What do you like to plant in a food plots first year?

[wiscwhip]

Here is what i like to do. Lime first. Buckwheat in the summer. Let it go to seed. Being a first year plot, some weeds and grass will likely show back up. Spray the mature buckwheat and other junk with gly. Broadcast winter rye and red clover. Lightly drag or roll. Results will be a weed free rye and clover plot with some free buckwheat sprouts for the fall with a large amount of organic material covering the soil surface.

We did exactly this on our place, except it wasn't only for first year plots, it was a staple planting on our crappy soil. We threw in stuff other than red clover much of the time, as this was like our "go to" for experimenting with other types of less common seed like crimson clover, vetch, small burnett, birdsfoot trefoil, etc. We knew the BW and rye would do fine and feed deer, so the "other" seed was put down with the rye to test the results of new plantings. Many times we would mow down the BW instead of roll it, otherwise very similar to what bueller stated above.

 

[MoLandOwner]

There is a reason there is no cash crop farming nearby and the ones that do loose a lot of it due to flooding. Lots of hay fields by us. Luckily I'm just trying to feed deer.

And you are going to change that same outcome how?

 

[BJE80]

And you are going to change that same outcome how?

Deal with it. Play the cards In my hand. The same as I'm doing now.


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[MoLandOwner]

Then I would concentrate on Med Red Clover, Alsike and Ladino

 

[buckvelvet]

Then I would concentrate on Med Red Clover, Alsike and Ladino

Mo said it, not me, LOL! :)

 

[MoLandOwner]

Mo said it, not me, LOL! :)

If it is real wet, it may be the only thing that will grow!:eek:

 

[buckvelvet]

Yep unless we're going with they like rice paddies. :)

 

[BJE80]

If it is real wet, it may be the only thing that will grow!:eek:

I'm having no problem fall plotting. It has been nothing but success. On the other hand like I said, the combination of the soils and being far up north where it takes awhile for the snow to melt and things dry out my spring plots have not faired so well.

Luckily I hunt deer in the fall and not in the spring so its not a big deal. ;)

It just isn't the sexy well drained farm land you have.

What I am doing is over seeding things with WR and then it comes up in spring already established so I at least have something growing there. Then I terminate the rye in the summer for whatever I am going to plan in fall the next year.



This was last years rye this past summer using the method above. You can see the areas that had water standing too long. This plot does not get a lot of sunlight so I'm hoping once my plots get opened up to a larger area they will dry out faster. Also looking to have them sloped when they are dozed to help.

So as you can see it is not the end of the world. It is just playing the cards I'm dealt.

 

[BJE80]

Once your plots get opened up, it will help them dry out more quickly. With all that shade, snow lingers a longggggg time in the woods I bet.

I'd be messing around with deep rooted plants to see if you could loosen up that clay and/or possibly dry out the water table a bit. Zero idea if it would work, but I'd still be trying it.

I'm running tillage radish as much as possible. But it really doesn't help my drainage much. Its still high water table. Nowhere down for it to go. You dig a hole in spring and it fills with water. Good times!

 

[wiscwhip]

It doesn't get a whole lot better than rye in that department, unless you could get some alfalfa to grow with a snorkel?

 

[wiscwhip]

If you ever decided to take up dove hunting, jap millet would grow like a weed on that soil.

 

[Terrific_tom]

I'm running tillage radish as much as possible. But it really doesn't help my drainage much. Its still high water table. Nowhere down for it to go. You dig a hole in spring and it fills with water. Good times!

What would happen if you would cut a drainage ditch around the new food plots ?

 

[BJE80]

Well...if you've experimented without success I'd likely "punt"...lime the plots to get them into the mid-upper 6's and plant the heck out of various clovers. Alternate some WR and brassicas....call it a day

I'm not 100% giving up. If I find a year where we have an early spring and I can get those plots to drain better to a ditch by crowing them AND they are opened up for sunlight I might have a fighting chance. Won't know till until I do. all I know is I've tried easy growing oats and it failed both times.

To me the spring plots are really minor. More work for nothing. Just overseed with WR in fall and I have nothing to do until next summer until its time to spray.

 

[BJE80]

What would happen if you would cut a drainage ditch around the new food plots ?

That is what I am trying to describe. That is how we build all of the trails around here. You need it to be ditched and crowned.

 

[Terrific_tom]

Brad sometime you have to take Hwy 64 east toward Pound. There is an area that they call the Muck farms. Low areas that are farmed with some really great results. They might be able to give you some tips on growing in wet conditions.

 

[BJE80]

When it comes to fall planting in July stuff looks really nice by me. Its workable soil. Just has limitations.

 

[BJE80]

Perfect for planting brassicas Brad. Get it limed and I bet your brassicas will look amazing

They do. Already proved that. :cool:

 

[MoLandOwner]

Shade is your biggest enemy from what I can see. I would cut the trees 20' back from the edges of the plot.

 

[BJE80]

The logger will do that for me Mo. And 6.5 acres worth over 4 plots.

 

[MoLandOwner]

I will edit that statement after seeing the rest of your plots! Look good to me!