Fighting drought with more perennial plots?

[Joe7296]

What percentage of your plots do you like in perennials (clover/chickory)? My perception used to be grains and brassica for attractiveness and late season draw, and the more of the food plot acres in that, the better. A couple bad falls with drought has me rethinking that..

I’m considering putting 2.25 acres of 3.25 total into clover and a little chickory. That 2.25 acres is composed of a .5 and .25 acre kill plots, and a .5 and .75 acre staging plots that connect to the main one acre plot. With the cold tolerant varieties of clover and chickory, I thought maybe I’d make it into the fall further than I previously thought with good green forage, and in the event of a fall drought I wouldn’t be nearly as screwed. The remaining 1 acre main plot is bordered by a small pond that needs to be dredged, but could presumably rescue the brassica half and the oats, peas, wheat half, in the event of extreme drought. The plots will also be supported by a lot (~50) of up and coming apple, pear, and chestnut trees of varying drop times, but real production is a few years off.

Any thoughts?

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I don't think it should be a standard percent. I think some variety of plot species is better than none, and that your abilities/desire for work should inform what that variety looks like. Also, what your neighbors have or don't have would play a role on what you should plant too.

I am frankly feeling overwhelmed planting +12 acres of annual food plots each year when living 6 hours away and have been looking at scaling that back for my own sanity. We have also been having really dry falls the last several years, and having our own drill has helped some, but most fall planted plots have failed the last 3 years. The perennial green plots planted with a mixture of clover, chicory, and alfalfa have been exceptional. I think next year I'm going to plant more soybeans because the grain will have some holding power into the early winter. If I was going to convert all of our food plots to perennial greens to cut down on maintenance and something that requires fewer inputs, I would still plant each of those three, but I would do monocultures of each in a couple of sections of the farm to better understand how the herd is using them and when. I would strip fields and use browse cages in the strips.

You might find that your food plots get used a bit less later into the hunting season if you only have perennial green plots.

 

[Telemark]

What percentage of your plots do you like in perennials (clover/chickory)? My perception used to be grains and brassica for attractiveness and late season draw, and the more of the food plot acres in that, the better. A couple bad falls with drought has me rethinking that..

I’m considering putting 2.25 acres of 3.25 total into clover and a little chickory. That 2.25 acres is composed of a .5 and .25 acre kill plots, and a .5 and .75 acre staging plots that connect to the main one acre plot. With the cold tolerant varieties of clover and chickory, I thought maybe I’d make it into the fall further than I previously thought with good green forage, and in the event of a fall drought I wouldn’t be nearly as screwed. The remaining 1 acre main plot is bordered by a small pond that needs to be dredged, but could presumably rescue the brassica half and the oats, peas, wheat half, in the event of extreme drought. The plots will also be supported by a lot (~50) of up and coming apple, pear, and chestnut trees of varying drop times, but real production is a few years off.

Any thoughts?

Sounds like a great plan. It's probably what I would have done. I see only upside. If it rains a lot then you still have nice plots, and you still have the option to go in and spray the clover and plant annuals.

You can also consider some annuals that tolerate or prefer drier conditions.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

100% for me. Ag crops do the rest

 

[Joe7296]

Sounds like a great plan. It's probably what I would have done. I see only upside. If it rains a lot then you still have nice plots, and you still have the option to go in and spray the clover and plant annuals.

You can also consider some annuals that tolerate or prefer drier conditions.

What annuals do better with drier conditions? I usually am running around at the last minute to overseed with rye because that seems to do well after just one rain

 

[Telemark]

What annuals do better with drier conditions? I usually am running around at the last minute to overseed with rye because that seems to do well after just one rain

I can't remember for sure, but I think some kind of millet and sorghum.

 

[SD51555]

Mixed perennials will always be the last to lose in a drought. I went thru the years of no rain and had my share of failures. It’s a question I’d encourage everyone to ponder.

What is your plan if it doesn’t rain?

Now, I plan for crippling drought every year. This year has been good for rain finally. But I don’t hang my chances on the weather anymore. It also helps though, that in my area, perennials are #1 when I want to hunt. Beans and brassicas are good, but you’ll need massive acres to make it to go time.


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[Double Creek]

I’m trying to get to the point of managing this issue on my place with blocks of early successional habitat, including some spring and late summer burns that will have fresh growth with any rain.

