Food plot question

[gobblesandgrunts]

I have a small plot of clover chicory mix. What could I spray to kill the weeds and leave the good stuff? Thanks


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[MickThompson]

Re: Food plot question

What weeds?


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[scn]

Re: Food plot question

The weeds may be the "good stuff" depending on what they are.

 

[TheLBLman]

Re: Food plot question

Many of the "weeds" are actually more "preferred" food sources than much of what we plant,
and often these weeds are higher in soluble protein.

Common Ragweed is one of the native plants deer will often prefer over clover.
Weeds that are "forbs", are highly desirable as food sources, even in your cultivated plots.
I typically find a variety of native forbs to be more "adaptive" (steadily providing attractiveness & deer food) than much of what we may plant.

Seriously, one of the most economical spring/summer "food plots" you can create is to simply mow an area, add lime, and let Mother Nature provide the most adapted forages. The one place this may not work well is when you start with a fescue pasture.
Fescue is the scourge of the earth, and now the predominant "grass" found in most hay pastures (and yards and roadsides).

What you generally don't want are grasses (particularly fescue).
Of course, johnsongrass is another horrible invasive grass.
Some exceptions, but speaking here mainly as a food source in a cultivated plot.

Did I mention that I hate fescue?

 

[gobblesandgrunts]

Re: Food plot question

Honestly I don't know the weeds, so I would be better off mowing it and adding lime instead of spraying and only having the chicory/clover?


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[MR Yote]

Re: Food plot question

By spraying Poast, Select, or Fusilade & adding a little sufactant you will take care if the grasses & leave the broadleaf stuff. Hope this helps good luck.

 

[Hunter 257W]

Re: Food plot question

Also Clethodime will kill the grass. You are facing the problem I've had repeatedly with Whitetal Institutes Alfa Rack which contains Chicory. Every time I've planted it I get a bunch of broad leaf weeds and end up spraying for them. Unfortunately anything that kills the broad leaf weeds also kill Chicory. About the best you can do is try to wipe out the grass and let a few broad-leaf weeds grow. As they said above, deer will eat a lot of them about as well as what we plant for them. I've been amazed at how much browsing I see on some weeds around the farm.

 

[gobblesandgrunts]

Re: Food plot question

Ok thanks for the input guys


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[BigAl]

Re: Food plot question

Would love to learn the best way to get rid of fescue. Or at least that's what I think covers most of my 5 acres.

 

[MickThompson]

Re: Food plot question

Would love to learn the best way to get rid of fescue. Or at least that's what I think covers most of my 5 acres.

If it's not in plots right now, or they're too far gone, 2 qt of glyphosate/acre in the fall will do it.


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[TheLBLman]

Re: Food plot question

Would love to learn the best way to get rid of fescue. Or at least that's what I think covers most of my 5 acres.

If it's not in plots right now, or they're too far gone, 2 qt of glyphosate/acre in the fall will do it.

More like a quarterly treatment is needed,
and you must kill everything that grows for at least a year
to totally get rid of fescue.

Then, since fescue is so widespread, birds will bring back in fescue seed,
and it will start coming back in the future.
To me, fescue is worse than johnsongrass.

 

[BigAl]

Re: Food plot question

Thanks, Guys. I guess I'm going to have to live with it.

 

[spoon]

Re: Food plot question

There is a lot of roundup resistant fescue out there. I would do a dicamba/roundup burn down this fall and start over

 

[hard county]

Re: Food plot question

Mowing and 0 20 20 are the two best weed fighters for clover I know of. Ive used a lot of the selective herbicides but a real healthy stand of clover shouldn't need any of it. Reasons I can think clover wouldn't be out competing weeds would be either poor density, poor location(clover does like wet soil and evening shade), poor nutrition, or not enough mowing. Id start with a soil test and go from there. As others said, starting from scratch may be your best bet.

 

[hard county]

Re: Food plot question

For mowing resistant grass type weeds sethoxydim.

 

[mattmillard510]

Re: Food plot question

What I generally do is plant my clover/chicory mix year 1 and then year 2 I will spray it with 2,4D-B or Butyrac. It kills broadleaf weeds but doesn't harm legumes (clover). Your clover needs to be established to do this, so basically it needs to be full size. Local Co-Op will have 2,4D-B but it will most likely be a large quantity. For a small plot, whitetail institute has their "Slay" product that does the same thing. It's around $40 for one acre.

Now, I've also just sprayed it with roundup. Clover is very resistant and hard to kill. Generally, it will burn the clover for up to a couple weeks but it bounces back quickly after that. I just did it today in fact. I had some BAD broadleaf weeds. I'm done with Chicory completely.


I promise there's some clover under there somewhere

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[ROVERBOY]

Re: Food plot question

I agree on native stuff. A friend of mine said he talked to a biologist and he told him that the native grasses are great for deer. He said mow and fertilize or lime.