Welcome to Hogville!      Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Food Plot Test Update

Started by 195bc, October 14, 2008, 10:14:48 pm

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

195bc

October 14, 2008, 10:14:48 pm Last Edit: October 14, 2008, 10:17:18 pm by 195bc
Thought some of you would find this info interesting:

One of my food plot test sites in Illinois is showing some great info this year, nothing groundbreaking or new (stuff we already knew from tests done years ago), but the results are obvious so far this year and still interesting.

I've got 8,000 sq. ft. strips, unless noted differently, of the following products:
- Winter Oats (bob oats, cheap public variety, actually  2 acres of this)
- Winter Pea Mix (it includes Austrian winter peas and 2 other varieties)
- A new ladino variety called Crescendo
- A new white clover variety called Colt
- A new ladino variety called Regal Graze
- A popular ladino food plot mix sold at the big outdoor retailers (I won't mentioned names at this time).
- Another premixed food plot product sold in stores that is a mix of ladino, alsike and red clover
- a grazing vareity of alfalfa called Ameristand 403T (America's Alfalfa variety, same company that produces Alfa-Graze variety, which is popular among hunters).
- a new grazing variety of red clover called Dominion
- Dwarf Essex Rape
- A mix of New York forage turnips and Winfred brassica
- Puna chicory
- small burnett
- 2 acres of standing soybeans, dried out.

The ladino/white clover plots are getting the most attention, by far. The grazing pressure on those plots is intense. The grazing pressure on the alfalfa and red clover is about the same, but far behind the ladino/white products. The oats are 6 inches tall and have not been touched. The brassica-based products (dwarf essex rape, winfred brassic, forage turnips) are still getting established but the larger plants have not been touched. The winter peas are only about 3 inches tall, but they haven't been touched. The small burnet is slower to establish and not at grazing height yet. The chicory isn't getting much attention at this time, although it is great during the hotter months. Dried beans are not getting attention yet.

The main point is is the ladino/white plots have received the most attention all year. And the popular ladino product that is sold at the big retailers is no better (and actually may be not performing as well) as some of the other straight improved varieties. And the straight varieties are cheaper. The Crescendo and Regal Graze really look good. The Colt is a little smaller plant, but handles grazing well and is more heat tolerant (although not an issue at this site in Illinois).

SultanofSwine

In my experience with many of these plantings, the brassicas obviously wont get much if any attention until after a hard frost or two, the same for the chickory. The austrian peas are still early as well based on your height description. In se arkansas they need to hit about knee high and get to around the first of nov. and then the deer will wipe them out in about 10 days or so if you have a decent deer population. Oats we planted in the past were also into Nov before they got much attention.

They probably wont hit the soybeans much until the acorns are starting to get depleted but they will be back on them later for sure.

 

195bc

Swine,
You are right on the brassicas (except for chicory, which does not need a hard freeze to increase sugar content in the leaves to be attractive, it tends to get the most pressure in the summer because of its drought tolerance). However, in many cases, deer will increasingly browse rape and other brassica varieties earlier and earlier each year planted.
On test plot in near Clarksville last year, they were wiping out an improved forage turnip variety called Samson and dwarf essex rape well before a hard freeze (early fall). The products had been planted in previous years. On a site we do testing on southern Illinois, where turnips and rape have been planted for four years in a row, deer will now start eating them as soon as they're tall enough to browse, as early as the first of October. And that's on a property with row crops all around and 10 acres of clover food plots.
On another test site in central Illinois last year, in the first year we planted forage turnips and rape, the deer never touched the stuff at any time. They have been planted again this year, along with another forage turnip variety, so we'll see what happens.
On your other comments, I completely agree and have seen that on sites around the country, I was just giving an update as of right now for that location, and that if you had to pick just one product to plant, a ladino-based product is still the way to go (if you have the right soil and manage it properly).

With my job, I spend a lot time on research and formulation for numerous popular brands of food plot products. We've got several things hopefully in the works for the next few years that will be unique that I'm impressed with so far.

pujolstain

What do you know/think about Durana ladino clover?  I got a plot with it, oats, and wheat which is doing pretty good.  I think some of the clover dried out over the dry spell we had but I saved some to frost seed this winter.  Its supposedly really aggressive and will withstand grazing and last 3-5 years.

What do you mean by manage the clover?  I have the plot for turkeys mainly and planted the oats and wheat as a cover to allow it to root well and then explode (hopefully) in the spring.  I have thought a 0-0-46 fertilizer in late winter would help?  Or is it 0-46-0?

195bc

Durana isn't distributed by my company, but I can't lie, it's a good ladino variety. If I was to start a new clover plot, I would go with another variety, but it's certainly not a bad choice.
I think you'll be happy with it. Make sure you frost seed several pounds per acre in February. That way the plot will fill in as the oats and wheat die out. You may need to mow off the oats and wheat in mid spring.
What do I mean by managing clover? Just taking care of it. Fertilizing the proper amount of potash and phosphorous each year, maintaining 6.5 to 7 pH, spraying for grass or weeds if necessary, mowing the spring if it gets taller than 12 inches.

SultanofSwine

Have limited experience with chicory but it did not seem to draw much attention until later in the year. May have been a similar reaction to first plantings of brassicas like you mentioned, not getting hit much.

If I were doing a plot now in a wooded area, I would ring it with dwarf essex and turnips and winter peas. The center would be a heavy clover base with an annual top sowing of bob oats and wheat and call it good. Then just manage it from there.

195, any reason to take a different approach with a hunting plot??

195bc

October 16, 2008, 07:35:27 pm #6 Last Edit: October 16, 2008, 07:37:01 pm by 195bc
No reason at all to do anything different. Rape, turnips and oats are pretty much dummy proof. Since those three forages are drought tolerant, cold tolerant, grow in a low pH and in any soil type, and just need to touch dirt to start growing, hard to beat them for simple plots to hunt on.
And don't buy the pre-packaged products with these products - rip off. If you're local farm supply store doesn't weigh small quantities for sale, find a place that does. Per acre seeding rate: 2 lbs purpletop turnips (or an improved forage turnip, more top growth), 2 lbs dwarf essex rape, 50 lbs winter oats (or add 20 lbs of winter peas and drop the oats to 25 lbs).
Adding about 20 to 30 units of nitrogen per acre will really make this mix take off, which is especially important if it's planted late - kind of hard on the wallet right now, but it will make your plot look twice as good.