Best Food Plot Blend

Last year I started 2 small food plots on my parents land. I planted Biologics full draw and had great success with this and I also planted a Biologic clover mix that did not fair well. I am not sure if the clover did not fair well due to me planting it in august as opposed to spring or if it is tempermental. I plan on adding in a large 1 acre food plot this year and am interested in hearing what has worked for all the lake linkers out there. I dont have heavy machinery however with some hard work I have been able to turn over 2 half acre plots with a rototiller and a brush hog. Also I am interested to know about specific lime additions or fertilizer additions that were made to the plots. I added 500lbs of lime to each plot for a PH of 5.7 but I did not know if that was enough. I see lately that there are numerous closeouts on muliple food plot seeds and some suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks DD

JRJOHN, there are a lot of things that work great no-till, but you have to do the right prep work to have a nice looking plot.

I have been trying different blends and seeds over the last ten plus years. I have tried the Bio logic belmds plus. The one thing I found to be very true is were you get your seed. I have found the seed company your get your seed is important. If your seed company gets its seed from the south your food plots will not last long. I have found that if you get seed that is raised in the north the plants are much hardier. I have some plots of clover that is going on 5 years old and are still very thick. I do however mow the plot in May , June and into July. Then I let them grow . By end of Aug my clover is 8 to 10 inch and ready for the cold weather and heavy feeding of the deer. We do have sandy acid soil and I add tons of lime to try to get the PH level at a balance.

was wondering if there is any kind of blend that can just be thrown out on the ground and you don't have to till.

Your PH will change as the lime gets into the soil. It can take 6 months before it is truly useful. Mrt.

Thanks for the help guys. Anyone else have any suggestions!

Yep, the Forage Oats is what we planted that I mentioned in my last posting, I couldn't remember the official name for it. You are right, the deer just couldn't get enough of it once it got cold. Also, it is relatively cheap compared to some of the other mixes. West Bend Elevator sells the oats and several other plot mixes if you are in SE WI.

Clover is finicky to get established and you want a PH of 6.2 to get the best growth. If your PH is the same this spring chicory, Oats and Rape should do well where its at currently. This is where I get my seed from. http://www.lftseed.com/ref_man_files/G-Wildlife/foragewild-index.php Their seed is made for our climate here in the upper midwest. Lot's of the commercially made stuff you see on TV and geared more to the south. Take a look at the Deer Country Point Builder Plus & Plot Spike Forage Oats. The Middle of my Plots will be planted in the Point Builder plus and the outer edges will be planted in august with the Plot Spike Forage Oats. They are good down to about 10 degree's and once we get a frost the greens get very sweet and the deer just pound them. Great for the hunting Plot! Disclaimer I am not affiliated in any way with this company. Just trying to help guys out!

We planted some plots last year for the first time and used Buck Oats (bought from from our local feed mill and some Fall Forage. The fall forage contains mostly turnips and rape. Contrary to what everyone told us about the deer waiting until 1st frost to eat the fall forage.....they ate it up immediately. The buck oats sat awhile before the deer really starting eating it. We would have 6-15 deer a night in the buck oats in late Oct (3/4 acre plot). during shooting time. We are going to switch to mostly oats this year. We planted both in early August in central WI. The soil is very sandy. We also used lime and fertilizer. We will also be adding some spring plots this year to give the deer nutrients while the antlers are growing. We haven't decided on what we will plant in the next few months.