Cereal grains

[S.T.Fanatic]

I planted my winter barley a bit on the early side this year because of the forecast. It has gotten a bit on the tall side. I haven't noticed much usage of cereal grains of any height in the past. My question for those of you that use it as a staple, How long does yours get before the deer stop using it?

 

[weekender21]

Our deer keep it at lip level until it bolts in the spring.

Late November picture. He’s there chasing a doe, not to eat but the ladies keep that plot low.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bassattackr]

They will quit using it if it becomes too tall and unpalatable. Maybe 10" tall or so for me, in my experience.. I was tempted to mow mine to be honest. Stimulate new growth..

 

[SD51555]

I cover cropped my hugelkultur bed with spring forage barley. The fall rains have kicked that stuff into tonnage mode. It's pushing 16"+ now, and I even got a few throwing seed heads. I'm hoping to find the same out myself very soon.

 

[b116757]

My winter wheat and winter rye are clipped so short by the deer browsing I have to have exclusion cages to compare it to otherwise you get to thinking it’s not growing at all.

 

[yoderjac]

I planted my winter barley a bit on the early side this year because of the forecast. It has gotten a bit on the tall side. I haven't noticed much usage of cereal grains of any height in the past. My question for those of you that use it as a staple, How long does yours get before the deer stop using it?

WR is my favorite simply because my deer don't care which cereal grain I use and I love the low fertility requirements and soil health benefits. I'm in 7A and we have periods off and on during our winter for WR to grow. My deer begin using it as soon as it sprouts and will use it all winter. It get heavy early use the next spring as it greens up before most native plants. As soon as other things start greening up, deer stop using it. By then, the CC in my mix is getting heavy use.

 

[SD51555]

This is what my barley looked like October 2nd. I had the same cover barley on there earlier in the year as well and zapped it with the weed whacker to lay it back down. I had an early sprouter from that group.

 

[SwampCat]

My deer will not hardly touch wheat in the fall if it hits around ten inches. They will come back in winter and start to use it some. One of the many reasons I dont plant before October

 

[TreeDaddy]

My deer will not hardly touch wheat in the fall if it hits around ten inches. They will come back in winter and start to use it some. One of the many reasons I dont plant before October

I wait til october because its still hot as a mo fo in east texas and there is "zero" rain in september

bill

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I am just referring to WR, WW, and oats, as I have never planted barley, I would say 8-10" they lay off of it, atleast until it is covered in snow, then they will dig under the snow and go back after the tall stuff. So, it depends on what other foods they have available to them.

 

[yoderjac]

I cover cropped my hugelkultur bed with spring forage barley. The fall rains have kicked that stuff into tonnage mode. It's pushing 16"+ now, and I even got a few throwing seed heads. I'm hoping to find the same out myself very soon.

View attachment 37892

Perhaps it is all that surface applied fertilizer.

 

[gunfun13]

I planted my cereal grains Sept 10 in southern Michigan which should be about the sweet spot. But a very warm and wet fall has it growing like crazy and I have definitely been concerned about it becoming too leggy. Plot continues to have great deer activity every day despite growing more than I'd like. However, I cannot be certain they're not keying in on other species I mixed in (peas, buckwheat, annual clovers, and brassicas). That's why I always plant diverse blends...whatever mother nature throws at me there is usually something there for the deer.

 

[SWIFFY]

I plant in MN about Sept. 1 and its never gotten over 6-8" before they just eat it to the ground. I really need to use and exclusion cage to see where it could be. With a high enough deer population I dont think it can hardly get too big the first year? The shorter the better, but if its green and palatable and they are hungry, they'll eat it.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I wait til october because its still hot as a mo fo in east texas and there is "zero" rain in september

bill

I'm going to try a later planting next year. I planted to the forecast this year and I wish I would have waited 2-3 more weeks. I'm thinking mid September next year.

 

[Nightvision]

Can you mow it?

 

[WeedyJ]

I have tried layering my oats this year and so far seems to work. I may be trying to grow too much, but gonna top sow some rye this weekend. Never used rye before because oats seem to be the rye of the South

 

[Catscratch]

I planted cereals last week. I'm usually later with my plots than the wheat farmers around here. I've also been layering since the mid 90's so I usually have a good mix of plants throughout the fall and winter. To answer the OP's original question I don't really know how tall it gets before they stop using it as I don' t think I've ever had them stop using it.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Can you mow it?

I can but with my current work situation I don't see it happening.

 

[PatinPA]

I planted my winter barley a bit on the early side this year because of the forecast. It has gotten a bit on the tall side. I haven't noticed much usage of cereal grains of any height in the past. My question for those of you that use it as a staple, How long does yours get before the deer stop using it?

I planted oats in the beginning of september, which was way too early for the amount of rain and sunshine we got. they're close to 2 ft tall. I've got videos of them just ripping whole plants out of the ground and eating the whole thing. I did layer in some wheat and rye later on though. I had a few bare spots.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I guess there is just to many other better offerings for them now around me.

I don’t plant it solely for a food source so…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk