How many years in a row can I plant buck forage oats?

[jsasker007]

I don't know if it was mentioned or not but when you plant the same crop back to back 2 or more times you probably will need to somehow amend the soil to replace whatever the crops are using up from your soil. Clover and chicory for example---they help each other so fertilizer may not be needed nearly as often. Corn takes a lot from the soil and without replacing lost nutrients the crops just keep getting weaker year after year without amending the soil. That is the reason for crop rotation for anyone new to the plant growing game we call foodplotting.JMHO.

 

[yoderjac]

I don't know if it was mentioned or not but when you plant the same crop back to back 2 or more times you probably will need to somehow amend the soil to replace whatever the crops are using up from your soil. Clover and chicory for example---they help each other so fertilizer may not be needed nearly as often. Corn takes a lot from the soil and without replacing lost nutrients the crops just keep getting weaker year after year without amending the soil. That is the reason for crop rotation for anyone new to the plant growing game we call foodplotting.JMHO.

You are right, but keep in mind that most of this comes from farming where monocultures are planted and harvested. The concept of rotation was first applied to farming for the reasons you suggest. Food plotting can be different. First, we often plant mixes and your example of clover and chicory is a good one of complementary crops in a mix. Second, we don't harvest food plots. Yes deer and other wildlife will consume some percentage of the crop, but they will also leave deposits. So, nutrient cycling is much easier for food plotters. A wise choice of crops along with good soil practices like minimizing tillage can significantly reduce the inputs required for food plotting over time. While I always recommend soil testing, especially with folks starting out, remember that those fertilizer recommendations are generally for farmers who harvest.

Thanks,

Jack