Vet Judy

Have you ever wondered why everyone talking about deer food plots speaks about cool season and warm season annuals and then further complicates it with north and south, biennials and perennials.

Even more intimidating is the fact that there is no easy separation between these food plot plants in all areas. In other words, you have annuals that can act like perennials in the right areas and can be encouraged to reseed, but in other deer food plot regions reseeding is not viable. A plant may be an annual in one area a perennial somewhere else.

Seeding times may vary and are not as easy plant in the north on such and such a week and in the south do something different. Then there is the deep  south, mid south, regular south, south east, south west, the plains…..yikes. It is no wonder that things are a little confusing.

Mostly all coverage of the deer food plot plants is given in a list of plant profiles which give the technical classification. Occasionally you are lucky enough to have someone say north versus south. But that still leaves out east versus west.  Then you have acid versus basic soils, loamy versus sandy.

So you go online to find a seed mixture and notice that even though everyone is talking annual, perennial, biennial  all of these are in a mix together: now what is going on?

Here are some general concepts that may help you out:

The legume list for deer food plots and small game is the longest.

Legumes are almost always mixed with something else. AS a matter of a fact, in most cases food plots are a mixture of plants. It is important to remember that just because you want different plants in your plot thoughout the year, does not mean they have to seeded in the form of a mix.

 Here is a plot where rapeseed and chicory were planted  one in front of the other.  http://www.diydeerfoodplots.com/articles/5-steps-to-successful-fall-planting-of-whitetail-food-plots.html

My small grains, such as oats  I also do monoculture in some locations. Mixes were created for you to help ease the burden of decision making and improve your success but they are not necessary.

The “something else” that is mixed with legumes are

1.       small grains (oats,rye,wheat),

2.       annual grasses (annual ryegrass) , corn,  milo or grain sorghum

3.       brassicas (rapeseed, turnips, kale)

4.       other:  plants like buckwheat and chicory, vetches,

The legume and “other” choice for the food plots are based on

1.       season planting

2.       soil conditions(upland, bottomland, pH, moisture, wet lands, shady )

3.       when peak growth is preferred

4.       level of browse

5.       weed competition

6.       winter conditions

7.       equipment availability

8.       size of plot

9.       need for quick growth, recover crop, or targeting specific seasonal stresses.  

Although some legumes can stand acidic conditions, shady conditions, wet conditions, sandy soil etc, in general  food plot legumes do better in near neutral pH’s in well drained soil. 

Soybeans  are susceptible to overgrazing and therefore should not be used on small plots unless you have the ability to fence the areas off until they get established as deer tend to eat them immediately after germination and the weeds take the plot over.

Cool season Legumes are generally planted in the fall (Sept-Nov)

Warm season legumes are generally planted in the spring(Feb-June)

Both cool season and warm season plants are mixed together depending on the goals of the plot.

For example: buckwheat, alyceclover, American jointvetch are often combined with rape and forage turnips even though the last two are considered cool season annuals. The mix itself is considered warm season mix because it is predominantly warm season forages. It is planted early summer and will provide feed for early fall before mast is available.

Even perennials mixes often contain annual grains and rapeseed (brassica) because of the benefits of thse plants for protection nd cover while establishing alfalfa and ladino clover

Most legumes grow both north and south but sometimes perennials or biennials can become annuals depending on location and conditions.

The further north or south you go and the more severe temperatures are then the selection of plants can become narrower.

The deep south is the most difficult area because of the heat and moisture stress.

The far north only creates a problem when needing plants to overwinter and become active in the spring. In extreme far north conditions (when there is a lack of snow cover or inadequate cover crop protection, or prolonged severe temperatures) there may be some limitations if wanting to choose perennials or biennials. Successful deer food plotting in some regions is limited to cool season annual with rapid growth phases for late fall hunting or summer annuals for early fall hunting.

Cool season deer food plot forages are generally considered to be those plants that are planted in later summer, early fall or spring. They are great for whitetail deer, mule deer, turkeys etc. The plants  provide fall and winter deer food when the deer are under a significant amount of stress during the rut.  Those plants that are planted in fall but emerge in the spring are great for giving does additional support during lactation.

When considering using cool season deer forage in your food plots  generally all legumes should have a grain, annual ryegrass or rapeseed (brassica) mixed with them.

The cool season grass ( annual ryegrass)  and grains ( wheat, oats, rye)  have multiple functions in a food plot.

*help prevent erosion

*can compete effectively with deer food plot annual weeds

*grow quickly and therefore provide quick food supply for deer

* are a cover crop for the legumes which means they protect the legume through the winter and early spring when frost risk is high and allow for a good stand in the spring.

Commercial seed mixes for deer food plots generally have legumes, small grains, grasses and/or brassicas in them. It is not essential to use a mix. You can buy seed at a local distributor as well and mix the combinations yourself.

