Vetch

[Rubee]

Looks like crown vetch. Great for preventing soil erosion.

 

[Brian662]

I have crown vetch spreading over my cool season grass prairie. I'm getting ready to start terminating some of the cool season grasses in favor or more preferable early successional growth which should provide more cover and food. I haven't noticed any deer browse on the crown vetch but I'd suspect it isn't really the same as the OP's plan to plant specifically for browse/food.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I haven't noticed any deer browse on the crown vetch but I'd suspect it isn't really the same as the OP's plan to plant specifically for browse/food.

I'm the OP, and I was inquiring about the potential for either hairy or chickling vetch as deer food. If crown vetch was a preferred deer food, our highways here would be lined with deer.

 

[Skeeter]

I'm the OP, and I was inquiring about the potential for either hairy or chickling vetch as deer food. If crown vetch was a preferred deer food, our highways here would be lined with deer.

I've not heard of a straight planting for deer food but many use hairy vetch in a mix. I've heard of good usage, when in a mix, from some people out east. I put some in my fall mix but had way too much corn around me during most of the season to notice heavy browse on much in my plots. Should be more noticeable come spring.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I've not heard of a straight planting for deer food but many use hairy vetch in a mix. I've heard of good usage, when in a mix, from some people out east. I put some in my fall mix but had way too much corn around me during most of the season to notice heavy browse on much in my plots. Should be more noticeable come spring.

We won't do a pure stand of vetch - maybe add some to a mix. I just wondered if deer eat it, or if it's just an addition to fix more N in the soil.

 

[Skeeter]

We won't do a pure stand of vetch - maybe add some to a mix. I just wondered if deer eat it, or if it's just an addition to fix more N in the soil.

Unfortunately I think it's one of those that on some properties deer eat it, and on others they may not. I feel comfortable trying it on mine because the deer have enough other food in the plots that they never eat everything else down to the dirt, so either way it's doing me some good.

 

[CarolinaDawg]

I’ve used joint vetch the last two summers. They hammer it. The problem I have with it is I have to kill it to get fall planting so it’s a pretty expensive venture. I tried to broadcast into but it creates such a dense mat that almost nothing came up so last year I was left with scrambling late to get some rye down just to have something. In terms of attraction it’s super high in July and august and seems to fade in September as it matures and gets twiggy
View attachment 39603View attachment 39604

When you struggled with broadcasting into the mat, did you mow it, spray, or just broadcast into it and leave it?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

When you struggled with broadcasting into the mat, did you mow it, spray, or just broadcast into it and leave it?

I actually didn’t do anything because I wanted to get the most out of the vetch that I could. I broadcast around Labor Day and the vetch didn’t die until late October.

 

[Wild Thing]

I have mixed Hairy Vetch into my cover crops to serve as a soil builder and Nitrogen producer. I don't plant it as a deer forage per se, but if they want to eat some of it I don't mind. It is great for N fixation (even better than some of the clovers) and adds a little color to my cover crops. Pre-Inoculated Hairy Vetch costs less than many clover varieties (about $2.85/#) and it over-winters well in my Upper Michigan soils - Zone 4b. It also acts as a weed suppressor and helps build organic matter. What is not to like about it.

Hairy Vetch - SAREhttps://www.sare.org › ... › Legume Cover Crops

Here it is in Mid-June in what remains of the cover crop I planted the previous August. It over-wintered very well along with Medium Red Clover, Crimson clover and Rye. Deer and turkeys foraged in this plot during the spring and summer while it was fixing more N in the soil for a future crop:

 

[PatinPA]

I planted a bunch of random sourced wildflower packets for my Honeybees (and for my daughter). I forget which Vetch this is but it went from a 10’x10’ spot I scratched out for the seedbed to this in 2 years.

I let it grow just to see what it would do and since it spread across my path I am hoping it will shade out the Knotweed I inherited and kill it. Deer walk this path but never eat it that I have seen, it certainly creates habitat for other critters and the bees love it.

(The invasive knotweed is on the left in this picture)
View attachment 39797

Ugh I have that knot weed at my house. That stuff is really tough to kill.

 

[Troubles Trees]

Ugh I have that knot weed at my house. That stuff is really tough to kill.

Bill has had some success killing it. I have not... yet lol I do have a few new approaches to try this year, the easiest is flattening the stalks and tarping it so it doesn't get sunlight.
It is an amazing weed really that I wish had some benefit to it. I mowed the flat at the bottom of my land by the road not knowing that causes it to spread at the time, I actually thought it was American Bamboo. I must have gotten some stuck in my mower deck and transplanted it to a spot up by my house. Within 2 years it grew to a 20'x20' patch which I stupidly mowed down. doing that transplanted it up by my house and right off my lawn. That is when I researched it and found out it's name and realized I had done this to myself. Imazapyr seems to be the chemical of choice to kill it and I will try that as well as using tarps.

