Who has used this mix?

[Justin]

So I got a mix for a food plot for christmas yesterday. I cannot post a pic for some reason of it. Its a Mega plot with a mixture of turnips, Forage oats, Ceneral Grain, and annual clover. I know the clover will come back every year but will the rest of it come back? Also if anyone has used this how did you control the weeds? Also did you like the results of the plot? Thank you!!

 

[DocHolladay]

So I got a mix for a food plot for christmas yesterday. I cannot post a pic for some reason of it. Its a Mega plot with a mixture of turnips, Forage oats, Ceneral Grain, and annual clover. I know the clover will come back every year but will the rest of it come back? Also if anyone has used this how did you control the weeds? Also did you like the results of the plot? Thank you!!

It’s hard to control weeds in a mixed plot. You normally spray it with Gly a few weeks before planting. I have a local seed/ag company that makes a similar mix. It does great as long as the rains come in a timely fashion. Last year was great for the rains and plot. This year, it rained the week before I planted and we didn’t get another drop for roughly 35 days so the seeds just sat there. Once it rained, all of the grains and peas sprouted, the turnips and radishes started, but a heavy frost knocked them down because they were so small. It doesn’t have the growth it should by now, but it’s still growing and the deer and turkeys are using it. Come March, the warm air will make it explode and I should be able to plant my summer plot around June.


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[Justin]

Hey doc thanks for the information. Did you have to till your ground at all? Also I am going to get a soil sample of the ground and see what it needs for nutrients but since its next to the edge of a creek and the soil is black I dont think it will need any. I am also thinking about putting a apple tree right in the middle of it. Does any type of apple tree work for deer? Also what are the advantages of using apple trees for deer?

 

[wsucoug]

So I got a mix for a food plot for christmas yesterday. I cannot post a pic for some reason of it. Its a Mega plot with a mixture of turnips, Forage oats, Ceneral Grain, and annual clover. I know the clover will come back every year but will the rest of it come back? Also if anyone has used this how did you control the weeds? Also did you like the results of the plot? Thank you!!

Unless you are in the warm south with little cold throughout your winter I wouldn't think much is gonna come back the following year. You could easily add a "perennial" clover and stretch the plot into the early summer.

 

[suburbhunter]

There are many more qualified apple people than me but since I'm on Ill try to answer. The advantage of the apple tree is the attraction for deer. Now, any old apple tree? I would say no, because you should plant what will work well/thrive in your area in relation to disease resistance. Maybe someone from your area/region could help you with that. Check out the fruit tree thread. If you are going to go with apples and or crab apples, you may want a couple early, mid and late season droppers so you will have a supply for the deer throughout the season. Plant in full sun with adequate protection. Caged, a weed mat, and thoroughly watered at planting. Good luck!!!

 

[Mennoniteman]

Welcome to planting food plots. Warning: Participating in this activity can be addictive, and there is no known cure.

 

[DocHolladay]

Hey doc thanks for the information. Did you have to till your ground at all? Also I am going to get a soil sample of the ground and see what it needs for nutrients but since its next to the edge of a creek and the soil is black I dont think it will need any. I am also thinking about putting a apple tree right in the middle of it. Does any type of apple tree work for deer? Also what are the advantages of using apple trees for deer?

I have no experience with apple trees. Other than that, I used to disc, but quit doing it and started throw n mow. I use gly on occasion, but try and limit its use to the minimum amount possible. One of my plots is along a creek and still needed amendments after getting a soil test. Some of the nutrients will leach out with high water, but the plants and roots will hold them better than tilled soil(the soil washes away taking the nutrients with it). I try and plant a mixed bag for both winter and summer plots to have diversity in forage and the plants hopefully working together to supply each other with what they need nutrient wise. I also don’t look for a “made for TV” plot. If I have some weeds in it, the deer and other wildlife tend to use it too. The deer really hammer the ragweed around here and I also like to see partridge pea in the field for turkeys, quail, dove and song birds.


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[Chainsaw]

To reinforce what Suburbhunter stated regarding the apple tree absolutely all apples work for deer except of course for the ones that are planted in the wrong planting zone and obviously those apple trees overtaken by diseases like fire blight or extreme cases of cedar apple rust or other disease. Some varieties are highly susceptible to those diseases and others while a very few varieties are highly resistant to them. Further if work means that the apple tree will draw deer on thanksgiving and the tree has dropped all of its apples on Labor Day then that one likely wouldn’t work either. And of course the words never and all may not apply to anything deer. So to state the experience here with apples more accurately all of the 2,000 plus released wild apple trees while healthy have worked for deer here.

