Natural Food Plots?

[Ahuntin1]

Anybody have any luck with food plots using the natural seed bank? I have a small piece of property with about 1-2 acres of fields that could be turned into food plots. The soil is very fertile. I also have limited access by boat only. I am thinking about burning/cutting down the fields. My question is do I till or just fertilize soil? Or should I try to also plant some seeds to augment the natural seed bank?

 

[Football Hunter]

If I did that,it would go crazy with Johnson grass,I have to work hard to keep it at bay.Boat only leaves out any tractor type stuff.Hmmmm maybe pm Quailman,he might have some ideas.

 

[BigGameGuy]

Anybody have any luck with food plots using the natural seed bank?

As long as it's not choked with an invasive species that's about the best habitat you can possibly create. The natural forage and cover will do more for native wildlife than any food plot.

 

[BowGuy84]

As I am getting my plots expanded I am working on feathering edges so that natural browse gets fertilized and limed with rest of the plot. I'd love to have 15 feet of 3 foot cover leading up to plots in October!

 

[Ahuntin1]

One of the two fields has been cut in the past 5 years, but looks just like a sage grass field. The other field is almost lost. There is a good bit of saplings and poison ivy shoots.

 

[Football Hunter]

One of the two fields has been cut in the past 5 years, but looks just like a sage grass field. The other field is almost lost. There is a good bit of saplings and poison ivy shoots.

Sounds like a good thicket.and I beleive deer will eat poison ivy.Maybe you could spray it out,Gly,and try something else.Dont know what to do about saplings w/o bush hog.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

You could think about killing everything with a non selective herbicide in a hand sprayer and then planting some fruit trees. Hack the saplings down and treat them too. Maintain it every year with spray while your trees fill in. Be alot of work since you apparently cant get wheeled equipment but could make a honey hole eventually. Just another idea.

 

[BSK]

Anybody have any luck with food plots using the natural seed bank?

As long as it's not choked with an invasive species that's about the best habitat you can possibly create. The natural forage and cover will do more for native wildlife than any food plot.

For years I just left my winter plots go to weeds in the summer. Weeds are about the best summer food you can have for deer. Many varieties are highly digestible and high in protein.

Now the trick will be turning the soil. Breaking ground is essential for promoting broadleaf weeds over grasses.

Look at soil pH first, then worry about fertilizer.

 

[MickThompson]

Most of a deer's diet is weeds, even when "designer" plants are available. Native plants are often just as nutritious, and can fill needs that a single planting can't. It can be tricky to select for preferred weeds, but I would recommend burning the area if you can. This will keep trees which are usually less preferred from taking over. It will also stimulate the seedbank, and often, species that weren't present before burning will establish. I like to think about old-field management as the opposite of food-plotting. In food plots, we manage for one or two plants. In an old-field setting, you want to manage for a diversity of plant species (mainly forbs), and control only the most problematic ones (johnsongrass, fescue, etc.)

 

[deerchaser007]

I am seriously thinking about going all natural in every plot. I have the tractor,bush hog and disc,. and the sprayer to control the grass competition over preferred broadleaf weeds. The more i think about it,.. the more i like the idea of just letting mother nature do her thing,.. with alittle help by me when needed!!
Besides,.. food plotting getting expensive!!

 

[BSK]

Besides,.. food plotting getting expensive!!

Yes it does.

The most productive ground on my property isn't my food plots, it's the two high-tension powerline right-of-ways that run across the property. Even during the brutal drought summer of '07, natural weeds in the right-of-ways were in great shape and the deer wore them out.

 

[Jarred525]

I am seriously thinking about going all natural in every plot. I have the tractor,bush hog and disc,. and the sprayer to control the grass competition over preferred broadleaf weeds. The more i think about it,.. the more i like the idea of just letting mother nature do her thing,.. with alittle help by me when needed!!
Besides,.. food plotting getting expensive!!

I have begun converting a lot of my small plots into tree plots. A little investment up front and will take a few years to see results but low maintenance and low cost down the road.

 

[Football Hunter]

Besides,.. food plotting getting expensive!!

Yes it does.

The most productive ground on my property isn't my food plots, it's the two high-tension powerline right-of-ways that run across the property. Even during the brutal drought summer of '07, natural weeds in the right-of-ways were in great shape and the deer wore them out.

yeah,but working on plots is fun,at least to me,but Id take a field full of poke weed

 

[BSK]

Besides,.. food plotting getting expensive!!

Yes it does.

The most productive ground on my property isn't my food plots, it's the two high-tension powerline right-of-ways that run across the property. Even during the brutal drought summer of '07, natural weeds in the right-of-ways were in great shape and the deer wore them out.

yeah,but working on plots is fun,at least to me,but Id take a field full of poke weed

Food plot work is definitely NOT fun for me! What a chore...