I’m still waiting for a significant rain to plant my plots and there’s nothing substantial in the 10 day forecast. I need at least one good rain before I plant. It will most likely be November before I can plant my fall plots.

I have to think like SD, what if it doesn’t rain, and I need to plan accordingly going forward.

 

[GoldenTriangleIL]

Seems like upper 80’s and almost no rainfall is my August 15-October 15 weather for last 5 years. Alfalfa and rye are about the only greens available. My white clover plots look terrible. Good news is that if the rain ever comes it seems our first “killing” frost is about three weeks later nowadays than it should be. Short answer, yes, alfalfa if you can grow it.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Guys, I’m in the same boat as all of you. We had a record breaking drought in Northern NY and I’m spending a lot of time/money trying to get plots to perform at our camp 3 hours away.

I am going to be adding more clover, establishing alfalfa, and splitting my remains plots into beans and milo as a drought back stop.

What I saw this year, was my established clover looked great in the spring early summer, with a lot of usage. I did spray with cleth and mow only once. I allowed the clover to go to seed because I just wanted to stay off it during the drought. It got real leggy going to seed and browned up real bad during the drought. But it’s back now and is the premier draw on the farm.

Another throw and herbicide clover plot failed to establish and thrive during the drought.

Beans failed completely due to drought and over browse. Future years they will be fenced.

Sunflowers were about 25% reached maturity, due to drought and over browse. They stripped every single head off in mid September. Future years they will be fenced.

Both beans and sunflowers were over seeded with a mix of clover and brassicas in early August. I did have some growth on both, but it didn’t keep up with browse due to lack of rain.

I’m 50/50 on the milo. It grew great with no browse pressure during this record drought. However I don’t think it has the real draw as beans do. Time will tell and I’ll report more as the season goes on.

I’ve never grown alfafa, but most farm fields I saw this summer that were green were alfalfa. I think the management of alfalfa will be worth it, as a hedge against drought. And when the alfalfa may lose attractiveness, I’ll have the clover to pick up.

 

[Telemark]

@Spike_Horn_Shooter where are you located?

 

[SD51555]

Drought is the whole reason I got to experimenting with sweet clovers. When I used to go out west, I'd see huge pastures of sweet clover at the same time crops were wilting. I also took note of what else was being grown out in the arid areas of the country. As I kept researching my way backwards, I starting putting a value on persistence of things, or their ability to survive, and I ended up at essentially the desirable weeds. What grows on the road shoulder, or on the gravel in my yard?

The rest of the genius is in how long those seeds can sit there un-germinated. Clovers, ragweed, millets, all do well in those situations. When I read words of caution, that a variety could become weedy and hard to control, I really get excited. So when the rain does come, as long as you get sweet clover to germinate in late summer or fall, that's money in the bank, whether there is snow or rain or not. Those roots shoot into the soil faster than the moisture can vanish. Once you've got that giant biomass crop above ground, you're untouchable, no matter what happens.

That's where the last piece was born, the throw and roll. I've got so damn much biomass between what i planted, and what nature provided as well, that there will never be direct sun on my soil as long as that system continues to produce. Once you eliminate sun contact, your moisture efficiency rises to 100%, and you don't need much moisture at all. The living ecosystem below ground will move moisture from where it is to where it's needed. I wouldn't mind seeing zero rain just to see how well this can really do.

No matter how dry it is, the dews get heavy as summer turns to fall, and I think that's enough to get it to go. The other big win this year was the grocery store beans. I got them under my millet before I rolled it down, and every single one germinated. Now next year, I want to get a hundred pounds of faba beans and get them in there before I roll. I think those will go the distance and stay green well past freeze.

 

[bigboreblr]

You competing with AG field? Sounding like tug hill area. St lawrence county is filled with AG too.

I got a camp by stillwater reservoir. Depending on what you spray and when, spray + drought can kill clover. More drought tolerant you want to be, the more weed tolerant you need to be to.

Dutch white clover is an option too, it doesnt play nice with mixes though. Which is good and bad.

Sounds boring, but let the earth do what it wants to do, then plant rye in the fall. Good to have a few bags as an insurance policy.

Clover will be less work than alfalfa.

I planted rye, oats, clovers, and some brassicas aroumd id august at camp. Went back mid september, one plot didnt make it. Spread more of that same mix.