Food Plot Basics II

One of the fastest growing activities among deer hunters and managers is the planting of food plots to provide whitetail deer with high quality forage to supplement their natural diets. In last week's article I covered the basics on locating a food plot and site preparation. Although these two factors are often not given much consideration when planting a food plot, they are perhaps more important than what you plant. This week I will cover what to plant, planting, and maintenance.

There are a variety of different food plot seed mixes on the market. All have their merits. When planting a food plot, you need to decide what's going to give you the most bang for your buck. Some seed mixes are annuals and need to be replanted every year. Other mixes are perennials and may not need to be replanted for 5 years.

If you had limited space and could only plant one crop, your best choice would be a blend of perennial clovers. Out of the choices available, clover will produce the best forage for the longest period of time. From green up in April through December, sometimes later, clover fields are heavily utilized by whitetails and provide considerable high protein forage.

To add diversity to a clover plot, different varieties of red and white clovers should be planted. Chicory and birdsfoot trefoil are also good seed choices to add to a food plot. All of these plants grow well together and while some cultivars may be stressed by heat or drought, others pick up the slack during those times of year. Numerous commercial clover mixes are available and usually one is more or less as good as another.

Clover's downfall is that its forage value diminishes considerably over the winter. If you have space for planting other crops in addition clover, you should plant something that will provide forage during this time period. Some good choices are winter wheat or rye, which remains lush and green all winter long, and members of the brassicas genus, such as turnips, rape, and kale, which also provide quality forage during winter months.

Both types of crop are heavily utilized during winter months and are quite easy to establish. They should both be planted in August in order to provide winter forage, although rye or winter wheat could be planted later in September. Both can also be established with minimal work. Simply spraying to kill existing vegetation and then broadcasting seed on the ground will provide a fair amount of forage. However, disking and additional site prep will greatly improve yields.

There are multitudes of other possible plantings such as buckwheat, peas, corn, other grains, and the list goes on and on. All have their merits. However, by planting clover and then winter wheat or rye and brassicas, you will be providing forage all year round.

In an ideal situation you will be able to plow, disk, and cultipack fields to prepare a good seedbed prior to planting. However, due to lack of equipment and remote locations, this is often not plausible. Fortunately, for many crops good results can be had by spraying with roundup, and then disking and broadcasting seed. Some crops such as brassicas grow fairly well by spraying and then broadcasting the seed with out doing any tillage.

Follow the planting directions on the seed pack. Some types will require more work and care than others. The packet will tell you if you can simply broadcast the seed on the ground or if a grain drill is necessary, etc.

One of the most effective ways to plant in this manner is to frost seed. Frost seeding involves seeding a plot in March or early April and then allowing the frost action to work the seed into the ground. This is an excellent way to plant clover plots assuming that the soil has not been compacted by heavy machinery. Simply spray and lime the area to be planted the year before and then seed the next spring. You'll be amazed at how well it grows.

Frost seeding is also a great way to add chicory or another variety of clover to an existing clover plot. Frost seeding clover in this manner also extends the life of a food plot adding productivity and extending the amount of time between replanting.

Remember, lime should be added well in advance of the planting. Fertilizer at soil test recommended rates should be added at the time the seed is planted.

Maintenance is also an important consideration after planting food plots. Without any care plots can be over run by undesirable species, especially grasses. Food plots should be mowed at least twice a year to ensure that weeds don't go into seed. Additionally, grass or broadleaf selective herbicides may be necessary to keep undesirables under control.

This type of maintenance is necessary to extend the productivity of your plantings. Otherwise with in a year or two after planting the plot will not be producing much forage.

Food plots can be a lot of work, but the benefits far outweigh any sweat involved in the labor establishing them. If you are truly interested in planting some forage for deer and other wildlife, the best advice I can offer is to talk with someone who has experience.

Also, on Saturday April 8 the Bucktail Branch of QDMA will be hosting a habitat field day in the Shinglehouse area. The event will draw a number of food plot experts as speakers and will also draw local vendors. Equipment demonstrations and expert speakers will be featured all day long. If you're a novice just starting to dabble with food plots or an expert, I would recommend attending this event. For more information, contact Jerry Crosby at 4861177.