TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
I tried purple top turnips several years in a row
Beautiful stands, but nothing ate them except my family. We love to cook them
I plant ground hog radish for soil health but no longer plant other brassicas
bill
Old clover plot sprayed- feeling regret
- Thread starter Garrett S
- Start date
I tried purple top turnips several years in a row
Beautiful stands, but nothing ate them except my family. We love to cook them
I plant ground hog radish for soil health but no longer plant other brassicas
bill
Same with us - we like them. Deer wouldnt eat them. Hogs wouldnt eat the roots
Someday isle
5 year old buck +
My first clover trails were planted in 2016. Last fall they were just looking “tired” and the summer was hard on them last year. I disced them under and re-seeded with new seed and cereal rye as a nurse crop. A dry fall followed by a late spring and I was having regrets too. Last week I sprayed the the grasses and broadleaf weeds and they’re looking good again. It’s just clover, I think you’ll be fine. We’re plotters, not farmers. I don’t think you need to regret your choices. We’re not lost - we’re just exploring.
Nightvision
5 year old buck +
For sure but I only have about 4 acres of plots on 300 acres. I need to maximize every square inch of my food plots. If I had 20 acres, I would treat them the way you do.
Thank you all for the responses, insight and feedback.
Went to the property yesterday and was surprised to see nothing looked that dead. There was some rain that night and,perhaps coupled with the late pm spray, there is some yellowing wilt to all but nothing looks smoked. Bittersweet fate.
The point of the spray was to replant for soil health (adding those nitrogen mining brassicas)…. But looking back I was just anxious and annoyed by a brushy messy aesthetics plot. Bad move. Assuming it made it I will just overseer w rye, oats, brassicas etc to sweeten the attraction.
I’m going to sniff around for an Atv mower to help keep some of the mess in check if not I’ll go back to cleth and d,b means. Nothing is easy to find or cheap here in wNY chem wise though.
Went to the property yesterday and was surprised to see nothing looked that dead. There was some rain that night and,perhaps coupled with the late pm spray, there is some yellowing wilt to all but nothing looks smoked. Bittersweet fate.
The point of the spray was to replant for soil health (adding those nitrogen mining brassicas)…. But looking back I was just anxious and annoyed by a brushy messy aesthetics plot. Bad move. Assuming it made it I will just overseer w rye, oats, brassicas etc to sweeten the attraction.
I’m going to sniff around for an Atv mower to help keep some of the mess in check if not I’ll go back to cleth and d,b means. Nothing is easy to find or cheap here in wNY chem wise though.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Garret, Keep in mind you may want to modify the ATV mower. Clover maintenance with a mower is better the taller you can get the deck. My 42 inch 2 wheeled swisher only does 5 inches with 16 inch tires. I just did my mowing up nort by stillwater reservior, so the mower doesnt need to be used until next year. I have other mowers I can use for my home plot. I mow clover plot mostly to keep them pretty, my nieghbors are my in laws and they dont like a ragged back yard. Mowing to 5 inches isn't bad, wish I had an extra inch or two though. Especially when I maintain snowmobile trails with it, I still hit a rock or two.
Keep in mind those single cylinder briggs motors on the swisher motors are splash lubricated, not pressurized. So going on steep hills you loose you oil. Many of those motors dont live long. Mine has been rod knocking the past year. I bought a new 13.5hp version o the same motor when it does go boom........ Was $500 on ebay.
Also, Id you weeds well. Clethodim works on true grasses, not grass looking weeds like sedges. Not sure if it does crabgrass.
swampcat, Palatability has alot to do with soil quality. Deer will enjoy the brush areas I fertilize much more than regular spots. Yes, I waste epxensive fertilizer on brush. Working on making my privacy better.... I have noticed difference preferences on plots at home on rich clay soil vs mixed spots of high to low organic matter snady soil up north. Clover isn't was well loved up there as it is here. Rabbits and snowshoe hare really love my clover plantain dandelion and crabgrass blend. Deer do not recieve it that great. However, they gobble up the oats and rye in other plots up there.
Tillage raddish......... They love th leaves, they love the roots. IT is nasty....... Dead rotting mushy roots they dig and yank up to eat........ Not a good though, but they definitely work. FYI, you plot will smell like kimchi when it rots. My wfe doesnt want me to use it anymore........
Keep in mind those single cylinder briggs motors on the swisher motors are splash lubricated, not pressurized. So going on steep hills you loose you oil. Many of those motors dont live long. Mine has been rod knocking the past year. I bought a new 13.5hp version o the same motor when it does go boom........ Was $500 on ebay.
Also, Id you weeds well. Clethodim works on true grasses, not grass looking weeds like sedges. Not sure if it does crabgrass.
swampcat, Palatability has alot to do with soil quality. Deer will enjoy the brush areas I fertilize much more than regular spots. Yes, I waste epxensive fertilizer on brush. Working on making my privacy better.... I have noticed difference preferences on plots at home on rich clay soil vs mixed spots of high to low organic matter snady soil up north. Clover isn't was well loved up there as it is here. Rabbits and snowshoe hare really love my clover plantain dandelion and crabgrass blend. Deer do not recieve it that great. However, they gobble up the oats and rye in other plots up there.
