Need advise on food plot.

[Rat Rod Mac]

I've prepared a 1 3/4 acre area for a deer food plot and want to plant it in clover and oats in a couple of weeks. Oats for this fall and clover for next year. How much clover do I plant and how much oats? Next spring I'll mow the oats down and the clover should come right up. I was thinking of buying the clover and oats from the Whitetail Institute, but the problem is they want to sell you a bag of 36 pounds of clover and I'm sure that would be too much for only 1 3/4 acres. Could I put the left over clover in the freezer? Would it keep for a couple of years? Your thoughts on this would be appreciated. Oh, would you all recommend the Institutes clover and oats or are there others out there just as good? Thanks. RRM

 

[Rebeldad1]

sounds like these are all excellent questions for the Whitetail Institute.
have you had this discussion with them?

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

Rebeldad1, thanks for the reply. No I haven't, but since I was on the computer this afternoon I thought I would ask the guys on here for their opinions. Do you feel the Whitetail Institutes products are that much better than the feed mills variety?

 

[jeff9366]

Pretty difficult to give you worthwhile advice on seeds without knowing your LOCATION.

These are excellent questions for the Whitetail Institute.
Have you had this discussion with them?

What grows well at 6,000 feet altitude, on dry soil, in Colorado, will not be equally happy at ten feet altitude in Louisiana growing in moist gumbo.


In north Florida, "Forage Oats" which have less "other" seed than feed Oats, are about $25/50 pound bag at my local ACE Hardware.

The various types of food plot perennial Clover are more sensitive to soil pH than annual Oats.

Generally speaking I have had better success with perennial seed grown locally. For me that means some Clover seed from Hancock Seed in Dade, Florida, sixty-five miles distant. I have not noticed much difference, if any, with annual seeds which are eager germinators.

Your experience may not replicate my experience.

LINK: Clover Seed | Legume, Food Plot, Pasture | Hancock Seed – hancockseed.com

 

[Mat4644]

Whitetail institute seed is high priced. I buy the forage oats from Rural King $35 for 50 pounds. Moisture, heat and rodents are the biggest problems on seed storage. I have frozen, clover, turnip and radish seeds multiple years with no noticable effects. We also keep a strip for fall and spring daikon radish and purple top turnip. The smell of the brassica family brings them in faster.

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

jeff9366, you make a good point. Never thought to include my location. Eastern Ohio. Mat4644 thanks for the advise on freezing seed. Sound like it could last for a few years frozen. Still, how many pounds of each per acre as a blend? RRM

 

[jeff9366]

Enter Eastern Ohio into your T-B-N PROFILE so your location shows with every post your make.

 

[jeff9366]

How many pounds of Clover of each per acre as a blend?

Commercial Fall/Winter deer food plot mixes are about 3% expensive Clover seed.

The 'base' is usually Oats and some type of Peas.

I sow perennial Clover in a strip, so I can keep one Clover planting growing 3-4 years. As Clover is a legume, use a low nitrogen or zero nitrogen fertilizer the first one or two plantings. If you incorporate plant residue into the soil and move Clover strip each planting you should not need fertilizer thereafter.

Oats appreciate nitrogen during cool and cold weather.

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

Well last fall I planted winter wheat and they hit that ok. Just let it go to seed this spring and summer and about a month ago mowed and sprayed it. Tilled it last week and now I'm getting ready to plant the clover/ oats. I will probably get a 0-12-12 or 0-19-19 fertilizer if they make such a product. You guys have any idea how much clover I should plant and how much oats in this blend? BCM

 

[super55]

Clover is pretty slow to take off compared to oats. Anybody can grow oats by just literally throwing them on the ground. Grains like oats, rye and winter wheat are cheap and effective. I usually go with about 15# acre with clover and with oats I got up to 60# just because they are so cheap. For fertilizer you will probably want to go with something with N in it your oats will thank you.

Are you planning on planting this as a blend or a stand alone oats in the fall and then stand alone clover in the spring??

Check out hancock seed. They have really good prices. Also talk to some farmers around and see where they get their cover crop seeds. Those B.O.B (Buck on the Bag) seeds are incredibly overpriced for the amount of product you get.

 

[jeff9366]

jeff9366, you make a good point. Never thought to include my location. Eastern Ohio.

Pennington is a big seed supplier based in Pennsylvania.