And while one of the right apple trees planted in the middle of the food plot will work if it doesn’t get hit with herbicide or get plowed to close to its roots, a variety of twenty-five disease resistant apple trees hardy and appropriate to your planting zone that are planted in a bunch behind or beside or even in the middle of a food plot with appropriate spacing and with all factors being equal will likely work many, many, many more times better than just one.
Note; I am not an apple tree-expert either but have seen apples work so many times. If I were just starting out here in food plot planting I’d put about 90% of my food plot time and dollars on apples. Also as stated check out the fruit tree threads; All of them are well worth reading and help you avoid a lot of expensive and time consuming mistakes. All properties are different and some things work on some properties and not others but for northern properties I have not known anyone that felt apples didn’t work on their property. Of course if one had only a few apple trees and was located next door to someone with hundreds of them those few probably wouldn’t have much affect on where the majority of area deer spent their daylight time.
Good luck to you in your food plot journey, it will be a lot of fun.

 

[willy]

Welome Justin, fellow Nebraskan. It sounds like a good area for a plot. What is your rainfall averages for spring through Sept.? I know its more arid in your area of the state than mine but if you can get water from the creek your plot should always do well and will be a good source of water for your fruit trees. Your food plot mix would be best planted in mid to late July, even into Aug for you to realize the benefit of all seeds in the mix.

How big of a plot are you going to plant?

I have planted many apple and pear trees over the past ten years. My experience on the two farms I have put them on is that the deer prefer pears over apples by a wide margin. The pears produce as fast if not faster than apples and produce more, sometimes to a detriment of the tree. Pears are less maintenance by a long ways as well. Almost a plant them, protect them, prune them just enough to keep branches from growing into each other and you're set.

I have many pear and apple trees planted in clover plots and it makes a great combo draw, especially the pears, am I overstating that:}

Turkey Creek nursery is out your way and I have planted many of their trees. Chris is the owner and will be of great help to you if you have questions.

 

[Chainsaw]

Welome Justin, fellow Nebraskan. It sounds like a good area for a plot. What is your rainfall averages for spring through Sept.? I know its more arid in your area of the state than mine but if you can get water from the creek your plot should always do well and will be a good source of water for your fruit trees. Your food plot mix would be best planted in mid to late July, even into Aug for you to realize the benefit of all seeds in the mix.

How big of a plot are you going to plant?

I have planted many apple and pear trees over the past ten years. My experience on the two farms I have put them on is that the deer prefer pears over apples by a wide margin. The pears produce as fast if not faster than apples and produce more, sometimes to a detriment of the tree. Pears are less maintenance by a long ways as well. Almost a plant them, protect them, prune them just enough to keep branches from growing into each other and you're set.

I have many pear and apple trees planted in clover plots and it makes a great combo draw, especially the pears, am I overstating that:}

Turkey Creek nursery is out your way and I have planted many of their trees. Chris is the owner and will be of great help to you if you have questions.

That is super interesting Willie, we have not experienced that here. We do have 60 times more apples than pears though so that could be the difference. Also we experience zone 4 temperatures normally and that reduces the amount of pear varieties we have to choose from. And our pears hit peak bloom a solid week before our earliest apple tree and often experience poor pollination conditions then. Still though I do have some pears on order that are said to be tolerant to our zone and am glad to hear that they work so well for you. I looked at the Turkey Creek website you recommended and he has a couple of pears that Might work here that I do not have on order so I shall order them from him.
Thank you for your post. As happens so often I usually get back as much or more than I put in on this forum.
This is a great forum with super, helpful people in it.

To the original poster I would say that Willies’ experience is more pertinent to your property as his property is likely more similar to yours than ours is; Still though besides the pears I would still plant apples also and be confident that they will have their days some years. And just like winter wheat is probably one of the best late season crops, oats,rye,and triticale still significantly add to the collective results of the entire planting and I expect apples combined with pears will do the same for you.

 

[willy]

Chainsaw, thank you and as you stated above I too have gotten way more back from these forums than I've put in and the people on here make it an integral component of my habitat management.

I have no doubt your deer hammer the apples hard as that probably has been their best source that time of year of food especially if there are few pears around. The deer will eat my apples but they clean up the pears first. My pears so far haven't been ruined by late frosts but I've has several apple varieties not produce the season a late frost came in. I'll have apples rot on the ground but not the pears. Pears have been impacted but they have always put on some fruit. Keifer is hands down the best pear variety I've planted as they have been prolific and hold pears into Nov. There were still a few pears on the week before Thanksgiving. I have a few pear varieties from the wildlife group that produce well, also one of which held pears the first week of December. If you can find pears that are good for your area I bet they would be another good tool for the shed, However can you improve on the thousands of apple trees you already have?. Energy might be better placed in another hole in the bucket.

The two apple varieties that have been bomb proof from frost though have been liberty and hewes crab and if one has cedars they haven't been impacted. They also grew and produced the fastest.

 

[Chainsaw]

Chris at Turkey Creek was very helpful. He felt that the Keiffer had the best chance of working in my area. I too used to think that it made little to no sense to add more apples here to what is already a crazy amount. I have kind of drifted off Justin’s original post though so I’ll post the logic of why the biggest hole in the bucket is not enough apples on my property tour if I haven’t already.