Food Plots *Updated* Buckwheat

[DoubleRidge]

Checked on a couple of plots today that we did in buckwheat.... earlier in the spring several on TNdeer shared their success with buckwheat , improving soil and adding organic material while providing deer a summer crop...so on these plots we used glysophate to terminate last year's fall planting which was oats, wheat, weeds, etc....then we sowed buckwheat heavy...then we were fortunate to get a couple of heavy rains which helped mat the thatch and pushed the seed to the soil....not an award winning food plot but pleased with the soil building opportunity and summer food source.....we will terminate the buckwheat and go in with a fall blend in late August or early September.

 

[Pioneer1789]

Looks like a good cover crop. I'm using the same method on a small plot with poor soil. Mine doesn't look as good as yours yet.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Looks like a good cover crop. I'm using the same method on a small plot with poor soil. Mine doesn't look as good as yours yet.

I checked on these plots around 10 days ago and wasn't overly impressed...but this past week they really jumped....good chance of rain tomorrow won't hurt either.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

That looks great! I've never planted buckwheat, but plan to. If soybeans ever fall through again like they did this year, buckwheat may be what we go with. Many benefits to deer, turkey, dove, soil. Thanks for the update.

 

[tellico4x4]

5-6 years ago we use to plant several plots in buckwheat each spring. Great soil builders for sure & usually got two crops out of them each summer as they'll reseed themselves. However deer use was very minimal on them. Got clover in those spots now.
I do intend to add some to my annual mix this fall as a cover crop as others do.

 

[Pioneer1789]

5-6 years ago we use to plant several plots in buckwheat each spring. Great soil builders for sure & usually got two crops out of them each summer as they'll reseed themselves. However deer use was very minimal on them. Got clover in those spots now.
I do intend to add some to my annual mix this fall as a cover crop as others do.

Never had much interest from deer on buckwheat. Turkey love it though. I use it primarily as a soil builder and cover crop. I'll spray mine in August and broadcast my fall crop into it.

 

[DoubleRidge]

5-6 years ago we use to plant several plots in buckwheat each spring. Great soil builders for sure & usually got two crops out of them each summer as they'll reseed themselves. However deer use was very minimal on them. Got clover in those spots now.
I do intend to add some to my annual mix this fall as a cover crop as others do.

Eventually we hope to have clover in these plots someday....for now the focus is on soil building.... actually the deer not hammering it is one of the appealing features.....tried beans last year and once they got knee high the deer hammered them and then the weeds came on and it was down hill from there....hoping the thatch from last year's fall crop plus this year's buckwheat will help shade out some weeds and hold moisture better.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Never had much interest from deer on buckwheat. Turkey love it though. I use it primarily as a soil builder and cover crop. I'll spray mine in August and broadcast my fall crop into it.

The turkey and dove are loving it no doubt.....we have the same plan to go in with a fall crop.....trying to keep something growing in the plots year round.

 

[tellico4x4]

Eventually we hope to have clover in these plots someday....for now the focus is on soil building.... actually the deer not hammering it is one of the appealing features.....tried beans last year and once they got knee high the deer hammered them and then the weeds came on and it was down hill from there....hoping the thatch from last year's fall crop plus this year's buckwheat will help shade out some weeds and hold moisture better.

Actually have 6 new spots that we dozed off but too late to plant anything. Will hit with rye this fall & buckwheat next year same as you.

 

[megalomaniac]

I think it looks great. Mostly because I don't see any weeds at all in the plot... so it's doing exactly what you want. You aren't really feeding the deer with small summer plots, rather just building soil and keeping the weeds off so you end up with better and cleaner fall plots.

 

[BSK]

Everyone's varying experience with buckwheat is why it's so important to experiment on your land and in individual plots. I've seen deer go after buckwheat like their life depended on it, ignoring all other plants. And then I've seen deer not touch it. Every area is different every plot has slightly different soil conditions.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Update on buckwheat plots. Goal was to build and improve soil...so to recap....we sprayed the remnants of last year's fall planting and sowed buckwheat heavy into the standing thatch....was fortunate to receive a couple of heavy rains which helped to mat the thatch down....I'm very pleased with the performance and appreciate the recommendation from several here on TN deer....our plan is to either spray the buckwheat and sow fall blend into it then run over it with cultipacker....or sow fall blend into it and mow.... not sure which method would be better? but I'm very impressed with the buckwheat's ability to shade out weeds....where the buckwheat is thick...there are no weeds....allot of nice material to add back into the soil.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Looks great! I'm strongly considering a late planting of buckwheat instead of soybeans next year in all of our fields.

