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dipper
Guest
Here is one of my newly designed food plots. Dumped 2 sows that were using this plot already this year. A waterhole is going to be placed in the pitch point along with a blind. Only so much time....,,,
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dipper
Guest
Nothing gets easier than taking advantage of free seed. I was a little late no tilling spring oats the beginning of June. This set back the process a little bit and I missed the August monsoon we had in central wi. Around sept first the oats grain was ready, and I dragged it. It worked really well, ripping the grain from the stalk, basically planting it. A couple September rains and here we go. Not to bad.
Being busier again I didn't get out to broadcast any rye until mid September. That rye is on the verge of germinating with the shady spots just sprouting. this will b completely green in a week. Not the tonnage I prefer, but the deer will be hitting it.
Being busier again I didn't get out to broadcast any rye until mid September. That rye is on the verge of germinating with the shady spots just sprouting. this will b completely green in a week. Not the tonnage I prefer, but the deer will be hitting it.
Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
Really good stuff, dipper...I love reading threads like these, where nonconventional methods are used. We have it so drilled into our heads that "THIS" is how you need to do things that creativity is being lost in the whitetail world and much of the world in general. That's a shame. Most of the biggest leaps forward I've taken in life has been from, "I wonder what will happen ifs..." Sure, I've had more than my share of those acts not working. Still, as a college prof once told me, if you don't fail fairly regularly, you aren't pushing yourself hard enough. Besides, there are valuable lessons in "failures."
As a side note, you dropped the $$$$ on RR alfalfa? If so, how pleased have you been with it/do you feel it was worth the extra $? I thought about getting it a couple times, but have always just controlled weeds with Chelth for grass and mowing for broadleafs. If you didn't buy the RR alfalfa, why do you believe it won't be killed by Gly? I must admit that I've never tried to kill non-RR alfalfa with Gly, but I assumed it would kill it off fairly easy.
As a side note, you dropped the $$$$ on RR alfalfa? If so, how pleased have you been with it/do you feel it was worth the extra $? I thought about getting it a couple times, but have always just controlled weeds with Chelth for grass and mowing for broadleafs. If you didn't buy the RR alfalfa, why do you believe it won't be killed by Gly? I must admit that I've never tried to kill non-RR alfalfa with Gly, but I assumed it would kill it off fairly easy.
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dipper
Guest
ole fashion alfalfa is suppressed by glyphosate, it doesn't kill it. I know because I do it. Haha I'm sure rr alfalfa isn't suppressed by glyphosate, but I've never bought rr alfalfa.
On a side note the rye in the above post is up an running and we didn't get a rain. I wouldn't be surprised if the heavy dew we get this time of year contributed.
On a side note the rye in the above post is up an running and we didn't get a rain. I wouldn't be surprised if the heavy dew we get this time of year contributed.
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Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
Interesting. What Gly rate are you using and about how long does it take for the alfalfa to bounce back? A person can get by with a slightly lower Gly rate on clover and barely even make it blink, but still kill off a good share of the weeds. Typically, one doesn't need to do that, but every now and then it comes in handy. I just never tried it on the clover & alfalfa mixes. In specific situations/conditions, that'd be nice.
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dipper
Guest
I've pounded alfalfa at 2 quarts an acre every other year for 6 years and it keeps going.
It is suppressed for a month or so.
It is suppressed for a month or so.
Steve Bartylla
5 year old buck +
Very good to know, thanks.
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Dbltree
Guest
1
I agree we had to spray twice and added 2-4D the second time to kill alfalfa going into NWSG, clover is nearly the same. Great thread dipper
strawhead
5 year old buck +
difference is the power of an organic soil amendment.
Dipper, would you care to explain this more. Did you add some of your duck pen cleaning or something similar. In the background is some of our screen. We did a sorghum -EW mix at your advice. A good portion to 8ft.
Dipper, would you care to explain this more. Did you add some of your duck pen cleaning or something similar. In the background is some of our screen. We did a sorghum -EW mix at your advice. A good portion to 8ft.
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dipper
Guest
If you really want to know, I had my septic pumped and it fed my my screen. Really anything organic straw. Manure, leaves wood chips, anything. This game we are playing is nothing more than a cycle. As the organic material breaks down, those nutrients are released back into the soil. There is also some biology that takes place as the organic material is breaking down. That process also benefits the soil.
Is your screen right up against that tree line? If so, the tree roots are getting the majority of the available nutrients and moisture. I Could only get 1' sorghum along mature oaks, even with organic amendments.
Is your screen right up against that tree line? If so, the tree roots are getting the majority of the available nutrients and moisture. I Could only get 1' sorghum along mature oaks, even with organic amendments.
sandbur
5 year old buck +
From what I see on our light soils, manure is great and probably poultry manure/bedding appears to be the best.
When using wood chips, are chips from any types of trees harmful to planted foodplots or even to apples?
Do the chips use up nitrogen during their breakdown?
Pine chips different than hardwood?
When using wood chips, are chips from any types of trees harmful to planted foodplots or even to apples?
Do the chips use up nitrogen during their breakdown?
Pine chips different than hardwood?
strawhead
5 year old buck +
Is your screen right up against that tree line?
No, there is a road behind the screen. Screens have no competition. Pretty happy with our screens this year. We are starting to get some cool season grass control. The cereal grain mix in the foreground had 3 different types of tillage done. Where you can see less of the "fuzzy" grass heads, that was full tillage. The area you see the most "fuzz" was just a scratch and pack of existing oats and clover and the area with the medium fuzz was disk, seed and pack. No spray was used and no fertilizer either. We are trying different ways of soil break up, thanks to everybody's input. It really seems our soil gets a thin crust (clay?) that we need to get broke up to get our seeds a decent "root". You and LC have steered us to think outside the "norm".
