Food Plots Bang for the Buck

[CBU93]

Buck as in $$$

what's your suggestion for the best bang for the buck seed cost for fall plots? South west TN, it the greatest of soils, first year plots…

 

[Jcalder]

Wheat, rye, oats. Hard to beat any of those. Maybe mix in some Austrian peas. Clover. Brassicas and rape. But for strictly cheap and effective, rye and wheat

 

[megalomaniac]

While cereal grains are the cheapest and should be the foundation of any fall plot, it's worth it to spend just a few $$$ more per acre and add 5lbs per acre of clover, 3 to 5 lbs per acre of brassicas.

You can do all that for $35 to 40 per acre of seed.

IMO it's worth the extra $20 per acre to add the clover and brassicas to the $15 per acre of cereal grains.

 

[Popcorn]

Cereal Rye 70 lb acre
Balansa clover (Its an amazing cool season annual) 2 lb acre
Diakon Radish 3 lb
globe turnips 2 lb acre


Great bang value plus really good for your soils and if you dont spray / kill it it will give till hot weather

 

[BSK]

Wheat and crimson clover. Will grow anywhere.

For a little extra (and in a little better soils), add winter peas, turnips. A little more money, add buckwheat or cheap soybeans as a cover crop until the first freeze.

 

[Pioneer1789]

These guys are dead on. I like to do clover brassicas and oats mid August and overseed with rye in late September

 

[Bgoodman30]

I like Coop Horn madness. Mostly wheat, oats, triticale, crimson clover..

 

[muddyboots]

I've simplified. Coop has some stuff called top shot. Grows great. Deer love it. Economical.

 

[deerfever]

I've simplified. Coop has some stuff called top shot. Grows great. Deer love it. Economical.

My local coop had the 50 lb bag of top shot on sale yesterday for 25 dollars. I bought without hesitation , it looks like a good mix.

 

[Bgoodman30]

I've simplified. Coop has some stuff called top shot. Grows great. Deer love it. Economical.

Do you know what's in that mix?

 

[deerfever]

Do you know what's in that mix?

Wheat ,oats ,rye grass , crimson clover and Austrian winter peas. I walked out and looked at the bag I bought .

 

[BSK]

By far the cheapest per acre are the cereal grains: wheat, oats, cereal rye. A little crimson clover wouldn't hurt.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Wheat ,oats ,rye grass , crimson clover and Austrian winter peas. I walked out and looked at the bag I bought .

Why do they put rye grass in there? I'm assuming it's an annual rye grass. Or did you mean to say cereal rye?

 

[muddyboots]

Why do they put rye grass in there? I'm assuming it's an annual rye grass. Or did you mean to say cereal rye?

Wheat ,oats ,rye grass , crimson clover and Austrian winter peas. I walked out and looked at the bag I bought .

That doesn't match what I have. I'll look tonight but know what I bought does not have rye grass.

 

[deerfever]

It may be cereal rye ! I was looking with a phone flashlight out in my building. I will look again when I get home.

 

[megalomaniac]

prob rye grass in that mix... it grows like crazy, even in the bed of your truck. Terrible nutrition for deer, but for some reason they LOVE to eat it.

that's the main ingredient in everybody's 'grass patches' down here in south MS.

i planted it in October on a new plot I just finished in TN last year, and grew a TON of biomass to broadcast my summer plot into this past May.

it can become invasive, however.... notorious for reseeding itself

 

[muddyboots]

Sorry guys your wrong. No rye grass. 35 bucks an acre for seed.

 

[deerfever]

Rye grass would be correct! You have a different mix than me. I thought I was correct. Mine was 25 dollars for an acre

 

[BSK]

Manufacturers put rye grass in mixes because it will grow anywhere and hungry deer will hit the snot out of it when it first germinates. However, nutrient content is poor. I NEVER recommend any type of rye grass.

 

[muddyboots]

The bags I have say top notch. Yours say top shot.