Food Plots **UPDATE**Holy mackerel! Not planting cereal rye this year!!!

[megalomaniac]

Montgomery county coop can get balansa. This year seems high! $117.65 a bag, Crimson at $85 a bag.

I have used it by itself and in a blend. It is simply amazing stuff. The tonnage is crazy. Search on here for posts and see the pictures I posted and comments from mega.
When planting in a blend I would not exceed 1 pound per acre or it will overwhelm everything next spring.

You are the man when it comes to food plots Popcorn!... but I really do think Balansa at 3lbs per acre is the way to go... YES, it takes over EVERYTHING by late March/ April the following spring... but I'm of the opinion that's not a bad thing... everything else in my fall blend is either eaten out or has frozen out (or is unpalatable... such as maturing wheat or rye)... but the Balansa clover is still feeding deer like crazy when all else is gone....

And Balansa clover at 3lbs per acre in micro plots is the BOMB! My small kill plot from last fall is still carpet thick with the stuff as it has never gotten a chance to flower/ mature (because the deer keep it mowed to 3in or less). We bushhogged the few taller weeds ( mostly marestail) a couple weeks ago, but the clover has provided quite a bit of weed suppression this entire summer (but granted, we've had good moisture all summer except for late May/ early June).

As an aside... I added it to one of my plots 2y ago on my lease on south MSas an experiment... it didn't do nearly as well as my farms in TN, and was outcompeted by the crimson clover the following spring. Not sure if it was the sandy soils or acidic soils down here. But it performed nothing like what I get on my TN farms.

 

[megalomaniac]

Speaking of cost and availability.... buddy of mine found 2.5 gallon jug of glysophate in Ashland City TSC...and with tax it was $148 out the door....unreal.

Crap is $170 for 2.5g here in south MS... glad I stocked up last fall.... but I'm dreading what it is going to be next spring as I will be out.

 

[MickThompson]

Good to know - thanks! Now I need inoculate

The new fields last year I threw crimson clover on did nothing. I blamed it on the army worms, which was the other half of the problem. Our existing fields did about as well as they have ever done in regards to crimson clover.

Here's a cheat- throw some coated in with the raw seed to inoculate the field

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Here's a cheat- throw some coated in with the raw seed to inoculate the field

Noted for the future!!!!!

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Here's a cheat- throw some coated in with the raw seed to inoculate the field

I've been planting food plots for 25 years….makes perfect sense. I need to go bang my head on a brick wall now

 

[BSK]

Visited with the family that runs Hogan Seed in Springfield TN. They are very interested in getting more into food plot seed. And they had some Balansa clover seed in stock. No idea on price.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

My cereal rye should be in this week. Ordered it through the Waverly co-op seed guy last week. Really hope rain is in order around Labor Day weekend - not only do we typically try to plant that weekend, that is especially true this year due to schedules.

Over the weekend, we hooked the tiller up and tilled up 5 hidey-hole plots and sowed all the leftover seed from last year. A mixture of wheat, rape, radishes and crimson clover. Got 1/2" of rain the day before and another 1/2" the day after. Should be perfect.

 

[BSK]

Over the weekend, we hooked the tiller up and tilled up 5 hidey-hole plots and sowed all the leftover seed from last year. A mixture of wheat, rape, radishes and crimson clover. Got 1/2" of rain the day before and another 1/2" the day after. Should be perfect.

We were moving stands in all that rain.

Not a lot of fun.

Glad to have the rain though. We still need it badly.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

We were moving stands in all that rain.

Not a lot of fun.

Glad to have the rain though. We still need it badly.

We did the same. I put up 5 lock-ons in the rain. Felt great. There was one I got the steps up and was fixing to pull the stand up when thunder cracked loud right above my head. NOPE, I got down and will hang Labor Day weekend. I don't mess with thunder and lightning. Especially 25' up in a tree. Still have about 15 more stands to check and about 5 to put up.

 

[BSK]

We did the same. I put up 5 lock-ons in the rain. Felt great. There was one I got the steps up and was fixing to pull the stand up when thunder cracked loud right above my head. NOPE, I got down and will hang Labor Day weekend. I don't mess with thunder and lightning. Especially 25' up in a tree. Still have about 15 more stands to check and about 5 to put up.

We had to come in several times. Being up on a metal ladder in a lightning storm is not a good idea.

But it was easy to come up with the name for one of the new stand locations. It's going to be called "Downpour."

 

[DoubleRidge]

My cereal rye should be in this week. Ordered it through the Waverly co-op seed guy last week. Really hope rain is in order around Labor Day weekend - not only do we typically try to plant that weekend, that is especially true this year due to schedules.

Over the weekend, we hooked the tiller up and tilled up 5 hidey-hole plots and sowed all the leftover seed from last year. A mixture of wheat, rape, radishes and crimson clover. Got 1/2" of rain the day before and another 1/2" the day after. Should be perfect.

