?? For you food plot experts

[buckmoss1]

We planted food plots roughly a month ago. The mixture is what deerchaser007 and BSK recommend (wheat, rape, clovers). It looks like they did not germinate well with the lack of rain. There is ok growth on the shady edges. I guess it is from the dew staying on longer in the shade.

Will the seed that did not germinate initally do so now with all the soaking rain?

Do you suggest broadcasting more seed in bare/thin spots or is it too late to get good growth? If yes, what to sow?

 

[TAS]

If you haven't had turkeys eating all the Oats and Wheat seed you should be OK. Mine sat for about the same amount of time and since the rain a week ago its coming up fine. I planted about the same mix but with AWP also. Give it a couple days and check it out.

 

[Quailman]

Buckmoss,
yes, the seed that did not germinate will begin to do so with the recent rains. I had the exact situation with one of my plots. It is beginning to "green-up" right now.

I did, however, overseed my plots last week with 25-30 lbs. of winter wheat per acre just prior to these rains. I wanted to compensate for seed lost to turkeys, birds, etc.

 

[deerchaser007]

It all depends buckmoss1. If you had the same problem i did,. you will need to overseed. I was picking up those 1/4 to 1/2 inch rains and it germinated my seed. After germination,. the heat and dry weather would burn it up. You could see the oats and wheat on the ground germinated out of the seed about 1 inch tall ,.. and it was brown and burnt. Same with the rape. SO,.. if you had similar problem,.. you should overseed with DER or wheat or oats before the next rain. As long as its not forecasted frost,. they will grow.

I've overseeded with 50 lbs of oats twice since i planted in mid september. And same as you,.. the shady spots look great. They hold moisture longer,. but the sunny spots burn up. I'm hoping this rain the past few days will do it for me!!

 

[BSK]

Good points Quailman and deerchaser007.

 

[buckmoss1]

I checked out the plots over the weekend and there is new growth.
You guys were correct in the seed would grow even a month later.

here is a pic of one of the three food plots. It is about 200 yards long and at the end turns left and goes about 50 yds. It is "L" shaped. The photo is taken from a ladder stand my daughter and I hunted out of Saturday on the juvi. We were there morning and evening and did not see a deer. There were a few deer tracks in the plot but not like would be expected.