 

[megalomaniac]

Great soibuilding summer plot!

Whether to spray or not will be determined by amount of weed competition... if you have very few weeds, id just broadcast or drill your fall blend into the standing buckwheat, then roll or crimp the buckwheat down on top.

If you have a lot of weeds mixed in, I'd spray to terminate everything,, then seed.

I'm actually getting more deer use this summer out of my plots than I expected... considering they are just 4 to 500yds away from a summer ag field of beans.

 

[rtaylor]

Update on buckwheat plots. Goal was to build and improve soil...so to recap....we sprayed the remnants of last year's fall planting and sowed buckwheat heavy into the standing thatch....was fortunate to receive a couple of heavy rains which helped to mat the thatch down....I'm very pleased with the performance and appreciate the recommendation from several here on TN deer....our plan is to either spray the buckwheat and sow fall blend into it then run over it with cultipacker....or sow fall blend into it and mow.... not sure which method would be better? but I'm very impressed with the buckwheat's ability to shade out weeds....where the buckwheat is thick...there are no weeds....allot of nice material to add back into the soil.

Doubleridge mine are coming to seed and have heard people will bush hog and let them regrow a second time before fall planting time. Do you have any intentions to try for a second round with the seeds on your buckwheat? This year is my first year growing it and I'm worried that it'll all be completely dead here in another 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Doubleridge mine are coming to seed and have heard people will bush hog and let them regrow a second time before fall planting time. Do you have any intentions to try for a second round with the seeds on your buckwheat? This year is my first year growing it and I'm worried that it'll all be completely dead here in another 2 or 3 weeks.

My first time with buckwheat as well...and ours is going to seed also....but we are going to sow fall blend directly into the standing buckwheat then either bush hog it....or spray it and maybe cultipack...we don't currently have a crimper...if we did I'd crimp it over top of the fall blend.....but as for any second crop of buckwheat that comes up along with the fall blend...I'm fine with it...ours has already gone far enough I don't believe there is much I can do about it....it's loaded with seed....we will continue to do buckwheat as a summer cover crop to build soil... especially on some of our ridge top plots....but some day I'd love to purchase (or build) a crimper to simplify the process.

 

[deerfever]

Doubleridge mine are coming to seed and have heard people will bush hog and let them regrow a second time before fall planting time. Do you have any intentions to try for a second round with the seeds on your buckwheat? This year is my first year growing it and I'm worried that it'll all be completely dead here in another 2 or 3 weeks.

I have mowed some of mine it's growing back already. I put mine out at different times due to clearing taking place on my property. I did it just to give the deer some new growth before fall planting. The stuff will pop right back up , especially with all the rain we have been getting. I think it's just a matter of what you want to do. The stuff grows with ease once you bush hog the seeds scatter all over.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I have mowed some of mine it's growing back already. I put mine out at different times due to clearing taking place on my property. I did it just to give the deer some new growth before fall planting. The stuff will pop right back up , especially with all the rain we have been getting. I think it's just a matter of what you want to do. The stuff grows with ease once you bush hog the seeds scatter all over.

Have you seen the reseeding buckwheat get to the point to where it competes and smothers out your fall crop? Or do you spray?

Seems to be a great competitor for weeds with a lot of reseeding going on. If soybeans fall through for next year, buckwheat may be next in line. Never planted it.

 

[deerfever]

Here it is the picture on the left. I did this a week or so ago to create a path for people wanting in the sunflowers for pictures. I mowed to the left of that new strip a couple days ago. To answer your question JC Deerman I usually mow it down and spray before fall plant. The picture on the right is a different patch that was planted later as you can see it probably would smother out some of your fall crop if planted thick but in the spring I really like it to add to the soil and it's so easy to grow. The deer like it on my place especially early and before it seeds. I usually do not plant it in the fall but I am sure some mix it in at certain rates. I am.sure some.of the others would know more about that.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Awesome - thanks! Looks great!