Food Plots Warm season plot thoughts ?

[BSK]

This is why I run wheat in when supplimental planting or establishing clover. It will come early crowding out early grasses and weeds, it consumes excess nitrogen, reduces browse pressure on the clover then goes to seed and dies in time for me to mow in July and spray if needed later.

All my fall plots have wheat (and heavy). Yet all of the plots will be thick, knee-high foxtail by mid-summer. It chokes out everything. In the past, when we were not trying to grow a summer crop, no problem. Just kill it and mow it before fall planting. But now that I'm attempting summer crops, it's a major problem. Don't know what I'm going to try this summer. A few plots will have Eagle Beans, which can be sprayed. May just let the other plots go fallow. Or I may overseed with Arrowleaf and just let it go, as the Arrowleaf can grow as tall or taller than the foxtail. Or hit those Arrowleaf plots with Clethodim. Still thinking on it.

Of course, I'm in the unusual position of summer foods being very low on the priority list as few deer call my property home in summer (and we currently have a massive amount of natural summer browse). However, the fall plots are EVERYTHING, and we pour all of our resources into those.

 

[Popcorn]

I know your pain with foxtail. I have mowed that stuff4 times just before seed stage and it still manages to make seed, a lot of seed.
I had considered just killing the plot repeatedly till I got ahead of the stuff but never went through with it

 

[BSK]

I know your pain with foxtail. I have mowed that stuff4 times just before seed stage and it still manages to make seed, a lot of seed.
I had considered just killing the plot repeatedly till I got ahead of the stuff but never went through with it

If I catch it in its early growth stage, will Clethodim kill it?

 

[Popcorn]

If I catch it in its early growth stage, will Clethodim kill it?

Yes
Remember the surfactant also
You likely have a great amount of seed stored in the soil, stay after it.

 

[BSK]

You likely have a great amount of seed stored in the soil,...

That would be an understatement.

 

[Boll Weevil]

I've been experimenting with cowpea, sunflower, sorghum mixes for several years that creates tons of food even in really dry growing seasons. Food, fawning, and brooding all in one. It generally gets up/canopies pretty quick for weed suppression and moisture retention.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I've been experimenting with cowpea, sunflower, sorghum, sunflower mixes for several years that creates tons of food even in really dry growing seasons. Food, fawning, and brooding all in one. It generally gets up/canopies pretty quick for weed suppression and moisture retention.

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"Food, fawning, and brooding all in one"

Looks absolutely fantastic!! Great job! And very motivating! Thanks for sharing!

 

[BSK]

"Food, fawning, and brooding all in one"

Looks absolutely fantastic!! Great job! And very motivating! Thanks for sharing!

I second that!

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I've been experimenting with cowpea, sunflower, sorghum, sunflower mixes for several years that creates tons of food even in really dry growing seasons. Food, fawning, and brooding all in one. It generally gets up/canopies pretty quick for weed suppression and moisture retention.

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That looks awesome. If I had that every year I'd be a happy man. However "dry growing season" in 2022 only yielded buckwheat about 6" tall and very sparse. Mostly dirt. Of course, that was the worst we've seen in a while

 

[tellico4x4]

I've been experimenting with cowpea, sunflower, sorghum, sunflower mixes for several years that creates tons of food even in really dry growing seasons. Food, fawning, and brooding all in one. It generally gets up/canopies pretty quick for weed suppression and moisture retention.

View attachment 170101

Looks great! Got a recipe for your mix? Got quite a bit of clover for redo & that would work.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Looks great! Got a recipe for your mix? Got quite a bit of clover for redo & that would work.

Full transparency here…I have pretty good dirt and these are bottomground sites so not sure how well it'll work on high ground, rocky, clay, or sandy soils. 40-50% ripper or cowpea, 25-30% each black oil sunflower and grain sorghum/milo. If you have lots of deer the peas will get browsed heavily so you want a higher plant population with those. I just mix everything in the drill real good as the seeds are close enough to the same size the setting works well enough for plots with one pass.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Full transparency here…I have pretty good dirt and these are bottomground sites so not sure how well it'll work on high ground, rocky, clay, or sandy soils. 40-50% ripper or cowpea, 25-30% each black oil sunflower and grain sorghum/milo. If you have lots of deer the peas will get browsed heavily so you want a higher plant population with those. I just mix everything in the drill real good as the seeds are close enough to the same size the setting works well enough for plots with one pass.

I'll be doing soybeans and sorghum. Interested in what sunflowers you use? You gave percentages, but do you remember how many lbs per acre of the sunflowers?

 

[Boll Weevil]

I'll be doing soybeans and sorghum. Interested in what sunflowers you use? You gave percentages, but do you remember how many lbs per acre of the sunflowers?

I use the small black oil sunflower so fewer are shattered from the drill. Hard coated seeds and peas won't have that issue near as much as fracturing a seed with a shell. Pounds per acre depends on whether it's topsown and dragged or drilled. I'll see if I can find a good guide and post here because I can't recall rates or target plant population/acre off the top o my head. Seeds per pound come into play too.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I use the small black oil sunflower so fewer are shattered from the drill. Hard coated seeds and peas won't have that issue near as much as fracturing a seed with a shell. Pounds per acre depends on whether it's topsown and dragged or drilled. I'll see if I can find a good guide and post here because I can't recall rates or target plant population/acre off the top o my head. Seeds per pound come into play too.

We have a no till drill. And the shattering of sunflower seeds were my concern, which was why I was asking. Thank you!

 

[Turkman]

I've been experimenting with cowpea, sunflower, sorghum mixes for several years that creates tons of food even in really dry growing seasons. Food, fawning, and brooding all in one. It generally gets up/canopies pretty quick for weed suppression and moisture retention.







































Boll Weevil, listening to all the podcasts talking about turkey habitat, do you feel these plots are too thick for hens and thier polts? Secondly is there anything you plant that really seems to keep turkeys around winter/late winter to maybe help your spring numbers?

 

[Boll Weevil]

Turkman,
Later in the growing season absolutely, height becomes an issue when the hen can no longer see over the crop. Early to mid though it's great and slam full o bugs which the little guys need to grow fast. Grasses that form a solid thatch type mat is what won't let little turkeys get thru; pasture type grasses like fescue or Bermuda are the absolute worst. The crops discussed here are all more stalks/stems vs an mat and poults have no issue. If drilled in rows even easier to navigate.

Holding birds to help spring numbers…something green thru winter. Winter wheat, rye, or oats. Something that doesn't go to sleep. At some point akerns and beechnuts will run out, rot, sprout, or sour. If you got enough green though, it'll help hold birds close(er).