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

super55, I'm planning on planting them as a blend, but because it is a blend I was thinking you backed off the seeding rate a little. That's why I was asking how much to plant per acre. Thinking the oats will attract deer this fall and winter and the clover will come up in the spring. They say if you keep it mowed and sprayed the clover patch will last a few years. Your B.O.B. comment was why I was asking about the Whitetail Institutes products. I'm sure they sell good seed, but maybe I don't need the absolute best. I'm a happy go lucky, play in the dirt kind of a guy. Put a doe in the freezer is good enough for me. I enjoy wildlife and putting out some food to help them get through the winter in good shape is fine by me. I kind of like watching them. Thanks to all for your opinions and advise. RRM

 

[super55]

Ok I'm following. What I would do is go with about 50# acre of oats or oats/buckwheat blend and then 10-15# of clover of your choice. I would stay away from winter wheat and cereal rye. Reason being both of those will overwinter and you will have to control it in the spring with clethodim. Oats and buckwheat will usually die out after first frost. Buck forage oats supposed will last a little longer but won't overwinter.

If you are broadcast seeding. Spread the oats first then drag to get a little soil over them, then broadcast the clover on top of the dragged area and culitpack. Biggest failure for clover seeding is often from planting the seed too deep.

 

[shooterdon]

I just finished planting dutch clover. It cost $45 deliver for 10 lbs from Outsidepride.com. It comes inoculated. Some I used in bare areas and most went onto my food plots. 10 lbs is enough for an acre. My food plots are small and nestled in the woods.

This is my first attempt, so cannot offer much advice. The owner of the deer camp next to me has numerous food plots (7-8 acres planted) on his 260 acres. He spends $2000/yr on seed, lime and fertilizer. That is not for me. My cost for about an acre of has been $45 for the seed and $120 Plot-Start and Plot-Boost from these guys:
DeerGro | Deer Food Plots Sprays Growing Bigger Deer

Applying the Plot-Start was very simple and much easier than using lime as well as about 1/2 the cost.

Doing it the "right way", like my neighbor, costs $250-300 per acre. He plants different crops spring and fall. My cost was $165/acre for this year and will be much less moving forward. I do not plan on rotating crops and will just use clover year round. May need to over-seed next year and then every second year; and apply lime or Plot-Start once a year if needed.

But the big saving is in equipment. I was able to use the landscape rake I already have to prepare the soil. The seeds are so tiny I was leery of using my broadcast spreader so used a little hand held unit. Got a bit of walking exercise...LOL. Spraying was easy with my pull behind on my lawn tractor. I do not need to invest in a tiller or cultipacker. And I will not need to kill off crops to plant the next crop.

I realize I will not be feeding the deer optimally for their seasonal needs but it is better than doing nothing. If it does not work, I have very little invested so not a huge risk.

Fortunately, I am an "honorary member" at the deer camp next to me. I help out a bit and they let me hunt the second week of rifle season after they leave. I am not allowed to shoot a buck unless it is 8pt or better but they will let me harvest as many does as I wish as our ratio is something like 10:1. I am thankful for my status there and decided I would not shoot a buck anyway. Some of the guys might be a bit ticked off if I harvested a 10 pointer on their property. Thus my desire to have something on my land as well.

Good luck with your plots. There is a lot of stuff on what to plant and how. I got overwhelmed and decided to KISS.

 

[Will_C]

1 3/4 acres-around 15 pounds of clover and 150 pounds of oats. Good advice about the planting the oats deeper and just covering the clover. Not sure I'd worry about fertilizing now. I'd hit the clover with 200lbs of a low nitrogen blend early next spring-something like 0-20-20 (I use 2-10-40 with Boron.)

 

[3gunr]

Whitetail institute sells smaller bags that do half acre. i have planted lots of different clovers over the yrs . but theres seems to draw deer better , My clover plots stay green and edibleup until november, and i will get pictures even in January of deer still eating it. It does take time to get established but will last a long time with maintanance. Oats and winter rye lightly overseeded with brassicas works great for me.Planted 4 plots of about 5 acres two weeks ago and no rain so far. hoping to get some tomorrow. I would put down at least 400 lbs of lime if your not sure of your ph. Otherwise you could be wasting your money. I learned that the hard way for a few yrs.

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

Thanks again for all of your suggestions. The plot is planted and with the rain we got last week the clover is showing and the oats are three inches high. I did put down some fertilizer, I used 6-24-24 so maybe hit it again next spring with some triple 12. Any other advise or suggestions on maintaining the plot is also welcomed. Oh, almost forgot. Whitetail Institute says to spray your clover with Slay and Arrest to kill the weeds. That sounds good, but once again it looks pretty expensive. Is there a generic weed killer that would do just as good a job as these that would be much cheaper? Thanks. RRM

 

[Otto Syracuse]

I know you already planted your plot. Merit Seed is in Ohio and would be able to answer any questions you have, maybe pretty close to you. They have lots of food plot blends.

Agriculture and Wildlife food plot seed | Merit Seed in Berlin