Food Plot Products

[eyecrosser2000]

Has anyone had any experiences with the "low maintenance" clover mixes? There are a couple of products on the market that say they require no tilling or fertilizer and I was wondering if they were worth the investment.

[BLACKJACK]

eyecrosser, I haven't tried any of the 'no-maintenance' mixes, but the ones that I've looked at say you at least need to scratch the ground with a rake, the seeds need good soil contact. And fertilizer will help anything grow better.

I too am debating whether some of the high priced clover mixes are worth the money. They want $4 a pound vrs the $1 a pound that I can get straight red clover for. But then you read the ads and read the testimonials from people that have had good luck with the special super duper clover....

What I'm going to do is plant a two acre plot, 1/2 in a special clover mix and the other half in red clover and see which the deer like the best. I'm in the process of plowing my spot and hope to get it planted by Aug 15. That way it will be able to get enough growth to survive the winter and it will also be huntable come October.

[kelly-p]

Hello BLACKJACK,
Like you say the super duper mixes can get spendy. For our plots we now seed a mix of White clover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil. The white clover is shorter and more tender.
I think the fertilizer is very important. The deer will seek it out. I know up here where we do not have as many fields as you do down there fertilizer makes all the difference.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[BLACKJACK]

Hi Kelly! Hey I think some of the wild rice is growing!! Come on ducks! Are you guys getting any rain up there yet?

What does birdsfoot trefoil look like? Have you tried any of the other exotics like turnips, rape, chicory?

[kelly-p]

Sorry to see the post about your Lab. That is always so hard.
Great news about the rice! Now it will seed itself through the years.
Birdsfoot is a lot like clover. I looked at turnips and that type of stuff but decided against it. What a deer considers normal food in your area is a real treat up here in the woods. I put soybeans in parts of most of the plots this year and the deer are keeping them mowed down to 3 or 4 inches.
I feel that fertilizer is the most important thing in this area. Deer around here normally spent 8 months of the year eating brush and weeds so they need the minerals and protein badly.
Last week was damp with a lot of popcorn shwers but it is still very dry here. I'm guessing that only about 10% to 15% of the rice paddies in the area got flooded. OUCH! The one good part of that is that we were able to get in a lot of food plots and try some new things in the paddies. We planted 3 smaller paddies into nothing but duck food and put in 9 food plots for deer/grouse/bear. At least the critters will be eating good.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks Kelly.

Dumb question, but how much fertilizer is enough? Do you do soil tests? Do you go with a straight 10-10-10 or a different blend? I do agree with you that fertilizer is important, I put some on my grain sorghum plot (for pheasants) and I can really see the difference in the spots I missed.

[kelly-p]

A soil test will help but is not needed. 50 to 100 pounds an acre should do it. I read an article once that said sulfer was important for antler growth. I know that soybeans like a lot of P. The turnips I considered called for 275 pounds of fetrilzer per acre. Up here after a hard winter the deer will wade right out into the rice paddies to eat the young rice. I assume to get the minerals from the fertilizer.

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Waskish Minnow Station
218-647-8652