john egerer
Yearling... With promise
I've got about five acres on my land that is pretty much golden rod right now, I want to start a food plot next spring and am looking for advice, any thoughts thanks
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Starting a new food plot
- Thread starter john egerer
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Natty Bumppo
5 year old buck +
You might need to give us some more detail if you want anything advice of value. What's the management goal of the plot? What's your location? Equipment? What's the total acreage of your land? Neighbors? Surrounding ag?
john egerer
Yearling... With promise
The property is in north central wisconsin, the soil is very loamy but with good drainage. This part of lincoln county is mostly hardwoods (maple,ash, poplar and birch no oaks) and Balsam stands along all of the creek bottoms.There are some ag fields scattered about , but not much within five miles. My plan is a wildlife food plot, mostly deer, and I'm not sure what would be the best way to go about getting rid of the goldenrod, and then what would be some ideas for crops. One problem I will have is there are a lot of rocks in this field that cannot be moved, so I will be limited to small equipment which can move around them. In the past where i've mowed the goldenrod, grasses have been able to grow and after a year of mowing the goldenrod doesnt seem to reappear, should i just mow this area for a year and deal with grasses or should I kill everything and start from scratch?
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I take it you are just starting out. For the beginner. Start with a soil test and lime and fertilize according to it. Start with buckwheat after you soil temp (not air temp) is at least 65 degrees. Soil temp is taken with a soil thermometer (inexpensive) between 0800 and 0900 in the morning. Buckwheat's optimal soil temperature for germination is 80 degrees so it has a wide planting window. This will give you plenty to time to control the goldenrod. Buckwheat is a very forgiving crop that will grow even if the soil is not amended well. It is fast to germinate and canopy and will compete well against weeds. For fall I'd start with Winter Rye (not ryegrass). It is a cereal grain but will tolerate poor pH and infertility while your amendments are working. Neither of these crops require deep tillage. Google "Ray the soil Guy" and watch some of his videos regarding the effects of tillage. Then read some of Crimson N Camo's threads on here. He takes the principles Ray lays out and applies them to food plotters with small equipment.
That should be enough to get you off the ground.
Thanks,
Jack
That should be enough to get you off the ground.
Thanks,
Jack
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john egerer
Yearling... With promise
Yes I am a beginner, and I didn't want to plant a bunch of turnips like my neighbors do to get the deer in there in fall for hunting season,I would prefer some sort of grass or clover. Thanks Jack
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Clover is best planted in the fall with a cereal grain nurse crop like winter rye. If you have good soils, you can mix perennial clover with your winter rye the first fall. I generally don't recommend that because many folks have marginal soils. By the second fall, amendments have had plenty of time to work and folks have plenty of time to get weeds under control. That is when I would generally add a perennial clover. I'll let folks in your area recommend a good clover for your area. In my area, Durana works best but the qualities it has that benefit me like drought tolerance and persistence may be of less benefit to you.
Thanks,
Jack
Thanks,
Jack
Peplin Creek
5 year old buck +
Are you going to do the total 5 acres in one planting? Are you just worrying about summer forage or fall and winter? I plot in marathon county, just to the south. I have had good luck with ladino clover and red clovers. Honestly nothing draws deer and bucks better than beans and with 5 acres up in that area, that should be more than enough area to have standing beans pods in the fall.
Two strategies I would look at doing and not in any order. One, break up this five acre plot in 3 or 4 plots. I would plant an acre of ladino clover. An acre of cereal grains, oats and rye, mostly rye because of earlier freezing temps, mix in winter peas at planting. My deer love winter peas and will get them “using” the plot before the grains become extremely attractive, end of Oct into November until it snows. The rest I would plant, turnips, radishes and Winfred brassica. This should give a good amount of forage into the winter months, which is vital up there.
The other strategy I would consider is plant the acreage in beans. Then I would comeback and broadcast, rye, turnips and radishes over the top when the beans yellow. This should give “green matter” from spring all the way through seasons end. You’ll also have standing beans for deer in the winter time.
Both of these should improve hunting/herd conditions. It can seem like a lot information. For the first year tame your goals. Simply start by spraying it during spring green up and hitting it again a month later. Then spend your time getting ground prepped to your liking and just get something into the ground the first year and don’t worry about it. IMO, nothing sucks more than opening new ground that first year and if you have limited equipment, just getting it open and planted with something is a major win in my book for the year. After that Focus long term goals and start improving and adapting to what works best.
This is a great place to post and ask questions, a lot of people know there stuff and you’ll always get more than one right answer to any question or problem.
Two strategies I would look at doing and not in any order. One, break up this five acre plot in 3 or 4 plots. I would plant an acre of ladino clover. An acre of cereal grains, oats and rye, mostly rye because of earlier freezing temps, mix in winter peas at planting. My deer love winter peas and will get them “using” the plot before the grains become extremely attractive, end of Oct into November until it snows. The rest I would plant, turnips, radishes and Winfred brassica. This should give a good amount of forage into the winter months, which is vital up there.
The other strategy I would consider is plant the acreage in beans. Then I would comeback and broadcast, rye, turnips and radishes over the top when the beans yellow. This should give “green matter” from spring all the way through seasons end. You’ll also have standing beans for deer in the winter time.
Both of these should improve hunting/herd conditions. It can seem like a lot information. For the first year tame your goals. Simply start by spraying it during spring green up and hitting it again a month later. Then spend your time getting ground prepped to your liking and just get something into the ground the first year and don’t worry about it. IMO, nothing sucks more than opening new ground that first year and if you have limited equipment, just getting it open and planted with something is a major win in my book for the year. After that Focus long term goals and start improving and adapting to what works best.