Just remember if you are going to use low till or no till strategies you have to stay with the small seeds as these are the ones that need very little soil coverage. With these small seeds the soil coverage is generally 1/4 inch or so, which lends itself to using a rake (if you are covering manually) or a drag behind an ATV. Very small seeds can also be mixed with sand in your seeder to help with even spreading, especially if they are to be planted as a monoculture (by themselves). 

When planting your food plot feel free to premix as mentioned above, mix your own and spread it that way, or plant as single culture patches. The advantage of planting several types of plants together is especially evident when you need a cover crop for your legumes. I have planted both ways though and had success in either strategy depending on the plot and the deer pressure.

The deer don’t care how the feed is presented so much as they care about their safety when getting to the food and also that it is tasty when they arrive.  

            Deer food plot planters are well aware that the best food plots are those that are well planned.  In this fall season, I want to take a look at the flexibility that a fall-seeded small grain like wheat may give you next spring.

As I’ve mentioned in this blog before, wheat can be a most valuable deer food plot crop for winter and fall forage, especially in larger plantings.  But it’s time to review another advantage to winter wheat plantings beyond the food value: as preparation for planting spring legumes.

You have a couple options with the 60-120 pounds of wheat that you seed per acre in a fall planting.  It may be utilized for winter forage, and then fertilized in February to provide standing grain cover and habitat the following summer.  Larger wheat plantings, of course, can also be harvested for their grain value.

But wheat seedings in food plots may be most valuable for the flexibility that they give for frost seeded legumes in the early spring.  You can overseed clover or lespedeza into a wheat planting and provide valuable legume forage in the early spring and summer months.  Other legumes may be appropriate for seeding into a wheat stand depending on your location.

Legume Lowdown: Clovers

            In an earlier blog, I touted the research reports from Minnesota concerning birdsfoot trefoil, an important legume in deer food plot plantings.  I’ve also written about how it’s critical to inoculate legumes at planting.  Now, I want to list some of the benefits of clover for deer food plots. 

            Clovers are perennials that are high-quality sources of green deer forage .  It comes in several varieties that are deer friendly.  Like alfalfa, fresh clover gives deer a browse option that combines the high protein with the high calcium of a legume.  Red clover (Trifolium pretense) is a cool-season legume that can be fall-seeded in more moderate climates or spring seeded in northern climates like mine.  It is an exceptional source of calcium at 1.70%. 

            White clover, also called ladino clover (Trifolium repens), can be more susceptible than red clover to nematodes attacking its root system.  Both red and white clovers are seeded in soils with a pH range of 6.0.  Ladino clover tends perform a little better than red clover in poorly drained soils.  It also can last a couple years longer in a deer food plot seeding than does red clover.  In larger fields, some land managers find that seeding ladino in the spring over a wheat planting is an effective management tool.

            Red and white clovers are often mixed with grass to provide a grazing option for white tailed deer.  Their status as cool-season, perennial plants make them a great source of nutrition in the spring and summer.  Food plots requiring a source of forage in the summer months should include red or white clovers in the mix.

            Don’t confuse red or white clover with another plant often marketed for deer food plots, alyceclover (Alysicarpus vaginalis).  Alyceclover is a warm-season annual plant that performs well for deer food plots further south.

            Clovers, red and white, are an important part of deer food plot plantings, especially when seeded with appropriate grasses. For more detailed information about planting clover in your food plot see my article:

http://www.diydeerfoodplots.com/articles/perennial-food-plots-clover.html

 Soybeans (Glycine max) are a legume that deer  love to consume.  In fact, you may have acquired the right to hunt near farmland where the owners or managers are hoping your efforts will help manage deer populations that have enjoyed eating soybean a little too much!

            There are two kinds of soybeans used in deer food plot plantings: soybeans used for grain production and “forage soybeans” or soybeans planted to provide green forage in the early fall.  Grain soybeans can be planted from spring through the summer for deer forage, and may especially attract deer if soybeans aren’t widely grown in your area.  Some varieties of soybeans have been bred to be resistant to Roundup™.  If you want to utilize such varieties into a new food plot, that can potentially make weed control a lot easier.

            I like soybeans best in larger food plots.  Whitetail deer will keep the soybean from maturing in plantings of an acre or less, especially if there are not other soybean options nearby.  Soybeans can be used as a source of winter feed, but soybean stems tend to lodge (bend/break) in the winter, making them less reliable than some of the other grains commonly used in deer food plots.

            Be sure to use an inoculant when planting soybeans.  Plantings in areas with nearby soybean acreage for fall and winter browsing should be made in the spring.  Soybeans planted as Annual Forage  legumes in fall food plots can be seeded between mid-August and mid-September.  Personally, though, I prefer other fall forage options.

            Some soybean varieties have been bred to be more ideally suited for forage, but many managers find that grain soybeans are suitable for late summer seeding—and in a new food plot, the “Roundup Ready” option of soybeans that can be sprayed with glyphosate may be especially attractive in the first year.