No, there is a road behind the screen. Screens have no competition. Pretty happy with our screens this year. We are starting to get some cool season grass control. The cereal grain mix in the foreground had 3 different types of tillage done. Where you can see less of the "fuzzy" grass heads, that was full tillage. The area you see the most "fuzz" was just a scratch and pack of existing oats and clover and the area with the medium fuzz was disk, seed and pack. No spray was used and no fertilizer either. We are trying different ways of soil break up, thanks to everybody's input. It really seems our soil gets a thin crust (clay?) that we need to get broke up to get our seeds a decent "root". You and LC have steered us to think outside the "norm".
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dipper
Guest
Some some good buck activity this morning so I nudged my way into the bush a little bit. I was really surprised with the quanity of fresh rubs. Its looking to be a fun fall.
Seen around a half dozen fresh scrapes too. It's game off on does till the end of November. It's time to start getting serious!
Seen around a half dozen fresh scrapes too. It's game off on does till the end of November. It's time to start getting serious!
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dipper
Guest
This is a brassica/rye/ clover/oats plot that was no tilled early July. The clover was suppressed via round up, when everything else was planted. There is come tender clover working its way back.
You can see the oats is heading out and starting to turn yellow from maturity. The oat grain and plant will be a key winter food source that will be elevated from the ground. Making it effortless for the deer to reach in deep crusty snow. This is a very important part of the dipper rotation. The deer have no problem with any of it right now, in fact, I wish they layed of the oats.
Just in this picture there is approximately 8 rubs and a couple scrapes on the left. With adjacent prime habitat its a lock!
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dipper
Guest
Again, no fertilizer. My brassica bulbs won't win a blue ribbon at the fair, but considering there is hundreds of $$ in savings, who cares.
Farmers are planting these plants as cover crops, and they aren't fertilizing them. a major purpose of a cover crop is to scavenge any available nutrients left behind. As food plotters that's all we are doing, so it really benefits the soil.
Fertilizer is really an unnecessary expense, even in depleted sandy soil.
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dipper
Guest
Most guys food plot on an acre or less. When you grow one crop at a time on such a small area, almost any amount of deer will destroy that food source. One of them is brassicas, planted late June.
These guys never had a chance. I like insurance, and I really like free insurance. This was free oats seed, which stemmed from oats sewn this spring. I'd estimate it was seeded at around 200 pounds/acre. The deer love oats. You can see the browse pressure in the cage, where the oats is 6" plus.
Outside its down to 1/2" in places.
These guys never had a chance. I like insurance, and I really like free insurance. This was free oats seed, which stemmed from oats sewn this spring. I'd estimate it was seeded at around 200 pounds/acre. The deer love oats. You can see the browse pressure in the cage, where the oats is 6" plus.
Outside its down to 1/2" in places.
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dipper
Guest
Speaking in insurance lingo I took out a $12/acre rider with100 pounds/ acre of rye seed. This plot is not going to fail no matter how much pressure it gets. That's what the dipper rotation does.
It just keeps on trucking. The brassicas and peas are gone. The oats is getting ripped up, but seed continues to germinate, making this the only full proof plotting system.
The little plant on the right is newly germinated oats. The plant on the left is new rye. The middle seed is rye that just started a root.
The oats will continue to grow for a couple weeks. The rye still has a month of growth. I normally like my plots more established at this point, but the deer don't care one bit.
This acre plot cost me $25, without any labor intensive tillage. The soil is sandy with an organic matter of 1% and a severe potassium deficiency. If I can grow lush plots under these conditions, anyone can!
It just keeps on trucking. The brassicas and peas are gone. The oats is getting ripped up, but seed continues to germinate, making this the only full proof plotting system.
The little plant on the right is newly germinated oats. The plant on the left is new rye. The middle seed is rye that just started a root.
The oats will continue to grow for a couple weeks. The rye still has a month of growth. I normally like my plots more established at this point, but the deer don't care one bit.
This acre plot cost me $25, without any labor intensive tillage. The soil is sandy with an organic matter of 1% and a severe potassium deficiency. If I can grow lush plots under these conditions, anyone can!
strawhead
5 year old buck +
We are going to try this this coming spring. I don't have a clue what to expect, BUT, we are in need of something that MIGHT be above the snow when it comes. Our young woody browse is in great shape and the deer are digging thru 15" of snow to get remnants of what is left of brassica blend. Our LC WR blend was browsed enough, even though planted 2nd week of July, there is no digging going on there now. Not sure why they aren't digging thru the snow for the rye, radishes(browsed low but still had some new small green leaves) and red clover(never have dug for this). Gonna try the oats with some red clover in the spring and LEAVE THEM.
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dipper
Guest
Sorry to hear that straw. Do you have a no till drill? Can you rent one from the dnr up there? I'm pretty sure I saw you posting pics of a pretty good sized tractor to pull the drill.
I think the best food plot for your area is a mix of oats, rye peas and brassicas planted early July. Hell up by you, you wouldn't have any problems planting the last week of June. Ideally you could no till this mix into suppressed clover.
You could always suppress the clover with a disc too. I do that all the time. If there is some grass competing in the clover, use glyphosate the week before you disc the clover.
I wohldnt rely on clover as a food source this time of year and into winter.
I think the best food plot for your area is a mix of oats, rye peas and brassicas planted early July. Hell up by you, you wouldn't have any problems planting the last week of June. Ideally you could no till this mix into suppressed clover.
You could always suppress the clover with a disc too. I do that all the time. If there is some grass competing in the clover, use glyphosate the week before you disc the clover.
I wohldnt rely on clover as a food source this time of year and into winter.
