Our acorn crop was decent for some reason.
Food Plots Planting in the spring
- Thread starter BigAl
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BSK
Well-Known Member
In most places from Nashville to the east had good to great acorn crops. Those areas weren't hit by the same drought West TN was. Heck, some areas of east TN had almost record rainfall this last summer. At my place in western Middle TN it only rained 5 times between early June and late October. Worst drought conditions I've ever seen.
We had the late drought, but through June was normal. I'm West, TN (Fayette) so not sure how we got acorns.
Forgot to ask, when you do frost seeding, do you do any ground prep? Tilling, etc?
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
We don't. We usually preplan. This coming year we are frost seeding a existing clover field that just got burned up with the drought and deer pressure. The other we have wheat planted and we will frost seed to add a new clover field. I know a lot of people like to work up new fields in the fall for clover but we have had good luck frost seeding and it doing very well. Plus with the fall weather we would have never had a chance to get it planted right this year.
BSK
Well-Known Member
In the past, we just let our food plots go fallow in summer. We had so few deer using the property in summer that the effort didn't seem worth it. Plus our ridge-top plots get so dry in summer, very little would grow. But now that were able to till the soil deep, we're getting better soil moisture retention through summer, and summer planting has peaked my interest. I went all-out last summer and all that effort was wasted due to the drought.
This year, I don't know what I'm going to do. I still want to try soybeans in a couple of my best soil plots. The rest of them, I would love to be able to keep in some type of low-maintenance food source. Unfortunately, our crimson clover blooms out in late May and then it's done. I don't know if just mowing would produce a second growth of crimson over the summer or not. I hesitate to frost seed any type of perennial clover into the plots because all plots will be turned under in fall to maximize fall plot growth. I hate to pay for perennial seed knowing it's going to be turned under in a couple months.
This year, I don't know what I'm going to do. I still want to try soybeans in a couple of my best soil plots. The rest of them, I would love to be able to keep in some type of low-maintenance food source. Unfortunately, our crimson clover blooms out in late May and then it's done. I don't know if just mowing would produce a second growth of crimson over the summer or not. I hesitate to frost seed any type of perennial clover into the plots because all plots will be turned under in fall to maximize fall plot growth. I hate to pay for perennial seed knowing it's going to be turned under in a couple months.
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No, but bare ground is the key which is usually not a problem in Jan/Feb.
Might consider Yucci Arrowleaf. It'll come on after your Crimson & last until July. Makes a lot of matter as well.
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BSK
Well-Known Member
I used to use Arrowleaf a great deal, but when planted in fall, it bloomed out and died about the 4th of July. I want something that will make it to at least mid-August. Although I have no idea what mowing it high might do - keep it from blooming out?
Not sure either as I never mow it until it's played out, as I have Landino under it.
BSK
Well-Known Member
I'm also going to try a plot or two in very thick pure stands of buckwheat. I know they will bloom out mid-summer, but I'm hoping a get some good natural reseeding. We shall see...
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
We are looking at buckwheat for a couple off our plots as well....two years ago we had good luck with it and the natural reseeding was a nice bonus....my only concern is last year it jumped to $83 per 50lb....so I'm hoping the price will return to something more normal....I've even thought about mixing cow peas in with buckwheat to sweeten the plot a little...but not so sweet that they mow it down...but buckwheat grows so thick and fast the peas may not have a chance? Still studying on a plan.
Anxious to see if any of the balansa clover I added to annual plots this past fall makes it or not. If so I'll just let it grow, if not I may consider buckwheat as well. Have had good luck with it in past years.
Afraid I have a lot of work to do on clover as well. Drought & intense deer pressure has really taken its toll on it
Afraid I have a lot of work to do on clover as well. Drought & intense deer pressure has really taken its toll on it
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
As poor as our spring/summer plots were (mixture of sunn hemp and buckwheat), we had quite a lot of reseeding of buckwheat. The poor things only got about 6" tall due to the drought, but most all had seed heads with seeds that looked like they just came out of the bag. Can't say much about re-sprouting, since they seeded out and we didn't have rain for 2.5 months with 100 degree temps. If I were a betting man, I'd say nature will correct itself next year and should have a fair/great growing season.
I have 75 lbs of buckwheat and 25 lbs of sunn hemp leftover from last year. I plan on disking and spreading these on micro foodplots and new logging roads from timber cuts last year that will eventually be fire breaks.
BSK
Well-Known Member
As much as I was blown away by the growth rate of Sunn Hemp, even in the midst of a severe drought, don't ever plan on tilling the ground Sunn Hemp grew in for a couple of years! Disking, yes. Rotary tilling, NO! I've got piles of Sunn Hemp fiber in my plots that are NEVER going to break down! And I don't even want to talk about the 5 hours I spent cutting the fibers out of my tiller with a hand saw...
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JCDEERMAN
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NotedAs much as I was blown away by the growth rate of Sunn Hemp, even in the midst of a severe drought, don't ever plan on tilling the ground Sunn Hemp grew in for a couple of years! Disking, yes. Rotary tilling, NO! I've got piles of Sunn Hemp fiber in my plots that are NEVER going to break down! And I don't even want to talk about the 5 hours I spent cutting the fibers out of my tiller with a hand saw...
Spring clover can be sowed (broadcast with fertilizer) in East TN around February farther west the earlier. If you can do it before a snow that's better. Crimson clover is what I sow for turkey but the deer hunters usually kill their feet in it in the fall. Tilling the ground would be better but not mandatory. In summer mowing and/or spraying with
Butyrac 200 Herbicide (24DB Herbicide) mixture effective.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Are you able to get Crimson Clover to grow all summer without it blooming out?
BSK
Well-Known Member
I'm going to experiment with a couple of plots fall-planted in Crimson and see if I can keep it growing all summer by mowing it constantly, starting in late April, before it blooms out. Don't know if that will work, but can't hurt to try.
