Fall food plot mixes?

[S.T.Fanatic]

I guess that is why I was wondering. For the guys that throw clover in are you intending to leave it a clover plot the following year or mainly for spring time food?

Nitrogen credit for next years crops.

 

[scott44]

I guess that is why I was wondering. For the guys that throw clover in are you intending to leave it a clover plot the following year or mainly for spring time food?

I have left it for a clover plot but usually I'll plant brassicas here next year and I'll terminate it and get some nitrogen plus it feeds them until the brassicas are planted.

 

[Catscratch]

I've been actively not inoculating my clovers to keep nitrogen credits down. I don't want to deal with grasses and weeds in those plots as much, and fall planted cereal grains only need much nitrogen to make seed heads the following summer.

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[S.T.Fanatic]

I don't think that the clover and peas arent going to produce more Nitrogen than the cereals and radishes will take up. If your problem is annual grasses it could be a different story. I don't have that issue. I would also assume that the rye would smother out your annual grasses but i have no experience in any area outside S.E. MN. FWIW.

 

[Catscratch]

I don't think that the clover and peas arent going to produce more Nitrogen than the cereals and radishes will take up. If your problem is annual grasses it could be a different story. I don't have that issue. I would also assume that the rye would smother out your annual grasses but i have no experience in any area outside S.E. MN. FWIW.

Annual grasses are the problem, and you are right that clovers aren't out producing the cereals (nitrogen). Its the mid summer invasion of grasses that I'm not encouraging through excessive nitrogen credits. Cereals don't need them anyway to green in the winter.

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[yoderjac]

I guess that is why I was wondering. For the guys that throw clover in are you intending to leave it a clover plot the following year or mainly for spring time food?

There are different classes of clover, annual, short-lived perennial, and long-lived perennial. To establish a long-lived perennial plot, it is generally best to plant it in the fall with a Winter Rye nurse crop. Perennial clover may germinate in the fall bug usually doesn't produce much deer food unless conditions are just right for it. In most cases, the WR is the attraction in the fall. The perennial clover will spend a lot of its energy the following spring putting down a root system. The WR nurse crop helps keep weeds at bay and mowing it when it shades out the clover releases the clover without killing the WR. By the time the WR dies naturally, the clover has filled in. Long lived perennial clover can last 5 to 10 years providing more months per year of deer food at a lower cost than most other crops.

An annual clover like Berseem or Crimson acts differently. The germinate and develop much more quickly because they don't have to spend that energy putting down a long-term root system. In some areas, clovers like Crimson will reseed and seem to last more than one year, but it is an annual. When these are planted as part of a mix in the fall, the primary purpose is usually to feed deer that fall. In my area, some of the crimson will grow again in the spring.

Short-lived perennial clovers like medium-red, kind of split the difference. They germinate and grow faster than perennial covers but only last a couple years. They may provide some food the fall planted, but will shine in the spring and following fall.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[bowhunternw]

Anybody see much useage of the annual clovers? I like the idea of having a nice mix and they would fit what I want to do a little better.

 

[yoderjac]

Anybody see much useage of the annual clovers? I like the idea of having a nice mix and they would fit what I want to do a little better.

Sure, but you might be expecting too much from your crop selection. If you are looking for attraction (verses QDM), the crop I select is probably a second or third order effect. Position of the plot, feeling of safety, peak time for your crop compared to other food, hunting pressure, plot size, and more are stronger factors than the specific crop selection. I'm primarily trying to do QDM so for me deer not using my crop is a good sign!

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Appleman]

My 2 acre food plot is split into two abutting plots. One is a mix of red clover and chicory. The other is a mix of Imperil Whitetail oats plus, Red Clover and chicory. The oats are the main attraction favored by the deer.

 

[Turkish]

This pic was taken a couple weeks ago this was a throw and mow planted around Labor day, like Someday said the clover should take off in the spring.

This boggles my mind. Between my lime, fertilizer, and seed, if every granule germinated into a plant on my plots, it wouldn’t be this thick.

 

[yoderjac]

I was fortunate this year in that we got a little timely rain just after I planted and I got good germination. However, we have had a drought since then along with a mast crop failure. Deer have put a real hurtin' on my plots. Finally we are getting rain. Hopefully, in a week or so, I'll see them rebound.

 

[Catscratch]

What my mix looked like a week ago;

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[scott44]

This boggles my mind. Between my lime, fertilizer, and seed, if every granule germinated into a plant on my plots, it wouldn’t be this thick.

I'm sure that some of that is grasses, it wasn't sprayed just broadcast seed and mowed. I'm trying to see how much I can get away with not spraying, I'm not against spraying just experimenting.

 

[mikmaze]

severzal of my fall plots got un lucky with rain, planted about 8 weeks ago and they got the dry treatment. Walking the plots Saturday after some wet weather and I can see a lot of the brasicas starting to sprout, I sure hope the clover I put in at that time comes up as well, it was pricey and 50 lbs of it went out on the ground.