planting trees in food plots

[yoderjac]

I should also say that I'm developing "wildlife openings" that utilize mast trees as well. I start with an area 1/4 acre to a 1/3 acre. I establish perennial clover to start and plant trees in more of an orchard format. Once the trees and clover are well established, I let it go. No pruning after the initial form, and no fertilizing. I just let the trees do whatever they do. I let weeds take over the plot over time. When it starts to get enough woody growth to be a problem, I bushhog it flat.

Some percentage of that field with remain in clover under the weeds for many many years. Many of the weeds are great deer food. Once these are established they require very little maintenance and provide good deer food.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Something to remember. Small seed plants like colver, chicory, and brassicas don't need any tillage to get a good stand.

 

[Apple Junkie]

I use my orchards as food plots, the fruit trees are my #1 priority. After trees are in the ground and protected I plant a clover mix with chicory as ground cover and it all works out pretty good.

I’d love to have a clover / chicory mix between orchard rows, that is a great idea. I ‘d prefer not to start from scratch, so I am wondering if it is worthwhile to over-seed my existing plot with a clover seed mix. Some areas have an established weed/grass cover, some newer areas have more exposed soil. Any thoughts on the prospects for success if I just do a spring over-seeding in my existing orchard?

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I'd try frost seeding an annual. If it comes in halfway decent do a TNM of something long lived in the fall

 

[H20fwler]

I’d love to have a clover / chicory mix between orchard rows, that is a great idea. I ‘d prefer not to start from scratch, so I am wondering if it is worthwhile to over-seed my existing plot with a clover seed mix. Some areas have an established weed/grass cover, some newer areas have more exposed soil. Any thoughts on the prospects for success if I just do a spring over-seeding in my existing orchard?

If possible when you first put it in hand spraying off what you don’t want will save you some time. Then in following years you can just spot spray if you get anything trying to take over spots like thistles.
With clovers and chicory they will start well with zero tillage if you get seed down early enough to let rain pound seeds in then you can over-seed wherever you think needs it down the road.
Come up with a good clover mix that grows well in your area some types compete way better than others, chicory will grow good about anywhere and reseeds itself really well. I use a mix of ladino/red/durana here with the Durana being the most aggressive so far, I’ve tried adding crimson because I love the look of it but it just doesn’t grow well for me and always looks thin.
Eventually you will get some weeds/grasses and I don’t necessarily think that is a bad thing but if you just give it a little management and direction it seems to find a balance and if you let it get some height deer will feed and bed right in it.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

If anyone considers tilling / disking around your fruit trees …….. we killed some of our apple trees some years ago before our newer trees that we have now. After the fact - we discovered that the feeder roots go out about 15 ft. or more from apple trees. We disked and harrowed down between our orchard rows, planting clover between the trees. We chopped the feeder roots to hell and we lost about a dozen trees. Now - we do NO tillage of any kind close to our apple trees. We just have grass growing in our main orchard now so we don't kill any bees when I spray for bug pests in the apple trees. I didn't want to have clover in that orchard & have bees all through the clover blossoms. We have our clover planted somewhat close to the orchard, but far enough to avoid spray drift killing visiting bees.

H20 - Crimson doesn't do well at our place either. It comes up and flowers, but it always looks to be too thin and struggling. Maybe our clayish soil?