Food plot questions???

[jay83196]

Looking for a hardy late season product to plant that deer really like. I'm planting clover for summer and early season but want to plant a later season food source also..sugar beats etc? Also planting question do you fertilize before you lay seed during or after? I plowed the area, killed off weeds going to plant in a week. Also anything they like as much or bettter than clover, I used white tail institute clover last year worked great but died off after first frost in Sept/Oct.

Thanks

[Jameson]

late season in MN = above the snow = standing corn or standing soybeans or very late dropping apples. If not worried about the snow go for rye grain, or brassicas.

Anything they like as much as clover? Soybeans.

How big is the plot?

[jay83196]

It's couple acres, I don't know if I need above snow just somthing lasting past first couple frost into Nov and Dec...

[Archerysniper]

If I could do it I would do soybeans. I mix chicory with my clover and they love that. As far as a late season plot look at frigid forage then go to your local mill and get the seed and mix it yourself.

[Jameson]

It's couple acres, I don't know if I need above snow just somthing lasting past first couple frost into Nov and Dec...

Plant the plot to RR soybeans, earliest maturing variety you can get your hands on. About Sept. 1 broadcast rye grain into the standing beans.

Or just plant corn.

[jay83196]

Yeah I don't want to do corn, there's corn fields around area I want somthing they will like more clover was good last year this is new to me just wondering if somthing better palatability wise.

[BIGRED07]

chicory has given me good results

[fowldreams]

stay with the institutes product line and try the winter greens. You can get the soil ready before the suggested plant date of around late july. Plenty of time to get a soil test back and work in lime or whatever you are lacking. This is what our group is planting this year. Or try the tall tine tubers.

[EyeChsr]

Try turnips or radishes, they ate the dump out of them last year for us.

[jay83196]

Thanks think ill go with the clover and for later the winter greens and tubers , I wasn't sure if oats or alfalfa etc were more palatable... Do you just toss fertilizer into soil after plow it and before smooth it so gets barried inch or so then put seed on top or both on top?

Thanks

[jmd1]

If you do a google search for deer food plots there are several options. Have you thought about sugar beets? might be time to plant them now for a late season but a mix of brassica and legumes might be worth while. Good luck

[jay83196]

I haven't I mentioned them in my initial question if they do pretty well and deer go after them good ? I may try those also...

Thanks

[fowldreams]

fertilize after seed has started the germination process. on top of soil broadcasted is fine.

[Jameson]

We can't legally plant RR sugarbeets for food plots.

All I've heard about the non-rr stuff is that it's a pain to keep weed free, but if you do get a good plot it cannot be beet. (pun intended.)

What's the seed mix in the tall tine tubers? Might be something you could buy at the local mill and save some serious cash.

[jerkbait]

We can't legally plant RR sugarbeets for food plots.All I've heard about the non-rr stuff is that it's a pain to keep weed free, but if you do get a good plot it cannot be beet. (pun intended.)

What's the seed mix in the tall tine tubers? Might be something you could buy at the local mill and save some serious cash.

Where did you here or see that? Makes no sense to me.

[mnviking28]

We have bought a "wildlife blend" from the local grain elevator that is basically turnips, rape seed, and rutabagas. We broadcast it with a garden type seed spreader and drag it in. We plant our plots usually in about the end of June. We seed about 30% into early r/r soybeans, and then the rest into this blend. They won't touch the blend until fall and a frost. By that time, the turnips/rutabagas are about the size of softballs, some even bigger. Once the frost hits it, it is like you turned a bunch of kids loose in a candy store. They will dig down into the ground to get them. It is amazing. The frost turns the starch into sugar. We have deer feeding in them well into December/January. By that time, they have pretty much annihilated them and switch to another source of food, usually either corn or sunflowers.

[lungdeflator]

I have used a Frigid Forage mix for a few years, but my current plot is a little less than an acre so the deer eat it all before rifle season.

If you are planting a turnip mix, seed lightly. You will grow much bigger turnips.

Since the soybeans are just going to the deer.....does it work to just broadcast them? instead of worrying about getting them in rows

[Jameson]

...Where did you ... see that?...

It's in the agreement you MUST sign to use the RR stuff. Monsanto something or another. Basically it's their way of requiring that the fields don't go to flower, thus cross pollinated everything, thus keeping the Anti-genetic crop folks happy, so it enabled Monsanto to get the clear from the government to sell their product.

RR sugarbeets, and RR alfalfa are under this requirement.

[Jameson]

...Since the soybeans are just going to the deer.....does it work to just broadcast them? instead of worrying about getting them in rows

Works just fine. For corn, too.

[Whoknows]

This might sound like a joke and I'm not 100% sure it's legal, but I've been toying with idea of planting a 1/2 acre of hostas. The deer absolutely love the ones in my wife's flower bed. I'm pretty sure those things could survive a nuclear disaster and best of all there a perennial.

[jay83196]

RR meaning round up ready? Is that very important can't you just round up wait 10 days then lant . Arent there other chemicals you can use later if need be to reweed area?

[jay83196]

Would look pretty too

[Jameson]

Good luck with the hostas. They just don't grow back quick enough. Put a few somewhere, but don't count on them.

RR = round-up ready. It makes weed control simple and cheap. Sure there is other stuff you can use, but it may not be as effective, cheap, or simple.

When I plant rr beans or rr corn into an existing plot it'd be 1) disc the plot and plant. 2) couple three weeks later spray for weeds. 3) three, four weeks after that spray for weeds again if needed and usually was. 4) after that last weed spraying broadcast some brassicas or rye grain into the barren areas of the plot.

... .25 acre or so plots with ATV, disc, hand held seed spreader, and hand held weed sprayer....

[sticknstring]

You've got the right idea. White clover is an excellent draw spring-fall. You'll want to get your late-fall mix planted mid-late July. With 2 acres, there's a lot of choices. I'd go with an acrea of RR soybeans and an acre of brassicas (turnips, rape, radishes). Make sure you feed those brassicas lots of nitrogen and you'll have a great late-season food source.

[jay83196]

I rented a machine last year that dug up soil 6" + and the clover did great, this year made a drag for wheeler to mix up little then flatten and plant and lightly drag over seed to push into soil.