DeerMan66
Well-Known Member
Well its that time of year again. We have a few half acre food plots on power lines that we plow, cut and plant. When do you plant your fall food plots and what do you plant?
Fall Food Plots
- Thread starter DeerMan66
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BSK
Well-Known Member
I'm doing mine (8 total acres) in two shifts this year. That should reduce the chances of a total crop failure due to poor weather conditions. I would rather have to replant half the acreage than all the acreage. I've already started prepping the first group of plots. Mowed them yesterday. I'll give them a week to regrow above the thatch, then I'll spray gly, then wait another week for everything to die, and then start ground turning and planting. Once those plots have germinated and are up enough for deer to be feeding on them, I'll start prepping the other half of the plots.
Because my soils are VERY poor (predominantly chert rock), I limit what I plant to crops that can handle the poor conditions: Buckwheat (as a candy plant knowing it will die with the first frost); Austrian Winter Peas, Wheat, and Crimson Clover. Brassicas/turnips/radishes will grow in my soils, but deer don't seem that partial to them on my place (except mid-winter, when they will pound them).
Because my soils are VERY poor (predominantly chert rock), I limit what I plant to crops that can handle the poor conditions: Buckwheat (as a candy plant knowing it will die with the first frost); Austrian Winter Peas, Wheat, and Crimson Clover. Brassicas/turnips/radishes will grow in my soils, but deer don't seem that partial to them on my place (except mid-winter, when they will pound them).
How much total $$ do you spend on fall food plots BSK?
BSK
Well-Known Member
For seed, about $120/acre. Probably another $50-70 total for diesel for the tractor. But the big expense is lime and fertilizer. Going to find out what it's going to cost this year. A bet it's 3 to 5 times what I'm paying for the seed.
Was quoted $645T for 17-17-17 in fert buggy, didn't ask what it was by the bag. Gotta have 4T.
AT Hiker
Well-Known Member
We got brassicas, early season pea/bean mixture and some clovers in yesterday afternoon. Had a great soaking rain this morning. Fertilizer and wheat will go down as soon as it's dry enough.
I have this gut feeling it's going to be an epic year for fall plots. Not sure how the deer will feel about it as the acorns appear to be great but I don't care, I'm tired of planting and having a drought follow suite.
I have this gut feeling it's going to be an epic year for fall plots. Not sure how the deer will feel about it as the acorns appear to be great but I don't care, I'm tired of planting and having a drought follow suite.
I have corn already planted. Started spraying my green plots. Then I will bushog. Spread fertilize. Till. Sow oats, rye, and wheat. Then run cultipacker over it. I usually try to do mid September on the green plots to eliminate army worms.
BSK
Well-Known Member
The Army Worms are my greatest fear. They wiped out my rye plots in August last year. But I still prefer planting my fall plots in mid to late August.
I mowed last week and sprayed gly yesterday. Now its about having time and watching the weather to turn the ground and plant. Planting some clover, turnips, and whatever else I can find.
I always plant end of July. Where my property is it freezes sooner. So I've had to adjust planting dates for my brassicas. Then in September I'll go overseed oats and wheat to keep something fresh growing all season long.
I'm with u. I like planting them mid august but they seem to wipe them out alot these days
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
We do a wheat and oats mix that we drill in. Adding cereal rye in the mix this year to see if we see a difference between oats and rye. 15ish acres of that 7ish acres of clover that we also drill. We have tried a ton of different blends and for us this works the best we also have corn and beans on all of our farms except one that's all woods. We don't plant til around the end of September, and then when the crops are out we will spot drill other spots. We have tried turnips and radishes and have had no luck, but I know several people that have.