Here is a good bit of info I found on it if you are interested bud.

404

www.michigan.gov

 

[PatinPA]

Bill has had some success killing it. I have not... yet lol I do have a few new approaches to try this year, the easiest is flattening the stalks and tarping it so it doesn't get sunlight.
It is an amazing weed really that I wish had some benefit to it. I mowed the flat at the bottom of my land by the road not knowing that causes it to spread at the time, I actually thought it was American Bamboo. I must have gotten some stuck in my mower deck and transplanted it to a spot up by my house. Within 2 years it grew to a 20'x20' patch which I stupidly mowed down. doing that transplanted it up by my house and right off my lawn. That is when I researched it and found out it's name and realized I had done this to myself. Imazapyr seems to be the chemical of choice to kill it and I will try that as well as using tarps.

Here is a good bit of info I found on it if you are interested bud.

404

www.michigan.gov

I live in a small circle of house, the center of which is more or less a drainage ditch. The ditch is loaded with it. It's in my backyard, which I have about the only backyard that is maintained down through the ditch but I have one patch of it on a steep bank that's tough to maintain. I've been meaning to clean it up the last few winters but I'd much rather be clearing food plots and trails at those times. I might try to tarp it off this year though.

 

[bigboreblr]

I have planted hairy vetch. I actually harvested a buck eating it 2 years ago. Left my "better" wheat peas and clover plot and walked down the narrower part of the trail I planted oats and vetch. These are remote woodland deer, they eat tree bud browse year round and get fussy over clover varieties too. It was recieved well. however, I planted too late in the year for it to go to seed. You got to be early to get it to seed. Im in zone 3A. Bought it from seed world pre innoculated. Low pH tolerant, likes sandy soils, and make a dense mess. all good stuff for where I plant this.....

My deer have few if any good stuff to eat, so they might be less fussy. They love anything I plant. Could be wrong about their love of clover though. Where it's not well recieved, there was moss growing there, so it might be the pH isn't high enough yet. I do notice in general palatibility goes up when you add lime that year.


Knotweed... Wondering if running a cultipacker would be better than mowing. I have read somewhere rye's allitopathic effects do work against knotweed. I've hear injecting gly into the plant via syringe kills it. Mowing or rototiller spreads it. This includes to other site that way too. A little chunk of the plant is all that it needs to spread. That's why it goes down waterways. Curious what would happen if you cultipacked it weekly and sprayed once or twice, then went to rye.

 

[yoderjac]

I have planted hairy vetch. I actually harvested a buck eating it 2 years ago. Left my "better" wheat peas and clover plot and walked down the narrower part of the trail I planted oats and vetch. These are remote woodland deer, they eat tree bud browse year round and get fussy over clover varieties too. It was recieved well. however, I planted too late in the year for it to go to seed. You got to be early to get it to seed. Im in zone 3A. Bought it from seed world pre innoculated. Low pH tolerant, likes sandy soils, and make a dense mess. all good stuff for where I plant this.....

My deer have few if any good stuff to eat, so they might be less fussy. They love anything I plant. Could be wrong about their love of clover though. Where it's not well recieved, there was moss growing there, so it might be the pH isn't high enough yet. I do notice in general palatibility goes up when you add lime that year.


Knotweed... Wondering if running a cultipacker would be better than mowing. I have read somewhere rye's allitopathic effects do work against knotweed. I've hear injecting gly into the plant via syringe kills it. Mowing or rototiller spreads it. This includes to other site that way too. A little chunk of the plant is all that it needs to spread. That's why it goes down waterways. Curious what would happen if you cultipacked it weekly and sprayed once or twice, then went to rye.

Do you have an exclusion cage on your clover? If not, using one might surprise you. What deer prefer can be pretty complex and changes over time. What other foods are available at that point in time and how safe deer feel accessing the food source have a big impact in addition to the specifics of the crop you are growing.

 

[bigboreblr]

Do you have an exclusion cage on your clover? If not, using one might surprise you. What deer prefer can be pretty complex and changes over time. What other foods are available at that point in time and how safe deer feel accessing the food source have a big impact in addition to the specifics of the crop you are growing.

Done that before, but not at my hunting lease. I plant in a snowmobile trail which gets some ATV traffic. The spot I planted last year is aways from the trail, so I can give it a shot next time im up there. I do it at home though.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I have planted hairy vetch. I actually harvested a buck eating it 2 years ago. Left my "better" wheat peas and clover plot and walked down the narrower part of the trail I planted oats and vetch. These are remote woodland deer, they eat tree bud browse year round and get fussy over clover varieties too. It was recieved well. however, I planted too late in the year for it to go to seed. You got to be early to get it to seed. Im in zone 3A. Bought it from seed world pre innoculated. Low pH tolerant, likes sandy soils, and make a dense mess. all good stuff for where I plant this.....