This is a great place to post and ask questions, a lot of people know there stuff and you’ll always get more than one right answer to any question or problem.
john egerer
Yearling... With promise
Thank you peplin!! I like your strategies. What would you use to spray?
Peplin Creek
5 year old buck +
I would start with glyphosate (round up) first. That should work for when things green up in the spring.
Natty Bumppo
5 year old buck +
Sounds like a great project. You've gotten some good input. I'll add one small thing....get a soil test before you plant anything. Not sure If I saw that suggested. You're going to be really disappointed and waste a lot of money with some of the crops suggested if you discover that you have poor soil quality...nutrients and pH. Rye will grow anywhere. That might be a good place to start this spring just to get the goldenrod taken care of and something growing. Buckwheat would work and will also do a good job of weed control. Meanwhile you can do a soil test and then come up with a plan for a late summer planting. If you've got good soil you're going to have a lot of fun.
john egerer
Yearling... With promise
thanks for the input, I feel like I have starting point now
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
I would mow a good fire break around the entire plot first thing in the spring and burn it off when conditions allow. The burn will add nutrients to the soil and allow it to warm up much earlier for your buckwheat planting in the spring. You could spray the green and plant in the same day when soil temps are up to snuff. Like mentioned soil test ASAP.
bbcoach
5 year old buck +
First John, welcome to Habitat Talk. You have entered a site with plenty of wisdom and insight into foodplotting. Jack and others are spot on. With a new plot, a soil sample is your first concern. Take a sample and follow the liming recommendations ASAP, hold off on any fertilizer until you actually plant. If you are planning on clover as your food source, wait until the fall to plant. With a 5 acre plot, I would break it up into about 5 1 acre plots and plan on planting a variety of different food sources that will sustain the wildlife all year long. Once everything greens up in the spring, hit the entire plot with glyphosate. Get a good burn down and plant accordingly.
john egerer
Yearling... With promise
thanks guys, I know i'm going to have to burn,makes my wife shudder theres about 40 acres of marsh grass next door i've gotta be real careful, I'll get a soil sample this weekend
john egerer
Yearling... With promise
Yes that may be a good idea.. thanks
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Most guys try to do too much when they start. They end up hurting their soils in the long-run. Don't worry to try to get things perfect. You don't need (or actually want) a farm field. "Weeds" are not necessarily a bad thing. A weed is just a plant growing where you don't want it. Anything other than the planted crop is a weed to a farmer. They are trying to maximize yield and harvest the crop. That should not be the objective of someone managing for wildlife. Many "weeds" to a farmer are better deer food than what we plant.
Keep it simple while you are trying to learn the big concepts and establish your overall objectives.
- Soil test
- Lime/Fertilize accordingly
- Mow as soon as you can.
- Wait for green up to apply glyphosate at 2 quarts/acre.
- Minimize tillage to just scratching the surface (top inch or less)
- Wait for your soil to warm up to at least 65 degrees (warmer is better)
- Broadcast buckwheat when you have rain in the forecast.
- Use a cultipacker if you have one, otherwise a lawn roller or just run over it with ATV tires.
- Your first food plot is done!
- In 60 to 90 days, the food value of buckwheat for deer will be done.
- Broadcast Winter Rye into the standing buckwheat.
- Cultipack or Mow the standing buckwheat.
- Your second food plot is done for fall.
There are plenty of other things one could do or could plant. The idea here is to keep things as simple as possible, maximize your chance of success, and minimize any damage to your soil until you can read up on soil health and sustainability. You will have plenty of challenges just doing this. You will learn to take soil temperatures, calibrate your sprayer, and work on timing for your area. Deer generally are not picky. By the time you get this under your belt, you'll have learned a lot and can try lots of different approaches.
Thanks,
Jack
Keep it simple while you are trying to learn the big concepts and establish your overall objectives.
- Soil test
- Lime/Fertilize accordingly
- Mow as soon as you can.
- Wait for green up to apply glyphosate at 2 quarts/acre.
- Minimize tillage to just scratching the surface (top inch or less)
- Wait for your soil to warm up to at least 65 degrees (warmer is better)
- Broadcast buckwheat when you have rain in the forecast.
- Use a cultipacker if you have one, otherwise a lawn roller or just run over it with ATV tires.
- Your first food plot is done!
- In 60 to 90 days, the food value of buckwheat for deer will be done.
- Broadcast Winter Rye into the standing buckwheat.
- Cultipack or Mow the standing buckwheat.
- Your second food plot is done for fall.
There are plenty of other things one could do or could plant. The idea here is to keep things as simple as possible, maximize your chance of success, and minimize any damage to your soil until you can read up on soil health and sustainability. You will have plenty of challenges just doing this. You will learn to take soil temperatures, calibrate your sprayer, and work on timing for your area. Deer generally are not picky. By the time you get this under your belt, you'll have learned a lot and can try lots of different approaches.
Thanks,
Jack
bbcoach
5 year old buck +
I just want to say BURNDOWN doesn't mean starting a fire. The glyphosate will kill all the weeds and grasses in the field, in about 2 weeks and it will look like the field has been burned. Glyphosate is a non selective herbicide and will kill most weed and grasses with one application. Apply it on a non windy day, after green up, at 2 quarts per acre, as Jack said and it should kill everything with very little wind drift. You definitely want to hit the golden rod after it has greened up and before it gets too tall.
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