Tillage raddish......... They love th leaves, they love the roots. IT is nasty....... Dead rotting mushy roots they dig and yank up to eat........ Not a good though, but they definitely work. FYI, you plot will smell like kimchi when it rots. My wfe doesnt want me to use it anymore........
I hear ya
Absolutely right on all aspects stated there.
While this is a tecumseh engine I’m guessing it’s sump lube as well… and I never thought of that lack of oiling. That being said, we are flat here (and no where near as pretty as Stillwater).
I wonder if I can find bigger tires or mod the deck for higher clover cutting. Hmmm.
Went there yesterday and some clover, oddly/surprisingly popped back. Pretty crazy with the lack of rain and hot as the devils socks temps. I plan to seed a brassica mix on few weeks preceding a rain. I’ve opened up the rookie diary and read some passages with this deal. Being anxious with free time is was a bad combo.
On that note- you’re 100% on my weed understanding too. I know that sedges are my main issue, curly dock and thistle… but there is another 30 or so percent I haven’t put any effort into IDing or even looking closely. While I was most likely subconsciously looking for that “on the bag” perfect monoculture plot….. it was time to clear some of the untouched/unused stuff out of there.
Another follow up. Planted GC’s Fall Release and it was a hit despite all of the drought struggles we had and some nasty stuff that seemed to thrive wo rain in the plot. Will expand some of my plots in the spring and reseed with a clover and chicory mix… back to the basics
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bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
You I'd what grew well in there? When did you plant?
Looked at the mix, while it has some grains, it's has alot of nitrogen fixation plants in it. Your nitrogen could be sky high, while the others are low.
Also, how did you prep for the fall release. any significant tillage. Could be digging up the old seed bed. Maybe plant something to smother the weeds this summer, before going back to clover.
I'd go with a crop or rye, buckwheat, or even some oats. Then rotate to your clover mix, but I like to plant fresh clover plots with some sort of grains. Usually wheat oat mix.
What equipment do you have to work with? I'm guessing from the mower, your towing stuff with an ATV.
Don't be afraid to go out there and dig down a few shovels and see what's going on. Ever had a soil test?
I got a big sedge battle ahead of me over in stillwater. The more I play in one spot, the more it becomes sedge. Not only sedge is a fairly prolific seeder, it has tubers. The seeds can be controlled by mowing. They don't seed all season.
Likely spraying this in all my plots up north.
I still like the idea of rotating clover every 3 years. My big step into putting plots up there was 2020, so 2023, the 1st one is up. I did the 2020 better with spraying gly before planting. But, got the bug and planted the 2021 new plotting area in april without spraying Did spray cleth in there before. That spot has a goldenrod infestation, which may not be all that bad. Mowed it in august 2022, and put rye n clover. Clover is real thick, and fall activity in there is good.
Looked at the mix, while it has some grains, it's has alot of nitrogen fixation plants in it. Your nitrogen could be sky high, while the others are low.
Also, how did you prep for the fall release. any significant tillage. Could be digging up the old seed bed. Maybe plant something to smother the weeds this summer, before going back to clover.
I'd go with a crop or rye, buckwheat, or even some oats. Then rotate to your clover mix, but I like to plant fresh clover plots with some sort of grains. Usually wheat oat mix.
What equipment do you have to work with? I'm guessing from the mower, your towing stuff with an ATV.
Don't be afraid to go out there and dig down a few shovels and see what's going on. Ever had a soil test?
I got a big sedge battle ahead of me over in stillwater. The more I play in one spot, the more it becomes sedge. Not only sedge is a fairly prolific seeder, it has tubers. The seeds can be controlled by mowing. They don't seed all season.
Likely spraying this in all my plots up north.
I still like the idea of rotating clover every 3 years. My big step into putting plots up there was 2020, so 2023, the 1st one is up. I did the 2020 better with spraying gly before planting. But, got the bug and planted the 2021 new plotting area in april without spraying Did spray cleth in there before. That spot has a goldenrod infestation, which may not be all that bad. Mowed it in august 2022, and put rye n clover. Clover is real thick, and fall activity in there is good.
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Diesel5610
5 year old buck +
Did the Fall Release get a lot of deer activity in it?
When I seeded it - it was like beach sand dry just prior to a rain. I spot treated some nasties- stilt, thistle, lambs quarter- broadcast and it the rain did the rest (when we got it).
It grew decent. Some aspects we very evident and others not so much. Didn’t have a browse cage and the weather was all over the board this fall in wNY.
Will be interesting to see what it looks like subsurface this spring.
Haven’t run a soil test in there in a bit-would
Also be interesting to do.
I planted it in two areas. One - amongst a bushy browse-y early successional bedding area in between ag; where they browsed it good.
The other was a little food plot that has been clover and feeding the local does for years by our house with minimal ag in the neighborhood and more of a closed canopy woods locale; where the plot had the least deer I can remember it having.
