Vet Judy

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

brassica All-Stars: Turnips

            Imagine a food crop that you could eat several times while it’s growing…then come back later and get some decent nutrition by digging up the roots.

            That is, essentially, what a deer gets out of a turnip.

            The turnip, whose scientific name is Brassica rapa, is one of those gold-plated deer forages in the brassica family.  Turnips have the reputation for being a humble crop, but they’re a critical part of many deer food plot stands.

            You’ll want to seed turnip in the late summer in northern climates; locations farther south can get away with early fall seedings.  Peak forage growth for most varieties is 60-90 days, with the best leaf nutrition coming about six weeks after planting.

            Turnips will keep growing after the first grazing—that is, if the point where the turnip greens grow, located at the tops of the roots, isn’t removed.  This is why it’s important to offer other crops in the food plot mix besides turnip, especially crops like cool-season grasses that can be managed for early fall deer forage.  The idea is to let the deer get a nibble of the turnip while there are still other things to eat.  Then, when there aren’t as many other forage options, the deer will return to graze the turnip.  Like other brassicas, turnips promote this feeding habit naturally as the turnip greens can taste more bitter before frost.

            At my ranch, I’ve seen turnip stay green well into the winter and even be available underneath the snow.  Deer can also dig up the turnips for nutrition in the mid-winter.

            Agronomists have selected lines of brassica rapa that are best suited for grazing.  Be sure to use a grazing variety when you put turnip into your deer food plot mix.  Then watch turnips become a part of your deer food plot that you’ll wonder why you never tried before.

Birdsfoot trefoil is a popular legume crop in many deer food plot plantings.

Each year, the University of Minnesota conducts field trials to evaluate different varieties of birdsfoot trefoil. Results from last season (2008) were released this past January and are available here (www.maes.umn.edu/09varietaltrials/birdsfoot.pdf).

For northern climates, winterhardiness is critical for a legume like birdsfoot trefoil. Winter injury can vary greatly between varieties.

The tests at Minnesota evaluated varieties for winter injury in 2004, and found no injury in the “Dawn,” “Georgia,” “Norcen” and “Nueltin” varieties. Minimal winter injury was found in the Viking and Roseau varieties in the 2004 test.

The highest yielding variety at the Grand Rapids, MN, test location in 2008 Minnesota trials was a variety called Witt. However, a winterhardy rating for Witt was not listed in the report. The “Dawn” variety of birdsfoot trefoil was the second highest yielding, and has exhibited good winterhardiness.

For the past three years, Minnesota’s reports have recommended the “Norcen” variety of birdsfoot trefoil as an ideal, winterhardy variety performing well in grazing trials.

These test results from Minnesota illustrate the sound information that is available to evaluate varieties for deer food plot plantings. One of the most common mistakes made in deer food plots is planting varieties better suited to another growing zone. As seen by the birdsfoot trefoil test, some varieties that yield very well in both southern and northern zones may not have the winterhardiness needed for the kind of climate and conditions in northern regions.

Always be sure to verify that the crop varieties you are planting in your deer food plot are suitable to your climate.

For All The ABC’s of deer food Plots check out the resources at www.diydeerfoodplots.com

Should you need information on Soybeans, forage oats, rapeseed, chicory and ryegrass, be sure to read the free article.