Leaving oats for fall/winter forage

[westonwhitetail]

I'm planning on planting oats and crimson clover for a summer plot about 1/2 acre. Planting in mid May, I am in western Wisconsin.

Could I let the oats go to seed and try to just broadcast turnips into the plot in July or early august?

That way the deer could continue to eat the clover the rest of the summer and the turnips would fill in for fall.

And then I'm wondering if deer eat the oat hulls/seeds in the fall or winter? Or is it not something they would target much?

Thanks!

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[yoderjac]

I wonder how brassica would do broadcast into growing cereal/clover. That is a lot of competition for light and other resources. When we broadcast brassica into standing soybeans, we wait until they yellow. By the time the seed germinates, the leaves have fallen providing a mulch and allowing light through. Beans are done growing and consuming resources. They just continue to stand with the pods. Oats will keep growing until it gets too cold.

In my area (not in the north) cereal seed heads are not a big attraction, but I'll let guys in your area advise on that. If it were me, I would kill the oats and add WR and a clover appropriate for your area (perhaps medium red) to your brassica for the fall. You need to keep the brassica component low (2 lbs/ac) or it will shade the rest, but a fall mix like this will give you the early season attraction of young cereal as well as later season brassica. The following spring the medium read and WR should come back alleviating the need for a spring plant next spring.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[westonwhitetail]

That's true, the clover and oats will be fairly thick. My thought was the oats will mature and start to brown at some point in late summer or fall, similar to soybeans, and possibly leave enough opening for the brassicas to fill in?

Maybe by the time this happens with the oats though, there won't be enough warm weather left for the brassicas to grow?

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[westonwhitetail]

The idea was to try to create a "layered plot" similar to the soybean and turnip combo. Where the brassicas provide a source of green forage in the fall and the soybean pods provide a source of fats and carbs for late fall/winter.

I don't have large enough plots so soybeans don't produce a pod. That's why I was thinking about trying a system like that with another crop. Oats came to mind because I'm planting them with crimson for the summer.

Is there another crop that someone could try this with? Grain sorghum possibly?

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[4wanderingeyes]

The idea was to try to create a "layered plot" similar to the soybean and turnip combo. Where the brassicas provide a source of green forage in the fall and the soybean pods provide a source of fats and carbs for late fall/winter.

I don't have large enough plots so soybeans don't produce a pod. That's why I was thinking about trying a system like that with another crop. Oats came to mind because I'm planting them with crimson for the summer.

Is there another crop that someone could try this with? Grain sorghum possibly?

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I planted oats this spring, just to fill in bare spots where the winter rye didnt pop up from last fall (I was short on winter rye when I spread it last fall) just so there is something growing this spring, early summer. Early July I will plant Radish and turnips, then spread winter rye into that same plot on Labor day weekend. Then the winter rye grows in the early spring until July, when I replant the radish and turnips. But last year I was short on winter rye. I have in the past dragged the winter rye in the spring, just to rough it up a bit, and added sunflower to give the deer some candy, it worked out great, but they dont seem to mind just the winter rye either, and it is less work for me.

The problem with oats through the fall, or early winter is snow will just knock it down, and bury it, and the deer wont dig for it much. But I do plant a food plot with oats, winter wheat, and winter rye on Labor day, and they eat the hell out of it all fall.

 

[Peplin Creek]

I noticed that deer in my area, Hammer oats in fall when they are young and tender. The more growth they get, the less use I see in them until all the other forage is gone, then they might come back in on it if it's not too woody at that point. My concern would be what others have stated... the oats shading out the rest of the plot. If this is a strategy you want to try. I do remember reading an article once that deer liked the seed heads from wheat. I don't believe that grows as tall as oats either. Maybe that's worth a shot if your to concerned with oats. With whatever you decide to do report back and let us know how it worked out.

 

[westonwhitetail]

I planted oats this spring, just to fill in bare spots where the winter rye didnt pop up from last fall (I was short on winter rye when I spread it last fall) just so there is something growing this spring, early summer. Early July I will plant Radish and turnips, then spread winter rye into that same plot on Labor day weekend. Then the winter rye grows in the early spring until July, when I replant the radish and turnips. But last year I was short on winter rye. I have in the past dragged the winter rye in the spring, just to rough it up a bit, and added sunflower to give the deer some candy, it worked out great, but they dont seem to mind just the winter rye either, and it is less work for me.

The problem with oats through the fall, or early winter is snow will just knock it down, and bury it, and the deer wont dig for it much. But I do plant a food plot with oats, winter wheat, and winter rye on Labor day, and they eat the hell out of it all fall.

So do you leave the rye standing when you broadcast turnips in July? Or do you mow it or till?

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[westonwhitetail]

I noticed that deer in my area, Hammer oats in fall when they are young and tender. The more growth they get, the less use I see in them until all the other forage is gone, then they might come back in on it if it's not too woody at that point. My concern would be what others have stated... the oats shading out the rest of the plot. If this is a strategy you want to try. I do remember reading an article once that deer liked the seed heads from wheat. I don't believe that grows as tall as oats either. Maybe that's worth a shot if your to concerned with oats. With whatever you decide to do report back and let us know how it worked out.

Maybe I'll try some wheat and oats in different areas and see what happens. I haven't ever planted wheat before, just rye and oats

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[4wanderingeyes]

So do you leave the rye standing when you broadcast turnips in July? Or do you mow it or till?

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When I plant in July the rye is totally dead already, so I either knock it down, and lightly disc it, or mow it, then lightly disc it. Some people spread the seed, then mow it on top of the seed, rather then discing, but I have had better luck with lightly discing the soil prior to planting.

 

[westonwhitetail]

Ok thank you

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