Milo

[cane cutter]

Are deer attracted to grain sorghum? Haven't seen any planted around here for years. We used to mix some with seed corn to chop for silage.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Yes.

 

[BSK]

Yes, but primarily only when the seed head is mature. Think of it not as a summer crop, but as a fall/winter crop that is grown in summer, like corn.

 

[cane cutter]

Yes, but primarily only when the seed head is mature. Think of it not as a summer crop, but as a fall/winter crop that is grown in summer, like corn.

Don 't do food plots, am looking for something to plant for bird feeders. I usually plant some black oil sunflowers but they hardly ever mature between browsing deer and the finches and Redbirds pulling the immature seed out.

 

[BSK]

Don 't do food plots, am looking for something to plant for bird feeders. I usually plant some black oil sunflowers but they hardly ever mature between browsing deer and the finches and Redbirds pulling the immature seed out.

If you can get to the mature milo seed before the deer, it works great as bird seed. However, deer very much like eating it!

 

[tellico4x4]

Huge deer attractant in KS after seed heads mature as @BSK said

 

[Doskil]

Not really but they will eat it if nothing else is nearby

In my experience

 

[DoubleRidge]

Yes, as mentioned, deer will eat the seed heads on milo once its mature and another plant weve grown in a summer plot where we saw in increase in bird useage (dove and turkey anyway) was buckwheat. Once buckwheat goes to seed the dove and turkey were frequent visitors to the plots...my experience with sunflowers was the deer absolutely hammered them once they found them. Stripped them clean, nothing but a stalk left...I enjoy doing food plots for deer and turkey but I'm also a fan of anything habitat related that helps songbirds. Good luck on your project.

 

[rifle02]

I'll let you know! I just planted a small area in Milo right before this rain came in. Also planted lab Lab in the same area. Not sure if that's a good idea but it's done. Expanding on to a newly cleared place of traditionally poor soil. Hit it with pelletized lime four or five weeks ago and put some 6-12-12 on it when I planted.

 

[tellico4x4]

Lab Lab always does great for me, the Milo will give it something to climb

 

[BSK]

The only problem I've run into with Lab Lab is how slowly it grows at first. This tends to allow deer to wipe it out before it really puts on its mid-life growth spurt.

 

[MickThompson]

The only problem I've run into with Lab Lab is how slowly it grows at first. This tends to allow deer to wipe it out before it really puts on its mid-life growth spurt.

We tried it next to beans and cowpeas a while back and the deer laid off it and the peas in favor of beans early then obliterated it all going into fall. The early growth of the beans and higher preference probably shielded the lab lab

 

[BSK]

We tried it next to beans and cowpeas a while back and the deer laid off it and the peas in favor of beans early then obliterated it all going into fall. The early growth of the beans and higher preference probably shielded the lab lab

VERY interesting. Thanks for posting that Mick.

 

[MickThompson]

VERY interesting. Thanks for posting that Mick.

Not interesting enough for us to do lab lab again though

 

[JCDEERMAN]

They do love the seed heads at maturity. Ours is about 6" tall right now. We have it blended with corn.

 

[BSK]

Not interesting enough for us to do lab lab again though

HA!

I've had some experiments like that!

 

[MickThompson]

HA!

I've had some experiments like that!

Not really different enough from cowpeas to be worth the extra cost and hassle to find

 

[BSK]

Not really different enough from cowpeas to be worth the extra cost and hassle to find

Kind of like my experiment growing Sunn Hemp in new plots. Did it work? Oh yes, it grew huge and produced a ton of green manure for the soil. But all of the hemp fibers also meant I couldn't till the ground for the next 5 years!