Same for us...our cereal rye could possibly be in tomorrow...supposed to call in the morning and find out.....worked over the weekend on several smaller barasica plots... so hoping the rye comes in tomorrow so we can get going on the larger plots in the next couple weeks....in the forecast seeing some rain showing up next week.... hoping we continue to get these scattered periods of rain.

 

[DoubleRidge]

My cereal rye should be in this week. Ordered it through the Waverly co-op seed guy last week. Really hope rain is in order around Labor Day weekend - not only do we typically try to plant that weekend, that is especially true this year due to schedules.

Over the weekend, we hooked the tiller up and tilled up 5 hidey-hole plots and sowed all the leftover seed from last year. A mixture of wheat, rape, radishes and crimson clover. Got 1/2" of rain the day before and another 1/2" the day after. Should be perfect.

Our cereal rye was not delivered today as hoped....they said they get a truck on Tuesday and Friday.....so hopefully it arrives Friday....we'll see.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Fascinating dude. He sure loves seed! They also carry many varieties of Native Warm-Season Grasses and even wildflower seed.

BSK...you mentioned Hogan having wildflower seeds....I actually have one section of bank on my driveway that is complicated to maintain...(super long driveway)....for several years I sprayed the bank but had to stop due to erosion concerns... today it's grown up into briar, poke weed and various grasses....I've nicknamed it my "habitat management area" of the driveway...and my wife just loves it when I start talking about and explaining early successional plant communities along with all the benefits
Anyway...I've considered clearing this bank off...to the dirt...and sowing wildflower seeds....as much as I can see the beauty in the natural vegetation. I know my wife, the birds and the pollinators would appreciate the wildflowers more....wouldn't be a cheap project...but one of like to try someday. (If memory is correct wildflower seeds can get expensive in large quantities).

 

[wildlifefarmer]

DR you said—- I know my wife, the birds and the pollinators would appreciate the wildflowers more....wouldn't be a cheap project...but one of like to try someday. (If memory is correct wildflower seeds can get expensive in large quantities).



I've planted a pollinator field (NCRS). The mixes they approve are anywhere between $500 to 750 per acre for native plants. I'm just waiting on the 2nd year growth spurt. We'll see this next year. So far, I've had pretty good luck with just spraying "crossbow " to get rid of the briars and woody stems. I'm not a plant expert but it appears to be working

 

[DoubleRidge]

DR you said—- I know my wife, the birds and the pollinators would appreciate the wildflowers more....wouldn't be a cheap project...but one of like to try someday. (If memory is correct wildflower seeds can get expensive in large quantities).



I've planted a pollinator field (NCRS). The mixes they approve are anywhere between $500 to 750 per acre for native plants. I'm just waiting on the 2nd year growth spurt. We'll see this next year. So far, I've had pretty good luck with just spraying "crossbow " to get rid of the briars and woody stems. I'm not a plant expert but it appears to be working

One of these days I'd like to try it...and while those prices per acre are pricey...the area I'd like to do someday is long but narrow so it wouldn't be too bad..... appreciate the info. Thanks.

 

[BSK]

DR you said—- I know my wife, the birds and the pollinators would appreciate the wildflowers more....wouldn't be a cheap project...but one of like to try someday. (If memory is correct wildflower seeds can get expensive in large quantities).



I've planted a pollinator field (NCRS). The mixes they approve are anywhere between $500 to 750 per acre for native plants. I'm just waiting on the 2nd year growth spurt. We'll see this next year. So far, I've had pretty good luck with just spraying "crossbow " to get rid of the briars and woody stems. I'm not a plant expert but it appears to be working

I had been planting a 0.1 acre strip along my driveway as sort of a "test" food plot. But since deer don't use it much, I'm leaning towards turning into a wildflower patch. That would look nice near our cabin. I haven't priced the wildflower seed yet.

Just out of curiosity, are wildflowers planted in spring or fall?

 

[wildlifefarmer]

We planted ours late fall however you can plant them in the spring. We figured we would get a jump on the next growing season. Some of the seeds needed to be out over winter. They are supposed to leap the 2nd growing season so we'll see.

 

[MickThompson]

I had been planting a 0.1 acre strip along my driveway as sort of a "test" food plot. But since deer don't use it much, I'm leaning towards turning into a wildflower patch. That would look nice near our cabin. I haven't priced the wildflower seed yet.

Just out of curiosity, are wildflowers planted in spring or fall?

For a spot like that I'd kill it and keep it dead all summer, sow crimson clover in the fall, and sow wildflowers in February or March. Some of them have high dormancy. Topsow everything, no tillage.

 

[BSK]

For a spot like that I'd kill it and keep it dead all summer, sow crimson clover in the fall, and sow wildflowers in February or March. Some of them have high dormancy. Topsow everything, no tillage.

Thanks much Mick.

 

[MickThompson]

Thanks much Mick.

And no grass in the mix so you can nail that first year crabgrass with clethodim