My deer have few if any good stuff to eat, so they might be less fussy. They love anything I plant. Could be wrong about their love of clover though. Where it's not well recieved, there was moss growing there, so it might be the pH isn't high enough yet. I do notice in general palatibility goes up when you add lime that year.


Knotweed... Wondering if running a cultipacker would be better than mowing. I have read somewhere rye's allitopathic effects do work against knotweed. I've hear injecting gly into the plant via syringe kills it. Mowing or rototiller spreads it. This includes to other site that way too. A little chunk of the plant is all that it needs to spread. That's why it goes down waterways. Curious what would happen if you cultipacked it weekly and sprayed once or twice, then went to rye.

Knotweed That stuff sucks!
I accidentally spread it around my house by means of mowing it because I thought it was American Bamboo :/ Do yourself a favor and do not mow it! I have sprayed it with 40% Gly mixed very strong and it browned the leaves but kept growing. In England they have a law preventing selling property with any Knotweed still alive on it, in fact there are stiff fines for just transporting it unsealed or discarding it on other peoples property.
I think it was Bill (Admin here) that said he killed it off but I forget his method, I think he said to cut it low and fill the hollow stem with Gly? I have looked extensively for the answer to this and much of the advice online is to use Gly, a few places say using Imazapyr (Arsenal) or Imazamox (e.g., Clearcast) has had success like this publication from Michigan DNR states. I haven't tried Imazapyr yet, I will this year if I can find it, but the simplest solution seems to be flattening it with a heavy roller in the spring and covering it with thick black plastic or tarps and sealing it off from getting sunlight and water for 3 years (to be safe).

Post it on here if you find a good solution, I would prefer to use chemical to avoid 3 years of tarps around my house but at this point I will do anything to get it off my property.

https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/invasive-species/JapaneseKnotweedBCP.pdf

 

[bigboreblr]

Knotweed That stuff sucks!
I accidentally spread it around my house by means of mowing it because I thought it was American Bamboo :/ Do yourself a favor and do not mow it! I have sprayed it with 40% Gly mixed very strong and it browned the leaves but kept growing. In England they have a law preventing selling property with any Knotweed still alive on it, in fact there are stiff fines for just transporting it unsealed or discarding it on other peoples property.
I think it was Bill (Admin here) that said he killed it off but I forget his method, I think he said to cut it low and fill the hollow stem with Gly? I have looked extensively for the answer to this and much of the advice online is to use Gly, a few places say using Imazapyr (Arsenal) or Imazamox (e.g., Clearcast) has had success like this publication from Michigan DNR states. I haven't tried Imazapyr yet, I will this year if I can find it, but the simplest solution seems to be flattening it with a heavy roller in the spring and covering it with thick black plastic or tarps and sealing it off from getting sunlight and water for 3 years (to be safe).

Post it on here if you find a good solution, I would prefer to use chemical to avoid 3 years of tarps around my house but at this point I will do anything to get it off my property.

https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/invasive-species/JapaneseKnotweedBCP.pdf

Couldn't find where I read italian rye decomposing helps control knotweed. But, this was interesting. They say to cut it with a weedwhacker, kills it, but doesn't cut it up. those little pieces make new ones. Makes sense. They say gly works and also mentioned injection which I read soemwhere too.

They do say to plant something to choke it out right after you get it under control. Fall rye may beat the knot weed in the spring.

I could imagine torching the root stem after you cut would help too, if you got one of those good sized propane torches.

Knotweed out of control: What’s a homeowner to do? - The River Reporter

Knotweed is more than a nuisance. It’s an epidemic in these parts. Dense stands of this noxious, invasive species crowd along roadsides and waterways, affecting ecosystems by pushing out native …

riverreporter.com

Oddly enough they mention vetch in the article too......

 

[PatinPA]

Couldn't find where I read italian rye decomposing helps control knotweed. But, this was interesting. They say to cut it with a weedwhacker, kills it, but doesn't cut it up. those little pieces make new ones. Makes sense. They say gly works and also mentioned injection which I read soemwhere too.

They do say to plant something to choke it out right after you get it under control. Fall rye may beat the knot weed in the spring.

I could imagine torching the root stem after you cut would help too, if you got one of those good sized propane torches.

Knotweed out of control: What’s a homeowner to do? - The River Reporter

Knotweed is more than a nuisance. It’s an epidemic in these parts. Dense stands of this noxious, invasive species crowd along roadsides and waterways, affecting ecosystems by pushing out native …

riverreporter.com

Oddly enough they mention vetch in the article too......

I have it at my house too. Weed whacking doesn't seem to spread it but it doesn't kill it either. It might not come back that year but it comes back the following year. I've tried spraying it with gly. Same results. Might kill off a stalk or two but it comes right back the next year. Haven't tried the rye. Mine is on a steep bank. Getting seed to stay there might be tough.