about 3-4" high before winter. I'm not sure if the clover will come up this spring and we will see. The winter wheat I would assume will start growing again but not sure. So depending on what happens with it this spring I am thinking that I will just spray to kill what is there, disc, do a PH test, lime if necessary and plant early August depending on weather. I am thinking if I plant something in spring it will just get over browsed by fall considering the size of my plots. Here was a picture of my big plot last year at the peak. Here is what it looked like later in the fall. I'm real interested in using Ben's suggestions in this post to get early season, mid-season and late traffic. http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?45728-When-starting-a-new-plot&p=629940#post629940 Am I on the right track plan wise? Thoughts? Comments?
I like Ben love using buckwheat in the spring. It's great for the deer and turkies, cheap seed, does great things for the soil and is easily tilled right into the soil (if any left) for soil building and grows fast (I sometimes do two plantings of the stuff). One thing you might consider is doing a Clover/Chicory blend with some brassicas thrown in this fall. We've never done this but are going to this year after discussions with some others. This mix gives immediate food through the brassica seed mixed in at a low rate this season...then next year the clover and chicory will really flourish because they didn't take all the browsing this fall. We may even dust the mix with some winter oats as well. I like the idea of mixing the annuals with the perrenials if it works...may overseed the clover the following year just to thicken it up some but we'll see.
sounds like you are on the right track. I would deffinently have one plot that is a perennial mix of clover and chicory. this will give you a food source available from the instant the snow comes off through December basically. then have the other two in a fall annuals mix. if your deer have never eaten turnips I might add a pound of purple top turnip seed to the mix he was talking about. this will give them enough of the turnips to get a taste. It can take deer a few seasons to realize that they like the turnips.
Love it, and it's so true about brassicas that produce edible roots/tubers like radishes and turnips, the deer can take awhile. Our deer hammer the greens of brassicas but are still exploring the roots, we expect that "explosion" everyone talks about to happen this coming year or next. The one buddy who swears by the mix said he through one leafy brassica that focuses on leaf growth not root growth and purple top turnips which as we all know produce a big root bulb (but also great leaf growth).
If my clover comes up this spring and the winter wheat also grows nicely how long will it last? Will I get several years out of it? I've read clover is good keeping the weeds down. Will I even need to do anything for the weeds in that case? Is it possible I may not have to do hardly anything with that plot this year except mow it? Or could I add some oats seed to it at some point? Would that grow then? Tell me what to expect in that regard.
Depends how thick your clover is now or I should say will be. We've been able to spread some oat or wheat seed in the spring or fall on thin clover plots with some of it taking...depends how thick your clover is. Yes a well maintained and mowed clover plot can last anywhere from 3-5 with some getting even more at times.
What time of year typically will I start to see the clover come up if it was planted last fall? I know it will depend on the weather but I'm curious when I will have an idea at what I am looking at.
I wish I knew off hand a typical time frame, but I will say this if it's post the last freeze and you want to seed it with oats or wheat in the spring the sooner the better before the clover really starts to liven back up.
If I do that and it gets eaten by fall then I could always spray, disc and re-seed right? So I would be out nothing other than the oats seeds.
Brad, our clover plots we will see growth in them just about the same time as our yard. We used a brassica mix last fall that had clover in it. It didn't look like much clover, but this spring it should really take off. If I like the clover plot, I will leave it until July and then decide what I want to plant or leave it. If the clover doesn't come back strong in the spring, I'll disc it up and probably plant buckwheat or something else and then disc it up in July.
Oh, one thing I don't do is spray to kill off my clover plots. If I have a clover plot and I'm going to put brassicas in, I just disc it up in mid July and plant the brassicas.
We usually see first green up in our Clover plots in early April, sometimes earlier if most of the frost has moved out. Clover can and will grow excellent during the spring, and the ground will generally consistently hold more moisture than in the Fall where you can be coming off a dry spell. That being said, I will take a properly time fall planting of clover over a spring planting any day. You don't have nearly the weed competition that you do in the Spring, and the fresh green up timing right around the opening of the season makes it ideal for a kill plot. If you have the right soil conditions, you can have a great stand for up to 7 years or more depending on the species. I tried my last round of clover with Chicory, and that was a big hit not only with the deer, but the turkeys hammer it. I've also had good success throwing winter wheat, and in some years winter rye (which is even better) as a cover crop. I have full intentions of doing clover, chicory, and winter rye in one half of our main plot this year (Fall planting), along with some Brassica mix (undecided yet) in the second half. It's just a solid, great year round food source combination.
Ok I'm tryin to get the idea of this but I'm confused, I want a kill plot (clover an chicory) for archery but don't want it gone by the time season opens. I was plannin on planting it in April. Is that to early? The season won't open here till the end of September start of October
Do you NEED to plant it in April or can you wait until September? If you can wait, and you're not concerned with spring greenup or summer food (not really the goal of a kill plot), Fall would be a better bet.
I don't NEED to plant it no I'd like to just to have somethin growing, I just want a green death carpet ready an waitin come September. So I should wait? Is there anything different bout plantin in fall that ill have to take into consideration? When would be a good time? August, so it'd be ready for September?
There's nothing wrong with planting in the spring, but you will want to keep on top of the competing weeds, and be sure to mow/clip the clover if broadleaf weeds start to sprout up. You can also spray Arrow, or a generic equivalent to keep the grasses at bay. I was always under the impression that you should mow clover back just as it goes to bloom or gets above 8-10" high to keep it more palatable to deer (fresh shoots), but I've also read that this has no true proven effect, and that unless broadleaf weeds are becoming a problem, you are fine to leave it be. This will be the first season I may NOT mow if I let me two year established clover plot stay in.
