Fall food plot

Just looking to talk some food plot ideas - What do you guys have the best luck with for a late season plot? Do you do anything special for fall plot preps? How about some pictures of bucks taken off kill plots? 137 days till archery opener... 

I don't cultipack. I have seen where ever I had driven my tractor after seeding, the weeds would start to grow and take over in the tracks before the food plot seed got going. After dragging my plot, I just broadcast the seed prior to a rain. It hasn't failed me yet! And is mostly weed free!

Huntfishcrappie,

Congrats and enjoy the process with your kids! Keep at it and you will get there. 

My 120 acres was basically untouched also. I’ve carved out 4 acres of food plots out of dense aspen stands. Spread 5-6 tons of lime. Cut 3-4 miles of good atv/utv trails with just chainsaws and loppers. Put in 2 ponds. Planted hundreds of conifers and the list could go on. It’s a process but I enjoy it. Would like to add more food plots but everything is just getting to expensive. 4 acres is enough to maintain. 

This is a let's throw shizt at the wall and see what sticks....This was untouched land.. previous owner when up once or twice a year never did much on the land... My son's and I have laid 100 feet of bridge to get to the high ground and cut north/south East/west trail's..My youngest son cut out the area and poisoned it by himself...We can not get in nothing but hand tools..

We hand broadcast the seed and raked it in with a plastic rake just to get contact with the soil.. Just learning how to do a food plot and what will grow. Next year I will till it I just bought a small tiller. Till it remove rocks and stubble and make something for dragging over the seed..The pictures of the food plot is awesome and lot of work.. that's something to be proud of..

Really depends on how much thatch is laying there. 

I honestly think you would get decent to good germination on the winter rye using your method described but only you know how well the seed to soil contact will be in current conditions. 

Personally, I would broadcast the seed, roll it with cultipacker or drag harrow lightly and then spray with 1-2 qts/acre gly. 

Probably not necessary to spray but I’m a perfectionist and like clean plots. I’m Slowly getting away from chemicals and realizing some weeds is not the end of the world. 

I attached a couple photos of a very thick clover plot that I just broadcasted rye, ww, and oats into, rolled and sprayed. Got excellent germination considering how thick the clover was.

Seeking an opinion from those that have used winter rye. I have a small1/4-1/3 acre food plot that was last tilled 2 years ago. It is mostly grasses now with a little clover. I have mowed it twice this summer. I intend to mow again this week and then surface seed some winter rye. After seeding I will drag it with a logging chain mounted on a 2x4 to work the seed down to achieve ground contact. Doing this Thursday and Friday. Rain predicted for Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Mostly lighter scattered showers and a thunderstorm here and there. Hoping for enough moisture to get good germination. Will also add a bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer to get it going. I can drag a pull behind lawn thatcher to further disturb the soil. Tilling isn’t a real option but if absolutely necessary it could be done. Any advice, tips or recommendations welcome. 

Cut a little more area and poisoned it... still ruff looking with stubble from cutting but not bad for just starting it this year.. Getting late to do much more..     PH was 6 laid 25lbs of lime for about 1200 square feet.                  5lbs of winter rye 1 lbs of cereal rye and 1 lbs of rape no feterlizer... Not a huge area but it's a start for a small plot in the woods.. Need rain now.

Clover and brassicas are growing good by me. Added 100# 19/19/19 a couple of weeks ago. Rain and timing is everything!

Got some good growth started. Just broadcasted another shot of fertilizer and now we have a light rain starting. I have another small 50’x100’ area that was mowed early August and has 4-5” growth of some clover and assorted grasses. Going to surface seed some winter rye in the next two weeks on top of the mowed area. Will try and time that right before a good rain.

The info you have given is awesome...You are right on the big buck seed bags.. I have read them but never paid attention to them just half azz on info.. 

Yes hunting ag country is awesome I hunted trempulea county most of my life.. Soybeans and corn fields make for some great hunting..Deer are very predictable.. Lost family land cause of bad decisions on my father...Hunted public land the last 4 years..I have been blessed with purchasing my own land but it is on the Taylor/Price county line... It's not great area but it's paid for so any thing we can do to improve it helps.. Plus spending time with my boys is great... They know I will not sell it...

I will look into more clover.. What is better? White Red or Crimson.. l got the winter rye seed from Ace hardware 5lbs bag 10.00

If you gave it a good kill a couple times,  you are off to the best start you can.  One bag of fertilizer won't kill you this year but not needed,  all you need is rain. lime takes time,  even pellet lime.  If you test it and wanted to bring the PH to where you think it needs to be,  dump lime this spring for ample time to actually move the PH.  Good luck.  

