My .02 on weed control and plots. Whether you are doing no till, throw and pray, tillage, the control lies on the distinction of goals. If you are trying to achieve a multi species, all benefiting, holistic goal, you will likely have to live with weeds and hope they don’t consume your plot. You also probably also need to accept your plot is likely not going to be a warm season deer destination unless you are in a very poor area. I’ve never seen a plot like that outcompete a “cleaner plot” or row crop. I absolutely think deer will use but I don’t think they will camp out in it. Im probably skewing my bias towards mature bucks, maybe a doe group would but honestly im not putting in a bunch of time and effort and money for that. I believe where they can, deer are going to be attracted to low hanging fruit of summer crops and/or highly nutritious, most likely mono culture, destination plot. Like a big clover, vetch, pea/lab lab type deal.
The key to me in warm season is planting something that gives you the ability to control weeds. In my neck of the woods if you don’t, you will lose your plot. I don’t care how strategic you are, you will. That why I prefer a single crop warm season planting. I will do perennial clover in most plots and others I will do jointvetch. In both of those I can control 90% of weeds with the combo of cleth and 2-4db. If my clover gets bad I can even run a gly application once a summer.
Cool season opens the door for some more mixes but generally my clover is still going strong so I don’t mess with it. My vetch I will either kill off late August and rotate wheat, rye, clover deal. Or I will just leave it if it’s not too thick and broadcast wheat into. Vetch will still be attractive until about Oct in my area.
that’s my current thought process but I’m always open to trying new things. I don’t love herbicide, but I also don’t hate it.