 

[jmb4wd]

Besides,.. food plotting getting expensive!!

Yes it does.

The most productive ground on my property isn't my food plots, it's the two high-tension powerline right-of-ways that run across the property. Even during the brutal drought summer of '07, natural weeds in the right-of-ways were in great shape and the deer wore them out.

yeah,but working on plots is fun,at least to me,but Id take a field full of poke weed

Food plot work is definitely NOT fun for me! What a chore...

Well then, just leave it for me to do it! ha ha

 

[jmb4wd]

Besides,.. food plotting getting expensive!!

Yes it does.

The most productive ground on my property isn't my food plots, it's the two high-tension powerline right-of-ways that run across the property. Even during the brutal drought summer of '07, natural weeds in the right-of-ways were in great shape and the deer wore them out.

yeah,but working on plots is fun,at least to me,but Id take a field full of poke weed

You might be on to something there, its a wonder the big food plot seed people havent caught on. Biologic Poke Weed, $100 for 25lb bag!! lol

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I let one field go to native forage over this past year. Had quite an array of different "weeds" in it. Elderberry and poke probably being the most utilized. Still not quite the traffic in it though like my other plots or like when I had it in food plot forages. Pretty decent traffic though.

 

[BSK]

I let one field go to native forage over this past year. Had quite an array of different "weeds" in it. Elderberry and poke probably being the most utilized. Still not quite the traffic in it though like my other plots or like when I had it in food plot forages. Pretty decent traffic though.

That sounds right.

 

[BSK]

...its a wonder the big food plot seed people havent caught on. Biologic Poke Weed, $100 for 25lb bag!! lol

Wouldn't surprise me. I know of several companies that looked into bundleflower and ragweed seed. I'm shocked no one has tried to bag honeysuckle!

 

[FLIPPER]

Anybody have any luck with food plots using the natural seed bank?

As long as it's not choked with an invasive species that's about the best habitat you can possibly create. The natural forage and cover will do more for native wildlife than any food plot.

For years I just left my winter plots go to weeds in the summer. Weeds are about the best summer food you can have for deer. Many varieties are highly digestible and high in protein.

Now the trick will be turning the soil. Breaking ground is essential for promoting broadleaf weeds over grasses.

Look at soil pH first, then worry about fertilizer.

I still let mine and probably have more deer traffic in the summer than winter.

 

[Football Hunter]

If I let mine go,they would just go to grasses

 

[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

I'll take a good soybean plot over about anything.

 

[deerchaser007]

If I let mine go,they would just go to grasses

Its not really letting them go. It is still work.To do it right,.. you would still disc to bring up the natural seed bed on a yearly basis, and spray early to control the grasses to encourage more broadleaf weeds.With this process,.. i can probably have a good stand of brambles,poke and ragweed with other good broadleaf weeds.
I still have not really made up my mind,.. but i know one of my plots is going all natural with some added oak and fruit trees this year sometime. I will mainly bush hog this plot only to promote natural selection.

 

[Football Hunter]

Problem with my place 007,is,there is 100 acres or so of field s near me,that is mostly Johnson Grass,I sprayed 3 times last year with a grass selective herbicide,still a fight.I think birds just keep moving it to me as they do their thing :) And for some reason,I really hate JGrass,cant stand to see it,and Jap Grass,and nut sedge :)

 

[MickThompson]

Football hunter, the problem with JG is its rhizomes. It has an extensive below-ground system of stems. It takes a very healthy dose of herbicide to kill it. Often you'll topkill it and it will resprout from the rhizomes. It's mandatory to control it before you disk, because if you don't, the rhizomes get chopped into pieces and planted all across the field. Now a JG problem in one corner is everywhere.

Have you tried Journey? It is a mix of glyphosate (round up) and imazapic (plateau) commonly used to control exotic grasses for establishment of NWSG. It leaves desirable forbs relatively unharmed at a low rate. The label calls for 21 - 32 oz./ac for JG 18 - 24 inches tall. However, that rate will hurt your forbs because of the gly content. You might could spray a little earlier while the JG is smaller and get away with a lighter rate.

Oh, and imazapic is soil-active, so it may provide some extended control.

 

[Football Hunter]

Might have to try that Mick,thanks

 

[BSK]

GREAT information Mick.

 

[deerchaser007]

Problem with my place 007,is,there is 100 acres or so of field s near me,that is mostly Johnson Grass,I sprayed 3 times last year with a grass selective herbicide,still a fight.I think birds just keep moving it to me as they do their thing :) And for some reason,I really hate JGrass,cant stand to see it,and Jap Grass,and nut sedge :)

You got that right buddy,.. jap grass is my biggest enemy. That stuff is a fight!!