You can plant the whole thing with clover and rye.  Broadcast the the Rye first as it's a bigger seed,  then go back over it with the clover.  Putting both in the same seeder will just give you a headache.  Both only need soil contact to grow.  Hope for rain and you'll be good to go.  I'd plant the whole plot with both,  the rye will act as a cover crop as well.  I haven't seen rye in bags less than 50 lbs  (maybe they have bulk) but you won't need the whole bag for 1200 sq ft. It will be fine to save for next year,  just keep it dry and  in a cool area. Clover you won't need to go crazy with either,  maybe 2 to 3 lbs,  more won't hurt ya,  it's not like a radish or turnip where it needs room to grow.  Throw it all in and adjust next year if need be. 

One thing you may want to think about,  is oats for quick green for early season.  Oats will die off as they are an annual.  They will die off and turn brown with the first hard frost.  your clover will prosper then.  Clover will be green through mid November for sure.  

next year you will need to kill the WR.  Med red will grow back.  Crimson or berseem will not.  I like the med red though,  it just grows man and they love it.  I do kill my med red late may tho anyway.  You could leave it,  but you will have to maintain it.  So for many,  it's best to plant and kill off.  That's why an annual clover sometimes makes the more sense for a person that can't get to their land a lot,  no clean up in spring if you plant oats and an annual clover in fall.

Thanks great information... Maybe I will pass on lime and fertilizer until next year.. the area I plan on planting is on the edge of tag alder not wet my high ground where a few trees were nocked down a few years ago..I cleaned up the trees and sprayed it twice now..It should be clear now. ferns and other stuff was growing in the area. I think I will stop at the seed mill on the way and grab some clover and plant half side winter rye and half clover..Area maybe 30 x40 in the woods.. I think cattle grazing to the west and not sure of crop to my north...still learning the area... Thanks for the advice..

In the future,  you don't have to do a thing for Winter Rye,  it will grow in the bed of your truck and in cracks in your concrete.  Broadcast,  run over it a bit but not necessary,  throw Triple 10 on it maybe.  It's easier to grow than grass in your lawn.  Unless you have some seriously serious out of whack place to plant it,  like under a pine tree canopy....lime isn't needed...and fertilizer isn't really needed either to be honest.  you want it small,  so slow growing isn't a bad thing and right now is not the time you want it shooting up fast.  They don't need it now and won't be a big attraction if there is any other ag in the area.  you'd prefer it to stay small and not seed out.  Grow just enough so when everything is brown,  late oct or nov it is the only green in the area.  that's when Winter Rye shines.  Not in Sept and early oct.  Just my 2 cents.  If the weather stays warm,  like it did last year,  you'll have seeded out Rye in nov and they won't touch it.  last year oats were green till almost nov and that's crazy.

Rape IMO is a waste of time and money.  Go to a co-op and buy some med red clover or crimson.  That will grow and doesn't need fertilizer either and it if you do,  9 23 30 is what i'd use.  Triple anything is such a rip off if you break down what you are actually paying for.  

co-op or seed mill seed is just fine,  many say it's junk but it just shows they never used it.  Lot's of these seed companies with the bucks on the bag are the thieves.  you pay for 10lbs of clover and 3lbs is seed coating.  Beware of seed company seed,  read the labels first.

Thanks for the information...I did find a ph meter at Walmart for 7.00 and I did buy 80 pounds of lime plus some 10 10 10 fertilizer... 

Going to plant 1200 square feet of winter rye and 1 pound of rape mixed in..The rape might be to late but for 5.00 bucks I paid for it it's worth a shot.. just to see what will happen..

5 lbs winter rye                                 1 lbs rape                

12 lbs of 10 10 10 fertilizer

25 lbs of lime

Ruff measurements for 1200 square feet .. I will also premeasure lime in 5 lbs bags just in case I need to add more.. It is a small area but I feel it might help pull a deer or two on to my land..

HFC- If no soil test, I would recommend a bag or two of pelletized lime. Normally lime is needed to some degree.

Update on the clover plot- this 1 acre plot developed powdery mildew but it was only bad on 1/2 the plot so I decided to try and use the bad 1/2 as a smash crop. Last weekend I broadcasted rye, oats, peas and WW into the clover at 100#s/acre. I then rolled the clover down and sprayed. I know my spray mixture won’t kill the clover completely but it will set it back enough to let the grains take hold. I checked for germination and looking good so far. 

I also weed wacked the other 1/2 acre of clover so it should come back healthy and strong. Surprised it only took 2 hours to knock down a 1/2 acre with a brush trimmer.