what to plant

[krup]

I have an old muck field I want to plant in cover and food for deer. Im looking for ideas. I want to put trees/bushes in most of it with 3 food plots. The field is 12 acres. 3 acres are wet. I thought about dogwoods and willows. maybe some button bush in the wet areas(under water spring and fall). Food plots Im thinking about clover (what kind). Any and all ideas are welcomed. Im new to this but love it. Because of this site, I have 72 chestnuts growing in my basement. Thanks

 

[shawnv]

The best way to start here is show everyone what your property looks like and what you are trying to accomplish for nutrition, stand access, hunting opportunites...etc because what one might suggest for a 12 acre field on property A can be totally different from a 12 acre field property B.

 

[H20fwler]

Yep, need more info.
What zone are you in?
Are you in an agricultural area or mostly wooded?

Congrats on the chestnuts!

 

[pointer]

When you say "muck field" is it truly an organic soil? If so, that changes the what/how of suggestions.

 

[krup]

Here is a little more info. I'm in zone 5 (MI). Its an agricultural area. Lots of corn,beans, and wheat.There is 60 acres of hardwoods on the south, 50 acres of old grown up cow pasture on the north and ag fields east and west. I only own 20 acres. My field has been in ag but I want to put in cover and a couple food plots for better hunting. It is a muck field. Soil sample read 53.9% organic,CEC 30.7, 6.2 PH. The drain tiles broke in one spot causing the standing water in spring and sometimes fall. I wanted to fill in the wet area with cover and put some plots near it. The dryer areas I'm planting chestnuts, pears, wild plum,norway spruce,mulberry, and oak. Im looking for ideas about what to plant in the wet areas to thicken it up. Also what kind of food plots like moist/organic soil.

 

[H20fwler]

Hemlocks will grow close to wet ground, also button brush/red oiser dogwood/purpleosier willow/silky dogwood and all have good benefits for wildlife.
With some cranberry/crab apple and pin oak back from the wet area.

For your clover hard to go wrong with alsike and ladino.

Switch/indian/bluestem grasses make great bedding areas.

 

[Diesel5610]

I had 10 acres that were almost identical to what you are describing. 2-3 acres in the middle of this was wet and a losing battle trying to plant a food plot in. It was close to the muck you describe most of the time and usually wet. I decided split the 10 acres and to plant shrubs and create a transition area in the middle for the deer when coming and going to the plots next to it. I planted Red Osier Dogwood and it has been a huge success. It is taking over the field and the deer spend a lot of time in it and browse the Dogwood extensively. It does great in wet ares. Do a search here and you will find decent reading on it. I plant clover in the plot next to this, mixture of red and ladino.

 

[krup]

Thanks for the input. My daughter and I put out 2 big runs of lumite today. I'm going to put in red osier dogwood cuttings mixed in with HB willow and alder. We have Larch, Button bush, Silky dogwood, Pin oak, and Highbush cranberry ordered to plant outside the lumite. Hope to make a nice thicket. Will any Crab grow in moist soil? I can plant them out of the standing water but its all pretty moist.

 

[krup]

Thanks for the input. My daughter and I put out 2 big runs of lumite today. I'm going to put in red osier dogwood cuttings mixed in with HB willow and alder. We have Larch, Button bush, Silky dogwood, Pin oak, and Highbush cranberry ordered to plant outside the lumite. Hope to make a nice thicket. Will any Crab grow in moist soil? I can plant them out of the standing water but its all pretty moist.

 

[krup]

Thanks for the input. My daughter and I put out 2 big runs of lumite today. I'm going to put in red osier dogwood cuttings mixed in with HB willow and alder. We have Larch, Button bush, Silky dogwood, Pin oak, and Highbush cranberry ordered to plant outside the lumite. Hope to make a nice thicket. Will any Crab grow in moist soil? I can plant them out of the standing water but its all pretty moist.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Krup - Some of the guys on here have crabs that grow in wetter ground. I think Sandbur and a few others have some versions of what they call swamp crabs. Maybe they can chime in and let you know what they are. I have to look up a site that referred to a " swamp crab " - as soon as I locate it, I'll post it here.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Krup - ^^^^ I found Pacific Crab on a site that says it is good in very wet areas. I think the fruit is very small, so you may have to grow some to use as rootstocks for later grafting with a bigger crab apple. Malus Fusca is the Latin name of Pacific Crab. Burnt Ridge Nursery has it.

 

[krup]

Bowsnbucks - thanks. I'll try that. I have never grafted a tree before but looks like fun. I might end up with a new hobby.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Krup - I've grafted for 2 years now and this spring will be my third. I used to read on here about guys grafting and it getting to be a new hobby / addiction. It's pretty true !! It's not all that difficult and there are plenty of videos on the web ( You Tube has a number of them ) showing how it's done. I had success my first time trying, although not 100%.

Buckvelvet, Turkeycreek, Aerospacefarmer, Greyphase, Crazy Ed, and others on this forum are veteran grafters. They have many trees under their belts.